Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, has voted to ease the naturalization and broaden access to dual citizenship.
The government of Germany said the law would make Germany more attractive to skilled workers internationally, easing stifling labour shortages.
The Chancellor’s Social Democrats, the Free Democrats and the Green Party, which constitute the ruling coalition government, voted for the legislation.
The opposition conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) did not support the bill, as well as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
639 votes were cast and there were 382 yes votes and 234 no votes, while there were 23 abstentions.
Under the new law, foreigners would be able to apply for a German passport after five years instead of eight years in Germany. In situations where applicants are “exceptionally well integrated,” naturalization would be possible after three years.
Dual nationality is usually merely allowed for citizens of other EU countries or Switzerland, though it is permitted for other immigrants in some exceptional cases.
Relaxing the rules would make it possible to have direct access to dual citizenship no matter where the applicant comes from.
While talking about the development ahead of the vote, Germany’s Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, said the change would help attract much-needed skilled workers as the country battles labour shortages.
She said: “We have to keep pace in the race to attract skilled labour.
“That means we need to make an offer to qualified people from the world over, just as the United States and Canada do. German citizenship is obviously part of that.”
The move would also allow tens of thousands of Turks, including third-generation immigrants whose parents and grandparents relocated to Germany between the 1950s to 1970s as “guest workers,” to become citizens and voters.
Though the legislation is broadly aimed at making naturalization easier, the government wants to make it harder for people who cannot support themselves or who do not support the “free, democratic basic order in Germany.”
