German push to ease migrants' citizenship path faces red tape reality check

Germany’s cabinet has approved a draft bill to loosen the citizenship law, aiming to attract skilled migrants to address the chronic labor shortages that are holding back the country’s economy. However, experts have raised concerns about the already overloaded administrative machinery that is dealing with a significant backlog of existing citizenship applications.

The draft bill, initially introduced in May, would reduce the required residency period for migrants to five years from eight years, and to three years for migrants who make special integration efforts such as speaking German fluently or engaging in voluntary work.

The proposed law also allows for dual citizenship and automatically grants German nationality to children born in Germany to a parent who has lived in the country for more than five years.

Germany is currently experiencing labor shortages, particularly in high-growth sectors requiring skilled workers. These shortages are negatively impacting the economy and may contribute to a potential recession later this year. Official estimates suggest that by 2035, Germany will face a shortage of seven million skilled workers due to its aging population.

While German citizenship is not necessary for employment, the country aims to position itself as an attractive migration destination for foreign talent, similar to the United States and Canada. The government hopes that offering a smoother and faster path to German nationality will entice skilled migrants.

The draft bill also aims to simplify the naturalization process for thousands of foreign “guest workers” who were brought to Germany decades ago from Turkey and southern Europe to help rebuild the country’s post-war economy. This would be achieved by reducing German language requirements and eliminating a naturalization test.

However, given the current overwhelmed state of German authorities due to thousands of backlogged naturalization applications, some experts doubt that the proposed reforms can quickly achieve their main objective of attracting global talent to fill the numerous job vacancies.

Holger Kolb, a researcher at The Expert Council on Integration and Migration, expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of the new law, highlighting the long waiting times for appointments and pointing out that similar challenges also hinder Germany’s visa reforms for skilled workers from abroad.

Germany’s naturalization rate is relatively low at 1.1%, compared to the European Union’s average of 2%. The country’s interior ministry attributes this to the reluctance of foreigners to give up their original citizenship in favor of German nationality, which the new bill aims to address.

While many migrants complain about the long waiting times for citizenship consultation appointments, Syrian refugees who arrived in Germany in 2015/2016 are now eligible for German citizenship and have contributed to an increase in naturalization applications. The number of applications has grown faster than the processing capacity of authorities and has doubled within a year in cities such as Cologne and Dresden, and tripled in Bielefeld.

Waiting times for applications vary across cities, with durations ranging from one year in cities like Hamburg and Munich to up to 36 months in Chemnitz. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser acknowledged the issue of waiting times, explaining that it is regulated by federal states and can differ between regions.

Tariq Tabbara, a citizenship law professor at Berlin University of Economics and Law, commented that the new law introduces additional requirements that may complicate the process, including stricter conditions for demonstrating financial independence. Tabbara believes that accessing citizenship is still much easier in traditional immigration countries like Canada and suggested that the new law may make it even more challenging in Germany.

(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa, Editing by William Maclean)