2023-08-25 17:02:47
The German Council of Ministers this week approved a bill that seeks to facilitate the nationalization process for foreigners, reducing the deadlines and generalizing the possibility of also maintaining the nationality of origin.
“This is one of the most important projects,” said the Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, when presenting the reform to the press.
What are the changes and when might they start operating? We tell you.
Changes to the nationality law in Germany
As explained by the Colombian Embassy in Germany, with the reform the government intends to allow multiple nationalities, since until now those interested in receiving German nationality had to renounce their citizenship of origin.
But “in the near future, immigrants who apply for German citizenship will no longer be forced to renounce their nationality of origin” and Germans who wish to acquire another citizenship will also be able to retain their citizenship.
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According to Minister Faeser, the change is due to the fact that “many immigrants feel German but do not want to break ties with their country of origin.”
The reform also stipulates that following five years of legal residence in Germany, currently eight, you will have the right to request nationalization in this European country. Citizenship may also be requested for children born from that moment on.
“For children born in Germany to foreign parents, the project provides for the possibility of receiving German citizenship without reservation and retaining the citizenship of their parents. This applies if at least one of the parents has lived legally in Germany for more than five years. “, explains the Embassy in this regard.
After five years of legal residence in Germany, currently eight, you will have the right to request nationalization.
In special cases, specifically those in which the citizens are well integrated in the country, they may apply for their nationality following three years of legal residence in said country.
According to the Visit World portal, access to nationality following three years of residence will be possible for those who can demonstrate exceptional academic or professional achievements or high language skills in German.
“The representatives emphasize that if a person speaks German at the C1 level, it shows that they are really interested in living in Germany and plan to stay in the country,” the aforementioned portal mentions.
The project also establishes the conditions for obtaining nationality, among which will generally be able to demonstrate that the person can earn a living in German territory and that he does not depend on federal unemployment benefits, in addition to knowledge of the language.
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“Among the main considerations are the possibility of verifying the candidate’s successful integration into German society, which includes a good knowledge of the German language and the ability to look following one’s own livelihood,” said the Embassy in your statement.
However, there may be exceptions in certain cases, such as with regard to the so-called guest worker generation of the 1960s who, Faeser said, did not receive integration offers at the time and have contributed to German well-being.
Berlin, capital of Germany.
The minister also specified that those who have committed crimes related to anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of discrimination will be excluded from the possibility of nationalization.
“Actions motivated by anti-Semitism, racism or other inhuman acts are incompatible with the guarantee of human dignity of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany and violate the free and democratic basic order within the Federal Republic of Germany meaning of this law”, affirmed the minister in this regard.
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When would the new regulations begin to operate?
After the approval by the Executive, the project must now go to discussion in the German Parliament. It will be addressed in the second session, which will start on September 7.
According to the Colombian Embassy in Germany, its final approval is expected to take place in the first half of 2024.
The Embassy of Colombia in Germany, Ambassador @YadirSalazarM,@CancilleriaCol inform our compatriots ???????? in ???????? and public opinion regarding the current status of the draft reform of the German Nationality Law???? https://t.co/YJlSs3GCkR
— Embassy of Colombia in Germany (@EmbajadaColDE) August 24, 2023
Minister Faeser affirmed that the modernization of the right of nationalization is part of the strategy to attract foreign qualified workers to the country. “We are in competition for the best qualified and we will only win the best if they can become part of our society with full rights on a reasonable level,” she said.
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In addition, he recalled that the issue of a modernization of the nationalization law -and especially the issue of dual nationality- has generated harsh debates in the past.
At the end of the last century, the red-green government of Gerhard Schröder made an attempt to reform the nationality law, to which the conservatives of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Christian Union (CSU) reacted with a campaign to collect signatures once morest.
Questions regarding naturalization in Germany
How much does the process to obtain nationality cost?
According to the website of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in Germany, the naturalization process in that country costs 255 euros per person, that is, just over 1,100,000 Colombian pesos.
In the case of minors who will apply for citizenship with their parents, the process costs 51 euros.
According to the authorities, different rates or terms may be considered if the person has a very low salary at the time of applying for citizenship.
Do I have to take an exam?
Yes. According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in Germany, one of the requirements to be able to access citizenship in that country is to have passed the naturalization test. The test seeks to demonstrate that you have sufficient knowledge of the German legal and social system, as well as living conditions in the country.
“By passing the exam to obtain German nationality, you demonstrate your knowledge of the German social and legal order,” says the official portal of the Federal Government of Germany.
According to that same web page, it is likely that if you completed your university degree in Germany or have a school degree in that country, you do not need to take the exam to obtain nationality. “Their school or university studies acquired in Germany will suffice in this case,” the authorities say.
You must have 17 questions correct to pass the exam.
How is the exam to obtain nationality?
The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees explains that it is a 33-question multiple-choice test. To pass it, it is necessary that at least 17 questions are answered correctly.
Each person has 60 minutes to answer the questions and it will be possible to repeat the exam if the 17 correct questions are not reached.
According to Migration, the questions cover the thematic axes living in democracy, history and responsibility, and people and society. In addition, “you will be asked three test questions regarding the federal Land in which you are registered as your first place of residence.”
What level of German should you have?
According to the official portal of the Federal Government of Germany, for nationalization it is necessary to have sufficient knowledge of German, although it is not necessary to master the language perfectly.
“It is sufficient if you can prove your oral and written knowledge of German by taking an exam of at least B1 level (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR),” the government says.
What other requirements must you meet?
According to the authorities, other requirements are:
-Unlimited right of residence.
-Place of habitual and legal residence in Germany.
-Independent means of subsistence.
-No criminal convictions.
-Commitment to the constitutional order and laws in Germany.
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