The number of people receiving German citizenship is increasing

2024-05-29 08:24:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

In Germany, more foreigners have acquired German citizenship than ever before, since the beginning of the statistical census. According to the Statistics Office in Wiesbaden, 200,100 people obtained German citizenship in 2023, 19% more than the year before.

Last year, 157 different nationalities received foreign citizenship. Their average age was 29.3 years, significantly younger than the German population average of 44.6 years. 45% of young Germans are women.

Syrians the largest group among naturalized persons

The large number of citizenship acquisitions by Syrians is related to the large migration of Syrians in the years 2014 to 2026, the Statistics Office announced. Meanwhile, most of them meet the conditions for obtaining German citizenship. 75,500 Syrians obtained German citizenship in 2023, more than a third of all citizenships. The second largest group of foreigners who have received German citizenship are Turks and Iraqis, with around 10,700 people each.

According to the law in force in 2023, obtaining German citizenship was possible after eight years of residence in Germany. The duration for obtaining citizenship could be reduced to six years.

The number of people receiving German citizenship is increasing

Reforming the citizenship law

From January of this year, Germany has reformed the right to citizenship, making it easier to obtain it. Those who provide their own living and meet the required conditions can in the future receive a German passport after 5 and not after 8 years as before. Who, for example, brings a special integration achievement, can get German citizenship even after 3 years. The other innovation is the double passport, which is possible for all those who are not EU citizens. What is new is that foreigners must not only accept the liberal democratic order of the German constitution, before becoming German, but also the special historical responsibility of Germany for the time of National Socialism and its consequences, and especially the responsibility for the protection of Jewish lives .

Anti-Semitism is an exclusion criterion. The rules for faster integration among citizens will not apply to those people who have caught the eye for anti-Semitic actions./ DW