Germany is reforming its citizenship law, streamlining the procedure to get German nationality. Dual citizenship will also become an option.

The German government has presented its new citizenship law this Wednesday (23.08.2023). The legislation proposed by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser will make dual citizenship easier as well as naturalization for non-EU citizens.<

The new citizenship plans boil down to these changes:

  • Immigrants legally living in Germany will be allowed to apply for citizenship after five years, rather than the current eight; and if they have special achievements this can go down to only three years

  • Children born in Germany of at least one parent who has been living legally in the country for five or more years will automatically get German citizenship;

  • Immigrants above the age of 67 will be able to do an oral instead of a written German language test

  • Multiple citizenships will be allowed

People living entirely on state support will not be eligible for German citizenship. German citizenship will be denied to people who have committed antisemitic, racist, xenophobic or other defamatory offenses that are seen to be “unreconcilable with commitment to the free democratic basic order.”

The new legislation will be debated in parliament and could come into effect in the fall.<

  • electrogamerman@feddit.de
    511·
    1 year ago

    Im not OP, but I read one reason the ither day that made sense to me.

    Those with double nationality will never fully commit to Germany, because if they fuck up, they can always go back to their og countries.

    In case contrary, if they had only german citizenship, then its commit or commit. I mean they can probably alwys go back to their og countries, but at least it would be not so easy without double citizenship.

    • Iam_Cat@feddit.de
      81·
      1 year ago

      What do you mean with “fuck up”?. Also, having only their original citizenship didn’t prevent them from leaving their original countries, why would having two have any effect on mobility? I think people are more likely to stay if they can participate in society (voting) than if they are feeling constantly as foreign.

      • electrogamerman@feddit.de
        14·
        1 year ago

        I think people are more likely to stay if they can participate in society (voting) than if they are feeling constantly as foreign.

        This has nothing to do with my reply.

    • gravitasium
      42·
      1 year ago

      I don’t agree with the thinking behind this, but note this cuts both ways - international agreements have many provisions to prevent statelessness.

      So the state can now strip a dual citizen of their German citizenship, whereas before once someone chose German citizenship both the state and person are stuck with each other.