As Germany prepares to fundamentally overhaul its citizenship laws, especially those relating to dual citizenship, it is important to review the rules currently in force and what the German government may change in the future. It is important.
Friday (25/11/22), the German government said it was working on a plan to “simplify” the path to Citizenship Rule by speeding up the naturalization of immigrants and allowing dual citizenship.
An interior ministry spokesman told AFP that the ministry intends to submit a bill “soon” for cabinet approval.
The current law: German dual citizenship
Germany is generally reluctant to allow dual citizenship. Her CDU government, led by Angela Merkel, was adamant against expanding the law to allow dual citizenship to more people. However, the new Traffic Lights Union attaches great importance to updating Germany’s citizenship law.
Until the changes come into force, dual German citizenship is currently allowed in the following situations:
- Children with at least one German (and one foreign) parent at birth.
- Children of foreign parents born in Germany. provided that at the time of birth one parent has lived in Germany for at least her eight years.
- Naturalized citizens who cannot renounce their previous citizenship. Countries such as Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina and Morocco do not allow citizens to renounce their citizenship.
- Naturalized citizens who cannot renounce their previous citizenship due to age, health or financial reasons (in hardship cases).
- Naturalized citizens from other EU Member States or Switzerland.
- German foreigners who have successfully applied for a residence permit, hold German citizenship and are authorized to acquire another citizenship. This residence permit is not required if the other nationality is a nationality of her other EU Member State.
- Foreigners who are descendants of German citizens.
Note that other countries should also allow dual Citizenship Rule. If other countries do not allow dual citizenship under any circumstances (as is the case with China, for example), there is little that Germany can do.
Proposed changes to German Citizenship law
Changing Germany’s immigration and citizenship laws is one of the most important promises made by the new federal government during the election campaign. Her priority was to allow more qualified persons to come to Germany and simplify the application process so that they could naturalize locally in less time.
The applicant suggested that she could obtain citizenship after five years of legal residence in Germany. Current law stipulates that this is only possible after she has lived in Germany for eight years. The coalition also wants to open up the possibility of dual citizenship to more people in Germany. This makes it easier for people from third countries such as the US, UK, etc. to become dual German citizens, as well as EU member states and Switzerland. They were able to obtain German citizenship without renouncing their previous citizenship.
As part of the federal government’s new skilled workers strategy, changes are also planned to allow skilled workers to become naturalized Germans after three years. To qualify for this, applicants must complete special integration measures such as German language courses and integration courses.
A child born in Germany automatically becomes a citizen if one of the immigrant parents has legally lived in Germany for at least five years of her life.
The Home Office also plans to relax language requirements for older immigrants, making it easier for people to hold multiple nationalities.
Reform of Germany’s citizenship law was a big promise when the centre-left government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz came to power a year before him.
Germany, an aging country with a population of over 80 million, faces severe labor shortages in many industries.
The Ministry of Labor predicts that by 2026 there will be a skills shortage of around 240,000 people in Europe’s largest economies.
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“To this end, we will activate multiple citizenships and simplify the process of obtaining German citizenship.”
Reasons behind the change in policy
The Government Voice outlines some of the rationale behind the current proposed development, focusing on the idea that Germany needs to modernize its laws for the benefit of its economy and society. Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil said that the change in legislation will allow more skilled workers from abroad to enter Germany, and that Germany will face the problems of digitalization and the shortage of skilled workers in key areas.
Germany introduced the Skilled Immigration Act to attract skilled workers to Germany in 2020. This law was introduced to allow a skilled worker with professional and non-academic training to migrate to Germany for paid employment from outside her EU. According to this law, applicants who have completed vocational training in Germany or have obtained professional qualifications recognized abroad can apply to enter Germany and access the labor market.
Although this law enabled Germany to receive more than 60,000 applications from foreign should consider a more drastic change in immigration policies to prepare the economy for the challenges of the coming years and decades.
Reasons to become a dual German citizenship
There are many reasons for dual citizenship. If you have lived and worked in Germany, citizenship not only gives you the right to reside in the Federal Republic for life, but also brings benefits such as family, obtaining a German passport and the right to vote.
If you live outside Germany, German citizenship allows you to reconnect with your ancestral roots while benefiting from some of the following conditions of German citizenship:
Germany or other her EU Opportunities to live, study, work and retire in member countries
- Visa-free travel to over 170 countries
- Consular assistance and protection from German legations abroad
- Opportunities to set up a company or invest in real estate in Germany
- Benefits for family and children
With changes looming in Germany’s citizenship and dual citizenship regulations, it is imperative to stay ahead of current developments if you are considering applying for citizenship.
Contributed by Ankit Raj sharma
Edited by Imtiaz Ullah