The Federal Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, has advocated for months to ease the process of naturalization. The initiative has faced significant criticism, but now with the Bundestag’s decision on Friday, it is clear that Faeser has prevailed. According to a report by the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND), the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD) expects that this will be particularly popular among Turks.
TGD warns – FDP has negotiated high hurdles
“I assume that eventually all 1.5 million Turkish-origin residents in Germany who do not yet have German citizenship will obtain dual citizenship,” said their chairman, Gökay Sofuoglu, to the RND. But how likely is it that every applicant will receive a German passport?
FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai stated to the “Bild” newspaper that not everyone who applies will automatically receive a passport. “As the FDP, we have negotiated high hurdles into the new law. It is clear: anyone who wants to become German must have been in a job subject to social security contributions for a long time. A few months of a part-time job is by no means sufficient,” said Djir-Sarai.
No chance for antisemites
Even antisemites will be denied German citizenship. Djir-Sarai: “Antisemites have no chance of obtaining German citizenship. This provision will also ensure that by no means all of those who want it will receive German citizenship. The naturalization offices are instructed to examine all of this very carefully. Only then does the law really make sense.”
The demand for naturalization in Germany is growing. In 2022, around 168,500 people were naturalized in Germany. This is an increase of 28 percent compared to the previous year. According to “Bild,” the largest increase by nationality was among Syrians.
