Getting German Citizenship may become Easier
November 28, 2022
Chancellor of Germany: Olaf Scholz
On Wednesday, 8th December 2021, a coalition government with Olaf Scholz, as the Chancellor, took office. The coalition is of three parties: the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the environmentalist Green Party and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP).
One of the items in the coalition agreement of the three parties was to make it easier for foreigners in Germany to obtain German citizenship. SPD’s Nancy Faeser, the Federal Interior Minister, has presented changes, it proposes to implement in the citizenship law.
Under the proposed changes, it will be possible to obtain citizenship after five years of residence in Germany – as opposed to the current eight years. In the case of “special integration achievements”, this should even be possible after just three years.
The government is also looking to dispense with the German-language requirements for people from the Turkish guest worker generation, who are 67 years of age or older, and to grant automatic citizenship to children born in Germany whose foreign parents have been in the country for five years.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) is the main opposition party in the German parliament. It has voiced sharp criticism of the plans. On Sunday, 27th November 2022, CDU leader Friedrich Merz said: “German citizenship is something very valuable, and it must be handled with care.”
He also said that Germany must not permit immigration only for taking advantage of the German benefits system.
FDP, which had signed the common program, which included enactment of a new citizenship law, is now voicing opposition to the timing of the reforms.
FDP Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai told the Rheinische Post that “now is not the time to simplify citizenship law,” as there has been “no progress” in combating illegal migration.