Record institutions: Over 250,000 new Germans in 2024!

Record institutions: Over 250,000 new Germans in 2024!

The origin of the new citizens is particularly striking. Most naturalizations accounted for Syrian migrants, who found a new home, especially in North Rhine-Westphalia (24,349), Bavaria (9.351) and Rhineland-Palatinate (4.503). Nevertheless, the actual number of naturalizations could be even higher, since the complete data is usually published by the Federal Statistical Office at the beginning of June.

reforms on nationality

A main reason for the increase in naturalizations is the reform of the nationality law, which will come into force on June 27, 2024. This innovation enables immigrants to apply for German citizenship after five years of legal stay instead of after eight years. In addition, naturalization can take place after three years with special integration services, such as good language skills. The reform also provides for the possibility of double citizenship, which means that migrants no longer have to give up their original citizenship, unless they come from countries that do not allow the citizenship, such as Iran, Morocco or Afghanistan href = "https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innengolit.

Another central feature of this reform is that children of foreign parents can receive German citizenship if one parent lives in Germany for at least five years and has an unlimited right of residence. This is a significant relief compared to the guidelines of previously eight years. In addition, members of the generation of guest workers no longer have to take a written German test or naturalization test, which makes integration easier.

future developments and challenges

The increase in naturalization figures is accompanied by the political debate about citizenship and integration. The Union and SPD have plans, the so-called "turbo naturalization", which enables accelerated naturalization within three years. In the past, such regulations were controversial, and it remains to be seen how this discussion will develop bpb.de reported.

In 2023, 200,095 naturalizations have already been recorded, which is also a record. The increase since 2015 is primarily due to migrants from third countries. The current figures illustrate the essential role that naturalizations play for the integration of migrants and show how important the reforms are for the future development of nationality in Germany.