integration
“Wirtschaftsweise” and association for faster naturalizations
Monika Schnitzer is Chairwoman of the Advisory Council for the Assessment of Overall Economic Development. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
There is support from business for the government’s plans to reform citizenship law. There is talk of a possible location advantage. The opposition renewed their opposition.
The chairwoman of the “Wirtschaftswise men”, Monika Schnitzer, has backed the reform of citizenship law planned by the federal government. Easier naturalization strengthens the integration of foreigners living and working in Germany, said the chairwoman of the council of experts for the assessment of overall economic development to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “In view of the demographic change and the increasing shortage of skilled workers and workers, this is definitely to be welcomed.”
The Federal Association of Medium-Sized Businesses (BVMW) also endorsed the plans. The reduction of bureaucratic hurdles in the naturalization of software engineers and nursing staff could prove to be an important locational advantage for Germany in the long term, said Federal Managing Director Markus Jerger of the editorial network Germany. The opposition, meanwhile, reiterated its criticism of the project.
The federal government wants to lower the legal hurdles for naturalization. According to a draft by the Ministry of the Interior, it should be possible to obtain citizenship after just five years of residence in Germany, as was previously the case after eight years. In the case of “special integration achievements”, this should be possible after three years – for example if immigrants have shown special academic or professional achievements or voluntary commitment or if they have particularly good language skills.
The Union rejects the project, and there are also reservations in parts of the FDP. Easier naturalization is agreed in the coalition agreement between the SPD, the Greens and the FDP.
Czaja: nationality no Black Friday offer
The chairman of the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Christian Dürr, pushed for an overall concept. “It’s about organizing immigration into the German labor market,” Dürr said in the “heute journal” on ZDF. Germany must become a modern immigration country, and many things have gone wrong in the past few decades. “Above all, unfortunately, we had migration into the social security systems, but we desperately need workers.” And citizenship law must also be based on this.
The FDP domestic politician Konstantin Kuhle told the “Welt”: “Even before the planned immigration law has been passed, the Federal Ministry of the Interior will present a draft law on citizenship law. That’s the wrong order.” FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Saai had previously made a similar statement. He does not see the time for a simplification as yet. In the “Rheinische Post” he referred to the lack of progress in the repatriation of people without a right to stay and the fight against illegal migration.
“The traffic light is making a serious mistake if it softens the criteria for obtaining citizenship,” CDU General Secretary Mario Czaja told the Funke newspapers. “Citizenship is not an item that’s on sale on Black Friday.”
Bavaria’s Minister of the Interior, Joachim Herrmann, sees the migration policy of the traffic light in an imbalance. “Each week, the SPD and the Greens in particular send signals of an unlimited willingness to accept people all over the world – and this at a time when the number of newcomers is rising dramatically and our districts and cities are increasingly being pushed to the limit: Opportunity residence, citizen money, extensive additional admission programs, faster naturalizations.” , said the CSU politician of the “Augsburger Allgemeine”. “On the other hand, we hear practically nothing at all from the traffic light, what they are actually doing to return rejected asylum seekers and to combat illegal migration.”
The head of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), Yasmin Fahimi, told the editorial network Germany: “When it comes to immigration, we finally have to move away from an administration of requirements and towards a real culture of welcome.” Easier naturalization is a positive signal to millions of people with a migration background in Germany and at the same time to all interested professionals abroad.
The government is also aiming for the influx of skilled workers using a point system
The head of the Federal Employment Agency, Andrea Nahles, emphasized the importance of immigration for the labor market. “Because of demographic change, there is no scenario where we can get by without major immigration,” Nahles told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. On balance, 400,000 additional workers and skilled workers are needed each year. Among other things, she called for a reduction in bureaucracy. “The labor market is more absorbing than it has been in 30 years, and people want to work, no matter what country they come from.”
To remedy the shortage of skilled workers, the federal government wants to enable people to immigrate by means of a point system, even if they can’t show they have a job yet. This emerges from “key points on the immigration of skilled workers from third countries”, which the cabinet wants to decide on Wednesday. The news portal “t-online” initially reported on the paper, it is available to the German Press Agency.
Third-country nationals “with good potential” should therefore be able to stay there to look for a job. “We will introduce a job search opportunity card based on a transparent, non-bureaucratic points system,” the paper says. Qualifications, language skills, professional experience, connection to Germany and age are named as selection criteria.