As of: January 19, 2024, 1:40 p.m
By: Jens Kiffmeier
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It has been decided: Foreigners can obtain German citizenship more quickly.
But the naturalization reform continues to meet with criticism.
What counts?
Berlin – Necessary incentive for the immigration of skilled workers or a devaluation of German citizenship?
Opinions continue to differ on the reform of naturalization.
But despite massive criticism from the opposition, the federal government pushed its new citizenship law through the Bundestag on Friday (January 19).
With the votes of the traffic light coalition, the project passed parliament.
Once it comes into force, almost five million foreign citizens will be able to obtain their German passport more quickly.
Naturalization reform: Bundestag passes new citizenship law – Faeser happy
Even before the change in nationality law, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) had once again defended the new rules for naturalization.
“We have to be able to compete internationally when it comes to recruiting skilled workers,” she said on Friday (January 19) in Berlin, according to the
dpa
news agency .
Germany also needs to make an offer to skilled workers from abroad.
She wants to shorten the time for naturalization: Nancy Faeser (SPD) is reforming nationality law.
© Marco Rauch/Matthias Balk/Montage
There needs to be an appreciation for the people “who come to this country and help society function,” emphasized Faeser.
Acquiring citizenship only comes at the end of an integration process.
The Social Democrat spoke of a “really good perspective” for “people who are particularly involved - who learn the language quickly, who adopt our values from our Basic Law”.
From a double passport to a German test – this now applies when applying for citizenship in Germany
The reform is intended to simplify naturalization and fundamentally enable dual citizenship.
In the future, foreigners should be able to apply for a German passport in Germany more quickly.
But what exactly applies from now on?
The following list provides a detailed overview.
Naturalization deadline
: People from abroad who have been living legally in Germany for a long time should in future be able to apply for a German passport after just five years.
So far, the deadline has usually been eight years.
With “special integration services”, naturalization should in future even be possible after three years.
This could be good language skills, volunteer work or very good performance at school or work.
Double passport
: Until now, with a few exceptions, the principle applied: Anyone who accepts German citizenship must give up their old citizenship.
In the future, multi-nationality should in principle be possible.
The draft points out that many immigrants have so far shied away from giving up their old citizenship - also because of emotional ties to their country of origin or that of their parents.
Children
: All children born in Germany to foreign parents should in future receive German citizenship without any further reservation if at least one parent has lived legally in Germany for more than five years.
Previously the deadline was eight years.
In principle, children born in Germany can obtain and permanently retain their German citizenship and the citizenship of their parents.
Language skills
: Special relief should apply to members of the so-called guest worker generation, who have often been living in Germany for decades.
In the future, these older migrants should no longer have to take a written German test in order to be naturalized.
They should also no longer have to complete a written naturalization test.
These reliefs are intended to honor the “lifetime achievement” of this older generation.
Apply for naturalization: loyalty to the Basic Law remains a prerequisite - withdrawal is otherwise possible
The new law on naturalization basically makes multiple nationality possible and thus the long-controversial dual citizenship.
According to the new citizenship law, there are still some hurdles.
The prerequisite for obtaining citizenship is proof of integration and – with the exception of guest workers – knowledge of German.
In addition, you must be able to support yourself and your dependent family members.
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People with a record of racism, anti-Semitism or xenophobia will not be naturalized.
Theoretically, citizenship can also be revoked again.
According to Section 35 of the Nationality Act, this was previously possible within ten years, for example in the event of fraudulent deception or incorrect information.
The draft reform now makes it clear that incorrect declarations of commitment to the free-democratic basic order can also lead to withdrawal.
“Citizenship Devaluation Act”: Union rages and refers to other EU countries
The Federal Ministry of the Interior puts the number of people living in Germany with foreign citizenship at around twelve million.
Of these, around 5.3 million have been in Germany for at least ten years.
The law is scheduled to come into force three months after promulgation - probably in April.
However, the naturalization law continues to meet with criticism from the opposition.
“It is in fact a nationality devaluation law,” railed the Union’s domestic policy spokesman, Alexander Throm, on
Deutschlandfunk
.
Because the reform of the traffic light coalition is going in completely the wrong direction.
While Germany is reducing its requirements, other countries, such as France, have taken the opposite approach and tightened their naturalization rules.
“We can no longer guarantee that we will naturalize people in the future who are actually not yet sustainably integrated.”
And the CSU also continued to be outraged.
“The German passport is not junk!” tweeted the parliamentary group shortly before the decision in the Bundestag.
Naturalization should only come at the end of a successful integration process - and not at the beginning.
(
jkf
/with material from
dpa
and
AFP
)