According to the news of Süddeutsche Zeitung, with the draft law prepared by the German Ministry of Interior, the government aims to significantly simplify the naturalization procedures, thereby facilitating the integration of immigrants into the country.
According to the 49-page draft bill, immigrants who have lived in Germany for many years will be able to become citizens faster.
The current 8-year requirement for naturalization in Germany will be reduced to 5 years.
For those over the age of 67, an interview will suffice instead of a written exam as a prerequisite for naturalization.
The child of a foreigner who has lived in Germany and worked legally for 5 years will also be able to become a German citizen sooner.
The citizenship law, which is planned to be updated in Germany, is also closely related to the Turks, who constitute the largest foreign population in the country.
Turks who need to renounce Turkish citizenship in order to become German citizens will be able to become dual citizens by taking German citizenship without giving up Turkish citizenship in case of the new law.
After the draft law is enacted by the Council of Ministers, it is expected to be passed to the Bundestag in the summer and become a law.
Meanwhile, the objections of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) were also taken into account in the draft law.
As a result of the objections of the FDP, only those who do not receive social assistance and who have not been involved in any criminal activity can become citizens.
According to figures from the European statistical agency Eurostat, Germany’s naturalization rates are below the European Union average.
According to data for the end of 2021, there are approximately 72.4 million German citizens and approximately 10.7 million foreign nationals in Germany with a population of 83.1 million.