German lawmakers agree to ease the path to citizenship

Lawmakers in Berlin approved legislation allowing shorter waiting periods before naturalization and the possibility of dual citizenship, ushering in changes that proponents say will attract more skilled workers to the country and that opponents warn will undermine the value of German citizenship will decrease.

“Our reform is a commitment to a modern Germany,” Nancy Faeser, the country's interior minister, said in a statement. “We are creating a modern immigration law that reflects our diverse society,” she added, noting that it was high time for such a change.

The changes, which were passed by a large majority on Friday by the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, will reduce the number of years a resident must wait before applying for citizenship from eight to five years. That waiting period can be reduced to three years for exemplary cases of integration or service to the German state.

They will also allow dual citizenship, which is not currently generally allowed.

About 14 percent of people living in Germany are not citizens. In recognition of their work in helping build the German economy in the 1960s and 1970s, the changes include a provision allowing older applicants who came to Germany on guest worker programs to obtain citizenship without taking a written exam.

Until an earlier change that came into effect in 2000, German citizenship was only granted to those who could prove their German ancestry or who were born to German parents. But since then the country has become more welcoming to immigrants: one in four Germans has at least one grandparent born outside Germany.

Companies have long complained about a shortage of skilled workers. The German Economic Institute calculated that roughly 630,000 jobs would remain unfilled in 2022 because not enough qualified people applied.

The government hopes the new legislation, expected to come into effect in April, will help attract more qualified workers to Germany. The legislation must still be approved by the Council of States and signed by the president.

But not everyone agrees that lowering the threshold for citizenship is good for German society.

“An explicit naturalization with low requirements does not promote integration, but makes it more difficult,” warned Alexander Dobrindt, a politician from the conservative CSU party. Members of the conservative opposition and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party voted against the changes, arguing that making citizenship easier would reduce incentives for foreigners to integrate into German society.

The legislation comes as the German government grapples with multiple crises, internal bickering and record-low approval ratings. The passing of the law marks a rare success for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition.

The citizenship amendment passed on Friday is one of the few high-profile proposals the government announced to make into law in 2021, when it was formed. The changes came in a week when many Germans took to the streets to protest against the AfD after it emerged that party insiders had met secretly to discuss mass deportations.

“Germany is dependent on the immigration of people who want to work here,” Stephan Thomae, parliamentary leader of the liberal Free Democrats, said after the vote on Friday. “That is why we enable faster naturalization for those who make an effort, are well integrated and can stand on their own two feet economically.”

Mr Thomae's party had insisted that those granted citizenship under the new law should not have to rely on social benefits, a concern of many who see immigrants as a burden on Germany's social security system.

Another provision requires citizenship applicants to undergo a criminal record check that ensures they have not been accused of anti-Semitism, a point with particular resonance following Hamas's October 7 attacks on Israel. After the attacks, anti-Semitic incidents increased in Germany, some of which blame Muslim immigrants.

Lawmakers considered adding a provision that would require new citizens to sign a declaration affirming Germany's special relationship with Israel and Israel's right to exist, but they ultimately abandoned it.

“We are finally recognizing the reality of the lives of millions of people with a history of immigration,” said Reem Alabali-Radovan, Germany's Commissioner for Migration, Refugees, Integration and Anti-Racism. Ms Alabali-Radovan, who was born in Moscow, added that having two passports was “the most normal thing in the world”.