The Bundestag has decided by majority vote to cancel the so-called “accelerated” (turbo) citizenship procedure introduced in June 2024. 450 deputies voted in favor of the abolition, 134 against and 2 abstained.
Under the terms of the previous scheme, foreigners could apply for naturalization after only three years of residence upon demonstration of “special integration” – command of the German language at the C1 level, outstanding achievements in studies, volunteering or professional activities. However, only a few people have been able to take advantage of the scheme: in 2024, it was used to naturalize dozens of people in German states such as Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg, where 20 and 16 cases were registered respectively.
The “turbo citizenship” was originally initiated by the center-left SPD-Greens-SVD (“traffic light”) coalition, but after its collapse and the advent of the CDU/CSU coalition with the SPD, new Chancellor Friedrich Merz succeeded in getting this part of the reforms reversed. The coalition agreement retained the rest of the reforms – such as the right to dual citizenship for non-EU citizens and the reduction of the naturalization period from eight to five years – but the fast-track scheme was eliminated.
Despite the changes in civil policy, Germany remains a key host country for migrants and asylum seekers. According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), Germany received 230,000 initial asylum applications in 2024.
According to the UNHCR (at the end of 2023), there were almost 3 million refugees in Germany, of which more than 1.2 million Ukrainians who were granted temporary protection status.
The abolition of accelerated naturalization may be the government’s response to societal concerns about increased migration and pressure on social services, especially in the context of changes in migration policy and increased integration requirements.
http://relocation.com.ua/germany-withdraws-accelerated-naturalization-of-foreigners/
