Immigration Series: Germany proposes easier, shorter path to citizenship

Foreigners make up about 12 percent of Germany's current population. Of the 10.70 million foreigners living in Germany, nearly 5.7 million have been residing in the country for more than 10 years but do not hold a German passport. (Photo by Tim Russman via Unsplash)

Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior has published the long-awaited draft law on new citizenship rules. The proposed changes are a comparatively easier and shorter path to citizenship, in particular for those who are well-integrated into German society. Though the proposed changes are yet to be ratified by the German states and its Parliament, third-country nationals living in Germany are looking forward to the new citizenship rules. Currently, there are 10.70 million foreigners (12 percent of the total population) living in Germany, of which nearly 5.7 million have been residing in the country for more than 10 years but do not hold a German passport.

If passed, the new law would represent the biggest transformation of Germany’s citizenship rules since 2000, when children born to immigrant parents in Germany automatically qualified for German citizenship for the first time.

“We are completing the long-overdue paradigm shift and allowing multiple nationalities. At the same time, we enable naturalization after just five years instead of eight. Those who are particularly well-integrated can shorten this period to up to three years. This applies to people who speak German very well, achieve excellent results at work or do voluntary work,” Nancy Faeser, Germany’s Minister of Interior, said in an official statement.

When approved, the following changes will be applied to the existing citizenship laws  in Germany:

Shorter citizenship path: Germany’s current 8-year residency requirement is restrictive compared to other countries in Europe, such as Ireland and France which require only 5 years as a prerequisite to apply for citizenship. The revised law would cut the required time from 8 to 5 years for the average immigrant staying in Germany.

However, the residency requirement will be reduced further to 3 years for those who are well-integrated in the German society. This special concession will be given to those who have been living in Germany for at least 3 years and during this time have proved that they are well integrated into German society, know the language well, are not dependent on financial benefits from the government, have made exceptional work contribution, and even those who have contributed substantially through volunteer work.

No written language certificate and naturalization test: When implemented, the new rule will not require written language certificate for guest workers in the western German states and contract workers in the former GDR. Those belonging to these two groups will only have to show proof of oral German language skills in order to be eligible for citizenship.

Dual cititzenship allowed: A crucial reform in the Citizenship Law will be the elimination of the need to renounce the original nationality upon naturalization in Germany. Under the current law, only those with an EU (European Union) passport or those who have one parent from Germany are eligible to hold dual German citizenship.

The draft law points out that previous legal provisions are grossly misaligned with reality, noting that many immigrants acquiring German nationality in recent years have not renounced their original nationality.

According to Germany's Federal Statistics Office, there are about 2.9 million people with more than one citizenship living in Germany, that’s nearly 3.5 percent of the population.

Shorter naturalization timeframe for children: For children of immigrants born in Germany, the revised law significantly shortens the naturalization time limit, provided one parent has legally resided in Germany for 5 years.

Prior to 2000, German citizenship was mostly governed by jus sanguinis, which meant children born with at least one German parent acquired German citizenship. Children born in Germany to two non-German parents did not automatically become German citizens. Naturalization required 15 years of lawful residence in Germany.

This changed in 2000 for children born to foreign parents in Germany - provided that at least one parent had legally lived in Germany for 8 years and had a right to permanent residency, a child would acquire German citizenship at birth. The 2000 reform also reduced the number of years of residency in Germany required for naturalization from 15 to 8.

Language leniency for those aged 67 & above: For senior immigrants aged 67 or more, the draft law plans to scrap the German language skill requirement, opting for a basic level of German listening and speaking skills for naturalization.

Organization of public ceremonies for citizenship: The government plans to organize public ceremonies for granting certificates of citizenship by naturalization, using the national symbols of the Federal Republic of Germany.