The German government has presented a new citizenship law for the benefit of foreigners to become a citizen of Germany. Germany’s cabinet has approved a draft measure to relax citizenship rules, believing that a faster path to German citizenship will lure talented migrants to help Europe’s largest economy overcome persistent labor shortages.
The most important highlight of the draft is that the new immigration rules reduce the amount of time that immigrants must remain in the country from eight to five years, and in some cases, three years, provided they undertake special integration efforts like speaking German fluently or volunteering.
Additionally, the new law permits dual citizenship and automatically naturalizes children born in Germany to parents who have been residents for longer than five years.
Although obtaining German citizenship is not a requirement for work, Berlin expects that skilled migrants will be drawn to the country because it wants to position itself as a top destination for international talent, similar to the United States and Canada.
The main modifications in the new citizenship plans are as follows:
Instead of the current eight years, immigrants who are legally residing in Germany will be able to apply for citizenship after five years. If they have made exceptional achievements, this time frame may be shortened to only three years.
German citizenship is automatically conferred upon children born in the nation, provided that at least one parent has been there legally for at least five years;
Immigrants above age 67 will be permitted to take an oral German language exam rather than a written one.
Multiple citizenships will be allowed.
The Federal Statistics Office of Germany estimates that there are presently 2.9 million Germans who hold multiple citizenships.
If you wish to come to Germany from a non-EU country, you will require a residence title. The type of title is based on the purpose of your residence in Germany. If you have a residence title, you are fundamentally allowed to work, unless a law explicitly forbids it.
