German push to ease migrants' citizenship path faces reality check

The german government hopes that this move will expedite the process of acquiring German nationality, ultimately attracting skilled migrants to address the chronic labor shortages that have been impeding Europe's largest economy.

Nevertheless, some experts are cautious about the pace of progress, pointing out that certain parts of Germany's administrative system are already strained due to a substantial backlog of existing citizenship applications.

The draft bill, initially introduced in May, proposes reducing the required residency period for migrants from eight years to five years. It further decreases this period to three years for migrants who make specific integration efforts, such as demonstrating a high proficiency in the German language or engaging in voluntary work.

This new legislation also permits dual citizenship and provides automatic naturalization for children born in Germany to a parent who has resided in the country for over five years.

Like many industrialized nations globally, Germany is grappling with severe labor shortages, particularly in high-growth sectors that demand specialized skills. These shortages are negatively impacting an economy that could potentially face a recession this year.

Official estimates indicate that Germany's aging population will face a deficit of seven million skilled workers by 2035.

It is important to note that German citizenship is not a prerequisite for employment among migrants. However, Germany aspires to establish itself as a favored destination for foreign talent, akin to the United States and Canada. The government in Berlin believes that the promise of a more efficient and expedited path to German citizenship will attract skilled migrants.

Furthermore, the draft bill aims to simplify the process of acquiring German citizenship for thousands of foreign "guest workers" who were brought to Germany decades ago, primarily from Turkey and Southern Europe, to contribute to the nation's post-war economic recovery. This will be achieved by lowering the language proficiency requirements and eliminating a naturalization test.

Despite these intentions, experts are skeptical about the swift realization of these reforms, given that German authorities are already grappling with thousands of pending naturalization applications. Some doubt whether these changes can rapidly achieve their primary objective of enticing global talent to fill hundreds of thousands of vacant positions.

Holger Kolb, a researcher at The Expert Council on Integration and Migration, expressed this concern, stating, "We can clearly see that the law is poised to offer relatively lenient regulations, but in practice, these regulations may remain largely unimplemented."

Kolb also highlighted that similar issues related to prolonged waiting times for appointments are hindering Germany's concurrent efforts to reform areas like skilled worker visas for individuals from overseas.

Long waiting times

Staff shortages in the public sector, where jobs are often less competitive than those in other sectors, coupled with a lack of digitization and the repercussions of various migration reforms passed this year, have overwhelmed immigration authorities, as noted by Kolb.

He emphasized, "Changing a law can be a relatively swift process, but the challenge lies in the task of modernizing, digitizing, and reorganizing an administrative system."

Germany's naturalization rate, standing at 1.1%, falls significantly below the European Union's average of 2%, according to the interior ministry. This discrepancy is attributed to the hesitation of foreigners to relinquish their previous citizenship in favor of German nationality, a challenge addressed by the new bill.

Migrants have voiced concerns about enduring lengthy waits, even for their initial citizenship consultation appointments. However, not everyone is deterred.

A study conducted in March by Mediendienst Integration, an online portal tracking immigration and asylum data, revealed that hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who arrived in Germany in 2015/2016 are now eligible for the coveted "red passport." This has substantially contributed to the surge in naturalization applications.

The volume of applications has been growing at a faster rate than the number of naturalizations processed by authorities, doubling within a year in cities such as Cologne and Dresden, and even tripling in Bielefeld, as indicated by the study.

Waiting times for applications vary widely, ranging from one year in cities like Hamburg and Munich to up to 36 months in Chemnitz, according to the study, which surveyed migration authorities in 23 of Germany's most populous cities.

Regarding the prolonged waiting times, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser explained that the handling of applications and other administrative tasks by migration authorities is a matter regulated by individual federal states, leading to variations in waiting times across regions.

Tariq Tabbara, a professor of citizenship law at the Berlin University of Economics and Law, pointed out that the new law introduces additional regulations that might actually make the process more intricate. These include stricter conditions to ensure that the applicant can independently support themselves financially, a requirement that already undergoes rigorous scrutiny by officials.

"Even with this reform in Germany, access to citizenship remains much more straightforward in traditional immigration destinations like Canada. Ultimately, it may even become more challenging," Tabbara stated to Reuters.