BERLIN – In another pro-immigration move, Germany has approved amendments to the citizenship law, easing it for immigrants and drawing praise and criticism equally.
German lawmakers approved a series of citizenship reforms that aim to ease access to citizenship and lift restrictions on holding dual citizenship.
The legislation, proposed by center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s socially liberal coalition, garnered a parliamentary vote of 382-234 on Friday, with 23 lawmakers abstaining.
The key features of the approved reforms include a reduction in the residency period for eligibility for citizenship, allowing individuals to qualify after five years in Germany or three in the case of “special integration accomplishments”, a visible drop from the current duration of eight or six years.
Moreover, German-born children will automatically become citizens if one parent has been a legal resident for five years, down from the existing eight years.
An additional noteworthy change is the removal of restrictions on holding dual citizenship, a practice predominantly limited to citizens of other European Union countries. This reform would positively help tens of thousands of German-born Turks, enabling them to retain dual nationality and participate in elections.
The government’s argument for the reforms is rooted in the belief that these changes will enhance the integration of immigrants and contribute to attracting skilled workers.
Commenting on the development, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized the need to align Germany with its European neighbors, such as France, and create a more attractive proposition for skilled individuals globally.
The legislation also specifies that individuals seeking naturalization must be self-sufficient, with exemptions for specific groups, including those who came to West Germany as “guest workers” until 1974 and those who migrated to communist East Germany for work.
Addressing concerns over citizenship requirements, Chancellor Scholz stated in a video message that those who have often lived and worked in Germany for decades, who abide by the laws, who are at home here ‘belong to Germany’.
While the reforms have been hailed as a positive step toward acknowledging Germany’s multicultural reality, the main center-right opposition bloc criticized it, arguing that it could devalue German citizenship. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) also opposed the law, expressing concerns about potential conflicts arising from dual citizenship.
Though the lawmakers have approved the piece of legislation, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s signature is now required for it to become law. The citizenship overhaul is part of a broader set of social reforms initiated by Scholz’s coalition since taking office in 2021.
Earlier, Germany had also relaxed its rules for job seekers and had introduced the opportunity card or Chancenkarte, a points-based way for interested job seekers to allow them to land in the country easily and then find jobs there instead of applying from abroad.
The set of reforms comes as the labor crisis in one of Europe’s strongest economies worsens and the country needs at least 4 hundred thousand immigrants each year to keep its firms running and maintain exports.
The shortage of skilled individuals has risen to unprecedented levels as statistics reveal and in a survey, 90 percent of the companies have admitted that they are facing the heat of labor shortage which was affecting their efficiency as well.
