The new upcoming German government has decided to go easy and favorable on immigration issues. More ease in Dual nationality and citizenship timing has been allowed. Family reunification would also be made easy. People with a tolerated stay (Duldung) would also be given a chance to get residence right in a short time after fulfilling some requirements. A radical revision of the German citizenship and immigration law is one of the central announcements in the coalition agreement of the future federal government.
The 178-page agreement between Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and Free Democrats (FDP) states as follows:
“We want a fresh start in migration and integration policy, as is right for a modern immigration country.”
“As a coalition, we want to draw a line under the restrictive asylum policy of the last few years and ensure that people who live here permanently and will foreseeably live here permanently have the opportunity to consolidate their stay, get into work, and have language access, and indiscriminately, “said the member of the Bundestag Luise Amtsberg of the Greens in an interview with DW.
The key points decided the agreement are:
German Citizenship (Naturalization) in five years
- Children born in Germany to foreign parents become Germans when they are born if one parent has lived in Germany for five years.
- The acquisition of German citizenship would be simplified and naturalization would be possible after five years.
- In the case of special integration achievements, the nationality eligibility years would be even less (only three years).
Family reunification
Family reunification is being made easier for refugees after there was a backlog of applications due to the pandemic. Many people without German citizenship should welcome the proposed changes. But the coalition agreement is not yet law. Also, there is no timetable for the proposals.
From Duldung to Aufenthaltsrecht
The coalition agreement contains some good ideas on how to better legalize their lives by lowering the threshold for applying for the right of residence. The coalition agreement also shows a faster way to stay for young people who have shown themselves to be particularly “integrated” in Germany. An advantage for those who only have a tolerance (Duldung) status. This will help the deportation more difficult in the future.
In general, she notes that the proposed changes “will make the lives of people who are already in Germany a lot easier. However, the coalition agreement does not provide for any changes to the initial reception system. Accordingly, new refugees and people without legal status are still obliged to stay in a refugee center. The maximum length of stay there has increased to 18 months in recent years.