Increase in number of citizenship grants reaches new height
Record Number of German Citizenship Applications in 2023
Last year saw a significant increase in the number of individuals becoming German citizens, reaching a new high since the start of unified records in 2000. A report by "Die Welt am Sonntag" revealed that 249,901 individuals received German citizenship in 13 federal states last year, surpassing the previous record of 200,095 citizens in 2023.
The former traffic light government had liberalized the citizenship law in 2021, potentially contributing to the rise in applications. However, the current black-red government is planning to revise the law again. Some states provided preliminary data, while others have yet to disclose the full number of citizenships granted last year.
The new coalition of Union and SPD aims to reverse the accelerated citizenship process, originally introduced in June 2024, which allowed applicants to obtain citizenship after three years. Nevertheless, other aspects of the citizenship law reform, passed by SPD, Greens, and FDP, remain in place, such as the reduction of the waiting period for regular citizenship from eight to five years and the allowance for dual citizenship.
Helmut Dedy, the main executive of the German Towns Association, suggested that the large refugee movements in 2015 and 2016 might explain the surge in applications. Reductions in the requirement to renounce former citizenship also encourage more individuals to apply for German citizenship.
In the context of increased citizenship applications, post-pandemic trends, Brexit-related uncertainty, economic stability, and simplified processes may have played a role. If Germany were to revise its laws to allow for dual citizenship or ease residency or integration requirements, these factors could further impact citizenship application numbers.
Source: ntv.de, lme/dpa
Migration | Immigration
- The surge in German citizenship applications in 2023, as highlighted in a report by "Die Welt am Sonntag," may reflect the combination of policy changes, such as the liberalization of employment and community policies, and general news trends, like post-pandemic patterns, Brexit-related uncertainty, and economic stability.
- The politics surrounding German citizenship laws, as evidenced by the ongoing revisions of the citizenship policy-and-legislation, have potentially influenced migration, given the recent record-breaking number of German citizenship applications in 2023.
