The German cabinet has approved a draft law that would loosen citizenship requirements in the hopes that a quicker route to citizenship will entice skilled immigrants to assist Europe's largest economy deal with ongoing labor shortages.
The draft's most significant change is a reduction in the amount of time immigrants must stay in the country from eight to five years, and in some cases, just three years, if they make special efforts to integrate, like learning German fluently or volunteering.
The new law also allows for dual citizenship and grants naturalization to children born in Germany to parents who have lived there for more than five years.
Berlin anticipates that skilled migrants will be drawn to the nation despite the fact that having German citizenship is not a necessity for employment. Berlin aims to establish Germany as a top destination for international talent, similar to the United States and Canada.
The following are the primary changes to the new citizenship plans:
Immigrants who are legally residing in Germany will now have five years instead of the existing eight to seek for citizenship. This period may be shortened to merely three years if they have made extraordinary accomplishments.
Children born in Germany automatically receive citizenship if at least one parent has resided there legally for at least five years;
Over-67 immigrants will be allowed to take an oral exam in German rather than a written one.
It will be possible to hold multiple citizenships.
According to the German Federal Statistics Office, 2.9 million Germans currently possess multiple citizenships.
You will need a resident title if you want to move to Germany from a non-EU nation. The kind of title depends on why you are living in Germany. In general, if you have a residence title and a law doesn't specifically prohibit it, you are free to work.