Posted on November 28, 2022

Germany Plans to Relax Citizenship Rules, Report Says

DW, November 25, 2022

Germany’s coalition government is working on making it easier for migrants to become German citizens, according to local reports.

German newspaper Bild reported on Friday that the Interior Ministry was working on a draft law that would allow foreigners residing in Germany to apply for naturalization after five years instead of eight.

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According to the report, children born in Germany to foreign parents would automatically be granted citizenship if one parent has had “legal habitual residence” in Germany for five years.

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News website The Local, citing ministry sources, reported that migrants in Germany would also be allowed to hold dual citizenship, which is currently only allowed for EU and Swiss citizens.

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Opposition Christian Democratic Union parliamentarian Thorsten Frei told Bild, “the German passport must not become junk.”

The opposition Christian Social Union politician Andrea Lindholz was also concerned that, “foreigners in Germany are deprived of a great incentive to integrate,” if the proposals become law.