Shorter naturalization period now applies in Germany
Published: Thursday, Jun 27th 2024, 16:20
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A new citizenship law has been in force in Germany since Thursday. The "traffic light" coalition (SPD, FDP, Greens) has thus realized one of its central plans in migration policy.
The new rules, which came into force on Thursday, provide for shorter deadlines and allow dual citizenship for everyone with immediate effect. However, they are still controversial.
It is good that the feeling of many citizens to have several homes and affiliations is now finally manifesting itself in the form of two passports, said the Federal Chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD), Gökay Sofuoglu. For the population of Turkish origin in particular, this is an act of recognition of the reality of their lives and also an appreciation of their achievements in the past, present and future.
"This makes me all the more concerned about the renewed pessimistic debate, in which people act as if there will be something for free from now on for people who don't make an effort here," said Sofuoglu.
The CDU/CSU parliamentary group had announced that it wanted to reverse the reform after the next parliamentary elections, should it be able to do so. The AfD parliamentary group leader, Alice Weidel, said on Thursday: "The migration crisis is being exacerbated, the German people, the sovereign, is being transformed without consent."
The law formulated by the Ampel coalition stipulates that a claim to naturalization now exists after five years instead of the previous eight - provided that the applicant fulfils all conditions. In the case of special integration achievements, foreigners should be able to become German after just three years. Prerequisites for faster naturalization are good performance at school or at work, excellent language skills or voluntary work. Multiple citizenship is generally permitted.
Pre-residency period of five instead of eight years
All children born in Germany to foreign parents will be granted German citizenship with immediate effect and can retain their parents' citizenship if at least one parent has been living legally in Germany for more than five - instead of the previous eight - years and has a permanent right of residence.
The so-called option regulation, which previously applied to young people who had not grown up in Germany, no longer applies. In order to recognize the achievements of GDR contract workers and so-called guest workers, the requirements for naturalization were lowered for these groups.
"Many people have been waiting decades for this," said the Federal Government Commissioner for Integration, Reem Alabali-Radovan (SPD). With the reform, Germany "finally has a citizenship law that is up to date".
Hurdles not lowered
The FDP pointed out that the hurdles for naturalization would not be lowered overall despite the shorter deadlines. "Obtaining a German passport will be quicker in future, but it will be more difficult, as the requirements for naturalization have been significantly tightened," said FDP interior politician Stephan Thomae.
A higher number of applications does not necessarily mean that there will be significantly more naturalizations in the long term. After all, those who want to become German must stand on their own two feet financially, unlike in the past, said the FDP member of parliament. "We are also tightening up checks so that anti-Semites and people who do not share our values are not naturalized," he added.
©Keystone/SDA
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