Germany’s new citizenship reform, which is scheduled to take effect on June 27, significantly alters the naturalization procedure and allows foreigners to become citizens in as little as three years. The policy, which was put up by the center-left coalition government, intends to encourage integration into German society and acknowledge the achievements made by immigrants.
Germany is finally letting people hold more than one citizenship as a regular practice, abandoning its previous restrictive stance. The reform’s significance was underscored by Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who said, “At last, our law is doing justice to our diverse society.” The message is crystal clear: “You are a German citizen!” The news outlet DW stated.
The report also stated that in 2022, Germany naturalized 168,545 individuals, or just 3.1% of the foreign nationals who had been living in the nation for more than ten years. Given that the current reform streamlines the naturalization procedure and makes a number of important modifications, it is anticipated that these numbers would increase dramatically.
Among these modifications is the removal of the requirement for applicants to give up their prior nationality in order to obtain German citizenship.Furthermore, the eight-year residency requirement for naturalization has been lowered to five years. This time frame could be further shortened to three years with exceptional integration results.
According to the recent law, if at least one parent possesses a permanent residency permit and has been living in Germany for more than five years, the kid born to foreign parents will automatically be granted German citizenship.The reform recognizes the contributions made by the generation of guest workers, especially those Turkish workers who migrated to Germany in the 1960s. These people can now become citizens without taking a naturalization exam as long as they can communicate verbally.
Candidates must, however, pledge allegiance to Germany’s democratic values and denounce racism, antisemitism, and acts of cruelty. This commitment will now be reflected in the questions on the naturalization exam.
The reform has drawn criticism from opposition parties, such as the Christian Democrats (CDU) and Alternative for Germany (AfD), who argue that it diminishes the value of the German passport. In its statement, the administration nevertheless upholds its view that the change will strengthen integration and accurately reflect Germany’s changing social landscape.
