The German government today approved a bill that speeds up the naturalization process and expands the possibilities for holding dual citizenship, as Europe’s largest economy faces labor shortages.

According to the legislation – which will be debated and voted on in the Bundestag (Federal Parliament) – it will be possible to apply for German citizenship after five years of residence in the country, instead of the current eight. The granting of multiple citizenships marks another turning point in German politics.

“We want people who have been a part of our society for a long time to be able to participate in the democratic organization of our country,” Interior Secretary Nancy Feiser said at a news conference.

The legislation expressly excludes naturalization for people who have committed anti-Semitic or racist crimes.

If non-German nationals perform particularly well at school or work, speak the German language very well or have done voluntary work, naturalization will be possible after three years of residence in the country.

However, applicants for German citizenship will have to prove that they are not dependent on state aid, with certain exceptions.

“Faced with a shortage of skilled labor, we need smart and energetic people who want to stay here permanently…”, emphasized the Minister of Economy, Robert Hambeck. And Feser described the draft law as key to maintaining Germany’s competitiveness.

Among those who will benefit from the acquisition of dual citizenship are members of the large Turkish community in Germany, which numbers around 1.5 million citizens.

This privilege has until now concerned citizens of the European Union and Switzerland.

“A modern right to obtain citizenship is an incentive for active participation in society,” Hambeck stressed.

“We are in the middle of a global competition for the best minds,” the interior minister told the Redaktionsnetzwerk news service earlier today. “But we will only win the best minds if they can become fully part of our society in the near future,” he noted.

The reform will be implemented at best from next January.

According to the figures of the Ministry of the Interior, about 14% of people living in Germany do not have a German passport, a total of more than 12 million people. These include about 5.3 million who have been living in the country for the past 10-plus years.

Greens leader Omid Nouripour told the German News Agency (dpa) that the legislation would meet the demands of a “modern immigration country and honor the contributions of the generation of guest and contract workers”.

“This is good news for people who live, work and pay taxes here and yet are not allowed to vote,” Nuripour added.

The overhaul of the citizenship law was part of plans announced by the centre-left coalition government under Social Democrat Olaf Solz, who came to power in December 2021 after more than 16 Conservative governments.

However, the law does not receive unanimous agreement among the parties. The conservative opposition voiced its skepticism from the beginning of the drafting of the legislation.

In Die Welt newspaper, conservative MP Alexander Throm from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) today called the law “reckless” and the 3-5 year period for granting German citizenship “simply too short”.

Thorm said the decision would send “the wrong message at a time when the integration problems in our country are getting worse and illegal immigration has gone completely out of control.”