Germany eases measures to obtain German passport

According to the draft, foreign persons may have the option of maintaining multiple citizenship, which so far was not possible. The permanent German citizenship can be taken in five years, out of eight at present.

But the government will not grant the German passport to those who have criminal acts or are beneficiaries of social aid from the state.

“We want people who have become part of our society to be able to help form the country democratically”, Interior Minister Nancy Fyser said in a statement.

The German government agreed last year to reform the immigration law, as Berlin seeks to open the labour market for workers from outside the European Union to complement hundreds of thousands of free jobs in sectors from gastronomia, child care, IT and renewable energy.

By late 2021, some 72.4 million people of German citizenship and about 10.7 million of foreign citizenship lived in Germany, of which some 5.7 million had been in Germany for at least 10 years.

The bill has been rejected within the ruling coalition and by the conservative opposition party, saying legislation could encourage illegal migration by removing incentives for full integration of migrants.

The bill says that anyone who wants to be naturalised in Germany must be committed to the values of a free society, which includes the dignity and equality of all people.

Anyone who does not share these values or even acts contrary to them may not become a German citizen”, it says.