Chancellor OIaf Scholz said in a video message on Saturday Germany has long since become “the country of hope" for many, and it's a good thing when people who have put down roots in the country decide to take citizenship.
“Germany needs better rules for the naturalization of all these great women and men," Scholz said.
Elaborating the same, German newspaper Bild report said, ministry is working on a draft law that could possibly allow migrants to apply for German citizenship in just five years instead of eight. And in case foreign residents are able to complete "special integration measures" it could even be possible to apply for a German passport after three years.
Here are a number of measures that are likely to be proposed to ease citizenship rules:
People will be eligible for German citizenship after five years, or three in case of “special integration accomplishments," rather than eight or six years at present.
German-born children would automatically become citizens if one parent has been a legal resident for five years.
The government also wants to drop restrictions on holding dual citizenship. In principle, most people from countries other than European Union members and Switzerland currently have to give up their previous nationality when they gain German citizenship, though there are some exemptions.
What are the concerns regarding the new law:
Senior conservative lawmaker Alexander Dobrindt pointed out Bild daily“Selling off German citizenship cheap doesn't encourage integration — it aims for exactly the opposite and will trigger additional ‘pull effects’ for illegal migration."
Meanwhile, union chief whip Thorsten Frei told ZDF television, “Five years is a very, very short time" for people to be eligible for citizenship
Official statistics show that about 131,600 people took German citizenship last year, a quarter of them citizens of other EU countries. The number was 20% higher than the previous year, in part because an increasing number of Syrians were naturalized. Germany's total population is around 84 million.
