BERLIN (AP) — Germany saw another big increase in the number of people gaining citizenship last year, with official data released Tuesday showing naturalization applications reaching their highest level since at least 2000, driven by a large number of people from Syria.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, some 200,100 people are expected to receive German citizenship in 2023. That’s an increase of around 31,000, or 19%, compared to the previous year.
The increase follows a 28% increase in 2022 and is also due to a large number of Syrians being naturalized as more of those who moved to Germany between 2014 and 2016 met the requirements to obtain citizenship.
According to the statistics office, 75,500 people from Syria were naturalized last year – the largest group, accounting for 38% of the total. This figure is a 56% increase compared to 2022. They spend an average of 6.8 years in Germany before gaining citizenship.
Last year, Turkey and Iraq were the second largest recipients of German citizenship, with around 10,700 people each.
German police investigate EDM song “ban foreigners” as it spreads among young people https://t.co/BYjajuRwPu
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A change in the law meant that ethnic Germans from the former Soviet Union who emigrated in large numbers in the 1990s were automatically granted citizenship without the need to apply, and the total number of new citizens in 2000 reached the highest since current records began.
Requirements for being granted citizenship include a working knowledge of German and proof of financial independence.
Last year’s law required people to have lived in Germany for at least eight years in principle, but did not apply to spouses or children. This period could be reduced to six years for those who showed “exceptional integration achievements” such as good knowledge of the language, professional achievements and participation in social activities.
Those rules will be relaxed under a new law that takes effect on June 27. Citizenship can be acquired after five years of residence in Germany, except for three years if one has a “special integration record.” Children born in Germany can automatically acquire citizenship after one parent has lived legally in Germany for five years, down from the current eight years.
Restrictions on dual citizenship will also be lifted. Although there are exceptions, in principle most people from countries other than the European Union and Switzerland have to renounce their previous citizenship in order to acquire German citizenship.
Germany has a population of approximately 84 million.
