The Lower House of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) decided to cancel the mechanism of accelerated naturalization of foreigners. From now on, the minimum period of residence in the country for obtaining a German passport for special integration achievements has been increased from three to five years. reports this Zeit.
During the vote on Wednesday, 450 deputies supported the cancellation of the so-called “turbo-naturalization,”, which allowed foreigners in exceptional cases to apply for citizenship after three years of residence. From now on, “gifted migrants” must live in Germany for at least five years before they can get a passport.
The decision was the result of an agreement between the current coalition of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democratic Party, which agreed to cancel the “turbonaturalization” approved by the parliament a little over a year ago.
“The German passport should be available as a recognition of successful integration, not as an incentive for illegal migration”, said German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt during the closing debate in the Bundestag.
Before this, “turbonaturalization” applied in only a few hundred cases throughout the country. Last year, Germany granted citizenship to a record number of people – 291,955, which is 46% more than in 2023.
