Immigration News: Germany gives a nod to new citizenship laws; Indians were issued the highest number of German work visas in 2022

The German government has given green light to new citizenship laws — the biggest in over a century — that will enable foreigners to get citizenship under facilitated rules and procedures.

Germany gives Green Light to New Citizenship Law. (Photo: Norbert Braun via Unsplash)

Green Light to New Citizenship Law: The German Federal Cabinet has adopted draft legislation prepared by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI) that will enable foreigners to get citizenship under facilitated rules and procedures.

Under the new rules, the required period of residence in Germany will be shortened from eight to five years, and will grant children born in Germany with citizenship if one of their parents has been living in the country for five years.

If applicants can prove a high level of integration in Germany, which includes possessing an advanced level of German language skills, they would even be able to obtain citizenship after only three years.

Foreigners who have been living in Germany for generations — in particular so-called guest workers who arrived in the 1960s and 70s — will no longer need to pass a written German examination but only an oral one.

Dual or multiple citizenships will be allowed but German citizenship will be lost if an individual ‘joins the armed forces or a comparable armed association of a foreign state or by concrete participation in combat operations of a terrorist organization abroad’.

However, these changes would only apply to people who have full residency and work rights throughout this period and have no criminal record.

Who is not eligible?

· Individuals who have committed serious crimes, including racially motivated assaults, will be barred. Under the new rule, German citizenship will be denied to people who have committed antisemitic, racist, xenophobic or other defamatory offenses which are “irreconcilable with commitment to the free democratic basic order.”

· Foreign nationals surviving on government welfare will not qualify for citizenship until they stop depending on benefits.

· Asylum seekers who have managed to remain in Germany for a long time due to a ban on deportations to their home country also will not qualify.

· Applicants will have to prove that Germany is their place of residence and/or by showing that their income is secured there.

· Access to German citizenship will be denied to individuals who are ‘married to more than one spouse at the same time, or show by their conduct that they disregard the equal rights of men and women as specified in [Germany’s] Basic Law’.

According to government data, around 5.3 million of the 12 million foreign nationals currently in Germany have been living in the country for at least ten years. The naturalisation numbers in Germany have hit record-lows, with only 2.45 per cent of all foreigners living in Germany for over 10 years in 2021 opting to adopt German citizenship – this low rate is often attributed to the fact that Germany does not allow dual or multiple citizenship.

Indians issued highest number of work visas in 2022: In 2022, Indians were issued the highest number of work visas by Germany. Of a total of 152,336 national work visas issued to foreigners, Indians were granted a total of 17,379 work visas last year, with the majority of them, 8,613 work visas, being granted by the German Consulate General in Bengaluru.

The second-highest number of work visas for Indians was granted by the German Consulate General in Mumbai (3,013), followed by the Consulate General in Chennai (2,483), the German Embassy in New Delhi (2,434), and the German Consulate in Kolkata (836), according to the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

Turkish nationals are the second-largest beneficiaries of work visas issued by Germany followed by Serbs.

India also topped the list of the highest number of visas for spouse reunification – 8,930 visas of this category were issued to Indian nationals. Turkiye was ranked second in this list followed by Lebanon, Russia, Kosovo and Iran.

The Federal Foreign Office of Germany data also reveals that in 2022, the third highest number of national visas were granted for study purposes. Germany granted a total of 71,018 visas to international students in 2022 with Indians accounting for 17,268 student visas, followed by Türkiye (7,176), and China (7,077).

Germany introduces Nursing Studies Strengthening Act: Germany has introduced the Nursing Studies Strengthening Act that aims to close loopholes in training allowances and encourage more people to pursue a career in nursing and also simplify the recognition of international degrees by establishing guidelines for the scope and documents that are required to be submitted in an effort to reduce staff shortages in this profession.

The new legislation will make it easier for nurses with degrees from foreign institutions to transition to the profession in Germany. The Act proposes to replace comprehensive equivalence examinations with knowledge assessments or adaption course.

German Academic Exchange Service launches 30 Digital Scholarships: In a first of its kind, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is launching 30 digital scholarships to students that want to obtain a master’s degree and can’t do so due to health concerns and family commitments, among others.

Students will be able to attend their master’s classes online or hybrid format – attending both online and in-person classes. Students from all disciplines (except those interested in attaining art and architecture degrees) can obtain a master’s degree at a foreign university under this program.

DAAD will award 30 digital scholarships each year and the program is open to all students, regardless of their country of origin.

As of 2022, there were 440,564 international students in Germany including 33,753 students from India and 40,055 from China, according to Erudera, a global higher education search platform.

+91 738 328 3870