The German Bundestag has passed new laws that facilitate the deportation of individuals to so-called safe countries of origin and tighten the conditions for obtaining citizenship, reports Die Welt.
Under the new rules, the German government will be able to designate countries as safe countries of origin by means of a regulatory act without the approval of the Council of Federal States. This will simplify the deportation of individuals from such countries, although the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) retains the option of granting protection in exceptional cases.
In addition, the law abolishes state funding for mandatory lawyers for persons in deportation detention. The German Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association have criticized this decision. “Deprivation of liberty is one of the most serious restrictions on fundamental rights. To date, more than half of all detentions are unlawful. The state must undergo particularly thorough scrutiny,” the association said.
A ten-year ban on obtaining citizenship is also being introduced for individuals who deliberately provide incomplete or false information during the procedure, particularly in connection with the scandal involving fake language proficiency certificates. “Anyone who tries to cheat during the citizenship procedure does not deserve a German passport,” said Alexander Trom (CDU), a representative of the Union faction on internal policy.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno (Ohio) has announced his intention to introduce the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 to Congress, which effectively abolishes dual citizenship for US citizens. The bill stipulates that Americans will not be able to hold US citizenship and the citizenship of any other country at the same time.
According to specialized media reports, the bill contains two key provisions. First, any person who applies for foreign citizenship after the law comes into force will automatically be considered to have renounced their US citizenship. Second, current dual citizens will be given a one-year transition period during which they must either renounce their foreign passport or notify the authorities in writing of their renunciation of US citizenship. Failure to do so will result in the loss of US citizenship.
Enforcement of the law will be entrusted to the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, which will be required to create systems for registering individuals who have lost their citizenship and mechanisms for monitoring compliance with the new rules. The initiative has already sparked debate in the media, particularly because it could affect well-known public figures who hold dual citizenship.
Experts note that the bill will face challenges from both a political and legal standpoint. The US Supreme Court, in a series of decisions, including Afroyim v. Rusk (1967) and Vance v. Terrazas (1980), has clearly established that a citizen cannot be deprived of citizenship without voluntarily renouncing it, and that the mere existence of dual citizenship cannot automatically be interpreted as grounds for its loss.
Given these precedents, as well as the political situation in Congress (resistance from Democrats and likely reservations from some Republicans), the chances of the bill being passed in its current form appear slim. Most likely, the initiative will become part of the domestic political debate on immigration and citizen loyalty.
Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milo Đukanović has initiated a review of the practice of granting honorary citizenships, stressing that they should be awarded exclusively for specific services to the country, such as job creation, economic development, and the promotion of Montenegrin interests. He warned that if it turns out that passports were handed out as “personal favors” or without clear criteria, it would discredit state institutions and encourage corruption.
Spajic took this step amid the procedure to strip Kosovar businessman Naser Ramaj of his citizenship. This case has become a prime example of the review of the practice of granting honorary citizenship, especially against the backdrop of Montenegro’s active movement towards European Union membership.
Ramaj, who received a Montenegrin passport in October 2023 as an investor in the €80 million Porto Budva project, is now involved in a criminal case involving the embezzlement of €2.2 million. He is accused of systematic tax evasion in the implementation of this residential complex. It is noteworthy that citizenship was granted under the previous government of Dritan Abazovic, which calls into question the transparency of such decisions in the past.
Spajic emphasizes that such cases damage the country’s international image at a critical moment when Montenegro is seeking to complete EU accession negotiations by the end of 2025. European partners have long expressed concern about the corruption risks associated with economic citizenship programs. The government’s current actions are aimed at demonstrating its determination to bring all procedures into line with European standards.
This precedent could be a turning point in Montenegro’s citizenship policy. The authorities are not only reviewing the specific decision, but also conducting a systematic review of previously granted honorary citizenships in an effort to restore the trust of both their own citizens and the international community. The success of this initiative will be crucial for the country’s further European integration, scheduled for 2028.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/930
In recent years, Serbia has been actively granting citizenship to foreign nationals, especially from Russia, using the naturalization procedure as an exception. According to the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Serbia, the government may grant citizenship to individuals if their admission is of interest to the state.
According to the Serbian media outlet Nedeljnik, at least four Russian oligarchs were granted Serbian citizenship in 2025:
Oleg Boyko – estimated to be worth $1.5 billion.
Sergei Lomakin – worth about $1.2 billion.
Yevgeny Strshalkovsky and Yuri Kushnerov – the exact amounts are not disclosed, but are likely to be several hundred million dollars.
The decision to grant citizenship was made by the Serbian government under the leadership of former Prime Minister Milos Vucevic. The formal basis for this was “interest for the Republic of Serbia”, according to Article 19 of the Law on Citizenship. However, the specific reasons and criteria for these individuals to receive Serbian passports remain unclear, especially given the lack of information about their previous business ties to Serbia.
So far, there is no data on whether the new Serbian citizens plan to develop business in the country. However, experts speculate that the granting of citizenship may be related to the desire to attract investment and capital to Serbia. In recent years, Russian entrepreneurs have been actively buying up real estate in Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Serbian resorts.
Statistics on citizenship and residence permits for Russians:
2022: Of the 84 foreign nationals who received Serbian citizenship by government decision, almost two-thirds were Russians.
From February 2022 to December 2024: Russian citizens submitted 73,197 applications for temporary residence in Serbia, of which more than 90% were approved.
February 2025: The number of Russians actually living in Serbia is estimated at 80,000-110,000.
Reasons for granting citizenship
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has previously stated that the accelerated granting of citizenship to Russians and Ukrainians is due to a shortage of labor in the country. Priority is given to those who open companies and create jobs for Serbian citizens. However, in the case of Russian billionaires, it is unclear how their citizenship contributes to the development of the Serbian economy.
Thus, Serbia continues to use the granting of citizenship as a tool to attract investment and business ties. However, the lack of transparency in the criteria for naturalization raises questions about the real motives behind such decisions. Against the backdrop of the geopolitical situation, the interest of Russian businessmen in the Serbian passport is likely to be related not only to investment opportunities, but also to the possibility of obtaining a new legal status in Europe.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/755
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a law providing for exams in the basics of the Constitution, history of Ukraine and the level of proficiency in the state language as a condition for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship.
As noted in the card of the corresponding bill No. 7606, posted on the website of the Verkhovna Rada, the document was returned to the parliament with the signature of the head of state on 21 April.
Most of the provisions of the law come into force six months after the date of its publication in the parliamentary newspaper “Holos Ukrainy”.
The document stipulates that the conditions for admission of foreigners/citizens without citizenship to Ukrainian citizenship include knowledge of the basics of the Constitution and history of Ukraine, as well as knowledge of the state language and compulsory exams in these subjects.
According to the proposed amendment to the law, a foreigner/citizen without citizenship who wishes to acquire Ukrainian citizenship shall submit in writing a statement to the effect that in the event of acquiring Ukrainian citizenship, he/she will be obliged to pass examinations in the basics of the Constitution of Ukraine, the history of the country, the level of command of the state language and, within two years, present documents on passing such examinations.
At the same time, the law proposes to introduce special conditions for acquiring citizenship for persons who have rendered outstanding service to Ukraine, who are of state interest to Ukraine, who serve under contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including those awarded with state awards, or who have received a temporary residence permit. Such persons will be obliged within two years from the moment of acceptance of Ukrainian citizenship to pass exams on the basics of the Constitution and history of Ukraine and on the level of state language proficiency.
The document provides that the failure to pass the exams is the basis for the loss of citizenship.
As reported, the bill was initiated by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmygal. The document was registered in the Verkhovna Rada on July 28, 2022. The Rada passed the bill in the first reading on October 18, and as a whole on March 21.
MP Serhiy Vlasenko (Fatherland faction) published a copy of the decree of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the termination of Ukrainian citizenship to a number of people, including businessmen Igor Kolomoisky, Gennady Korban, MP Vadim Rabinovich.
In the scan of the decree of July 18, published by Vlasenko on Facebook, there are 10 names.
