A significant shift in Germany’s immigration policy.
The German government has introduced a substantial reform to the citizenship law with the primary objective of expediting and facilitating the naturalization process for migrants residing in Germany. The proposed legislation aims to streamline the requirements and procedures involved.
The pivotal change proposed in this reform is the reduction of the residency requirement for citizenship from 8 years to 5 years. Furthermore, exceptional integration efforts demonstrated by individuals, such as exhibiting proficiency in the German language, active participation in volunteer work, or displaying remarkable job performance, may lead to a further reduction of this period to just 3 years.
A noteworthy modification is that applicants will no longer be obliged to renounce their original citizenship, allowing them to retain dual citizenship if desired.
Additionally, the proposed changes will benefit children born in Germany to foreign parents, who will now have an accelerated path to citizenship provided that one parent has legally resided in Germany for at least 5 years. Furthermore, seniors over the age of 67 will only be required to demonstrate oral language proficiency rather than written skills, facilitating their integration process.
The proposed reform emphasizes the importance of economic independence, requiring individuals seeking naturalization to sustain themselves and their families without relying on social benefits.