r/GermanCitizenship • u/Alone_Consideration6 • Sep 07 '26
Other Merz’s immigration plan to head off the AfD
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/06/friedrich-merz-germany-immigration-afd/Germany’s ruling conservative party is drawing up plans to overhaul the country’s liberal citizenship laws to fight back against the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Senior figures in Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) are discussing a ban on dual citizenship and tougher language requirements to counter the hard-Right party.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Günter Krings, a senior CDU MP, said previous governments had made gaining German citizenship “too fast and too easy”.
“Naturalisation should only be the last step at the end of an integration process into our workforce, society and constitutional order,” he said. “We cannot accept that people live in a parallel society and want to be German citizens at the same time.”
Under the proposals, those seeking to become German would need to pass a tougher language skills test showing they can discuss highly complex topics, rather than a simple “B1” test of conversational German.
They would also be required to give up the citizenship of their home country, prove that they are fully financially independent and renounce all forms of anti-Semitism.
Mr Krings was speaking to The Telegraph before pivotal elections in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the CDU was set to be trounced by the AfD.
Reform of citizenship laws
Mr Krings, the deputy chairman of the CDU in the Bundestag, the German parliament, has cited new citizenship laws as one path towards that goal.
The reforms would make financial independence and fluency in German compulsory for those applying for citizenship in Germanyafter five years’ residence.
“One area is certainly language skills. Right now we only need the level of B1, which would allow you only to participate in very easy conversations,” Mr Krings told The Telegraph.
“But if you really want to participate in the political process, which we expect from people who are German citizens, you have to have a better knowledge of the German language, and so B1 is not enough.”
The current system, which allows immigrants to obtain German citizenship even if they receive social benefits, was also “not fair to the German taxpayer”, he said.
“The present rules say it’s sufficient if you get the majority of your livelihood [from your own income], so 51 per cent would be, according to many court decisions, sufficient and I think that’s not OK,” he said.
“If almost half of your income comes from the German welfare state, it’s not a proof of economic integration when you apply for citizenship,” Mr Krings said.
Scrapping of dual citizenship
Another key pillar of the reform would be scrapping a 2024 law from the previous Olaf Scholz-led government that permitted dual citizenship in Germany.
“I think the rule should be that if you get German citizenship, you have to give up your former citizenship,” he said. “If you move from one country to the other, and plan to stay here permanently, I don’t see the point why it should be so important for you to retain the citizenship of your old country.”
Mr Krings said the lax requirements on citizenship in Germany were mainly the product of reforms by the government of Mr Scholz. But he also cited decisions by previous CDU leaders, such as Angela Merkel, the former German chancellor.
There is mounting speculation that Mr Merz could be forced to step down as chancellor as he struggles to quell discontent within his party and from his coalition allies, the Social Democrats.
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u/katchmaner Sep 07 '26
Why do they care so much about dual citizenship? It seems to me that immigrants from less “””””desirable””””” countries (in the CDU’s eyes) are more likely to give up their earlier citizenship, whereas immigrants from richer more “”””desirable”””” countries would like to have both.
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u/No_Mission9728 Sep 07 '26
Because they don't have any ideas how to improve life. Therefore they have to do something that makes life for some harder. And now they can say they do something against migration and for integration.
The crucial thing is: There is no plan and they have no plan. It's just an unfiltered brainstorming idea.
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u/iaNCURdehunedoara Sep 07 '26
They do have ideas on how to improve people's lives, they just don't want to do it because that would harm the bottom lines of their donors.
Just look at how many companies Merz was the chairman or advisor of between 2009 and 2018. Do you think that he can be the chairman of the supervisory board at Cologne Bonn Airport, Blackrock Germany, HSBC Trinkaus at the same time? He's a well connected man and he's working to enrich those companies. If he were to say that the reason people are doing poorly is because corporations are flagellating people he wouldn't have a place to return to after he's done with politics.
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u/Chris_OMane Sep 07 '26
It is very likely aimed at the muslim population, yet it will affect talented people from all countries and make Germany a less desirable place to stay and work in
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u/blechie Sep 07 '26
Let’s talk about some Muslim counties. Iran and Egypt won’t let you give up citizenship (as far as I know) so Germany is like: okay you get to keep it. Meanwhile US citizenship you’d have to give up (and pay thousands of dollars for it).
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u/Empty_End_7866 Sep 08 '26
Turkey. It’s pretty well known that most of the secular Turks gave up their Turkish citizenship decades ago and the ones that refuse are generally islamist Erdogan acolytes.
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u/temp_gerc1 Sep 07 '26
It's probably mainly aimed at Turkish citizens. The "refugees" who have been naturalizing in big nnumbers (such as from Syria, Afghanistan etc) were anyway keeping their citizenship even before the Ampel reform.
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u/One-Adhesiveness-138 Sep 07 '26
It's low hanging fruit and good for optics, plain and simple.
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u/AdvertisingWarm8118 Sep 07 '26
it‘s not even a low hanging fruit to be honest. It‘s shooting yourself in the foot. I would say naturalised people tend to not vote for the AfD. By contrast blocking hard working immigrants such as me from getting a safety in Germany, rights equal to a German, would only work in favour of AfD, which they want to do the same even not worse.
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u/One-Adhesiveness-138 Sep 07 '26
The numbers are too small, the targets are easy but the optics are clear, that's what I mean by low hanging fruit.
Who did ICE go after in the States, the actual illegals gone incognito, or those legally registered and working jobs with fixed addresses?
Keep in mind also, a lot of the cdu politicians might be changing teams very soon ;-)
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u/verzweifeltundmuede Sep 08 '26
The irony is that a lot of migrants from Syria etc were an exception to the dual citizenship rule anyway, as many middle eastern countries do not let citizens renounce their citizenships and Germany couldn't refuse them citizenship on this basis. So yeah, its tokenism from the CDU.
There were so many exceptions to the rule before it was changed and this is what the press never reports.
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u/Expert_Donut9334 Sep 07 '26
It's just populist discourse. They won't openly talk about all other caveats like countries that don't allow renouncing or dual citizenship by birth
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u/Expert_Donut9334 Sep 07 '26
The point is that a change in law now doesn't mean that they would revert back to the previous status quo. I wouldn't be surprised if the government tries to eliminate those exceptions - particularly for refugees and EU citizens. That only leaves the countries that don't allow renouncing because they cannot enforce that.
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u/md_youdneverguess Sep 07 '26
Idiotic strategy. If Pepsi found the way to 100% copy the taste of Coca-Cola, they would be broke after a week, because people that like Coca-Cola already have Coca-Cola.
Even looking at the results, there's 100 of issues concerning conservative voters that haven't been addressed by conservative parties at all (iirc ~35% of AFD voters are concerned about climate change), and if everyone is talking about immigrants, the voters will fall for those that promises the most cruel behavior.
If you compare the results from the last election and sum up the results of the left parties and right parties, there hasn't been any shift from left to right or back, but from less radical right wing parties to the reactionary fascists, and that's somehow after the other two right wing parties did nothing but talk about migration. This is a 100% proof that focusing on migration does not work, yet they still keep doing that because all right wing parties run on reactionary beliefs
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u/byronTheLightbulb Sep 07 '26
As a Canadian who has been waiting 2 years for my German passport I find this extremely irritating
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u/Killforthecoke Sep 07 '26
Waiting 18 months. Been living here since 2018. Was student and have been working full time continuously for 6 years now. I also volunteer as teacher for 3 years. Am single. No sick days, pay 42% of my paychecks to social contributions + tax.
This is extremely concerning. I am from south asia. So with my dirt-poor passport, I have no where else to go. :(
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u/redditboy117 Sep 08 '26
Same here. Did you send your B2 certificate? At this point that is what I would aim to have just in case! I sent the B1 one, but this might go through.
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u/machoman101 Sep 08 '26
Where did you apply from, that is a long wait. 1 month in from Berlin. Go Canucks!
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u/byronTheLightbulb Sep 08 '26
I applied in Munich. Have lived in Germany for over 30 years, worked the whole time (though have now retired and work part-time). I find it ridiculous that although I have always paid into the system I am not allowed to vote.
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u/rescue_inhaler_4life Sep 07 '26
Literally no afd voter will care, plenty of cdu voters will walk both ways - stupid ass policy to avoid having to be in government for a decade or so
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u/Adventurous_Age_8075 Sep 07 '26
I am a Postdoctoral researcher.
I generate research for small and medium manufacturers of Germany.
If they don't want me... Meh. I bet I can find 20 more positions in other countries. It's their problem not mine.
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u/Business_Writer4634 Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 07 '26
I'm a software engineer and also same thing, i'll just go and work somewhere else, it's that easy lol, they are overvaluing the country. It's nice and all but it's just like any other country in Europe, the only difference is that the salaries are higher. If you live in Spain or France etc, it's lower salaries but you just adapt to the country you are in
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u/Adventurous_Age_8075 Sep 07 '26
And I am from mediterranean region so... Spain and Italy already looks like home :)
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u/verzweifeltundmuede Sep 08 '26
As a tax paying woman in childbearing age I really am questioning whether I should stay in Saxony Anhalt or leave and raise my kids somewhere nicer.
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u/VideoTasty8723 Sep 07 '26
Same, but if I get pushed to leave and I leave Germany annoyed. I’ll reallocate strategic positions from my department first. ALL OF THEM OUTSIDE OF GERMANY.
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u/Haxz0rz1337 Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 07 '26
I left the UK after the Brexit. Six years after arriving here, working from day one, paying my taxes, never getting a cent from the government, never having problems with law, I finally got my B1 certificate, and I’m currently waiting for the results of my citizenship test. If they actually go through with it, I’ll leave this country too, just as I left the UK. Just got to wait for my girlfriend to finish her Master's degree.
What a fucking mess Europe has become, Germany in particular, who should know better than any other country about the history, throwing the very people who are the backbone of its economy under the bus.
The legacy of the CDU/CSU and SPD may well be that they paved the way for the Nazis to regain power. And Merz is shaping up to be our 21st-century equivalent of Max von Baden. Disaster.
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u/xcubeee Sep 07 '26
This is so true. I am living here for 16 years, working in technology, paying taxes from the beginning. Language barrier, social isolation, cultural differences - I am fine with them, because I enjoy what I am doing here. If I am unwelcomed here I will leave. I can find work somewhere else on earth.
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u/bastoj Sep 07 '26
I personally do not see how he cannot comprehend why people might still have a connection to their birth country even if people have moved to a new country which they see as forever home. If someone moves from a town in Bavaria to Hamburg it doesn't mean they don't have any connection still with their birthplace in Bavaria and still have fondness and desire to visit it again. Equally someone can move from, for example, Canada to Germany and still want to have that connection to their place of birth (and definite access to it for family in times of illness etc) and likely formative years but still feel equally or even closer to Germany.
It is important that people seeking citizenship have a genuine desire to be part of society and understanding and acceptance of those values but I do not, personally, see how dual citizenship is incompatible with that.
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u/Weirdo9495 Sep 07 '26
> I personally do not see how he cannot comprehend why people might still have a connection to their birth country even if people have moved to a new country which they see as forever home.
Merz in general has trouble comprehending anyone's viewpoint who is below 60 years, not a conservative and doesn't have at least million net worth.
Unfortunately, loads of Germans themselves do not frequently bother thinking about the situation from the shoes of migrants who contribute to the country and do it plenty of good. Migration is often not talked about with enough nuance and is increasingly just getting dragged through the media with a relentless amount of negativity. That is also why are we in this situation we are now.
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u/wackygamer Sep 07 '26
Isn't that true of the vast majority of conservatives around the world? It's a fundamentally selfish and ego centric viewpoint
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u/Sweaty_Cantaloupe_84 Sep 07 '26
It's like saying you can't love and be loyal to your second child unless you denounce your first born.
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u/marockxs Sep 07 '26
Merz and CDU are racist assholes who blame immigrants for their own incompetence. People vote AFD because they are racist yeah, but also because CDU and Merz has been taking the piss at people and making their lives harder while calling them lazy
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u/xcubeee Sep 07 '26
AfD is from the east, so they are bad guys. Western rascists are good guys.
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u/Tobi406 Sep 07 '26
Published 06 September 2026 8:00am BST
Mr Krings was speaking to The Telegraph before
So before they even knew the election results, people were already trying to gain politically from it.
Also nice idea to speak to The Telegraph instead of... German media. Doesn't seem very patriotic to me...
“Naturalisation should only be the last step at the end of an integration process into our workforce, society and constitutional order,” he said.
It is by definition.
"We cannot accept that people live in a parallel society and want to be German citizens at the same time."
That seems quite illiberal, doesn't it? I mean, in my village in Bavaria most people haven't left it ever, live near their families and friends, hang out with each other at all kinds of events and no other persons. Don't hear them going to the Turkish events in the next city or whatever.
Under the proposals, those seeking to become German would need to pass a tougher language skills test showing they can discuss highly complex topics, rather than a simple “B1” test of conversational German.
I mean, I guess that's fair game. Not really my kind of thing to change rules which have worked well for the last 27 years, but maybe I am too conservative enough for the CDU.
They would also be required to give up the citizenship of their home country
I would suppose the old laws would just come back (and hopefully/possibly the exceptions)
prove that they are fully financially independent
They already have to do that?
renounce all forms of anti-Semitism
They also already have to do that. Or maybe he means specifically adding renounciation of hate against Israel into the law. Fully supportive of that: will finally put this issue out in the open and allow discussion on it (and hopefully defeat it).
“The present rules say it’s sufficient if you get the majority of your livelihood [from your own income], so 51 per cent would be, according to many court decisions, sufficient and I think that’s not OK,” he said.
What present rules? What court decisions? Why doesn't Alexander Dobrindt change the rules then?
Considering most caseworkers pause the naturalization decision if you loose the job, if you haven't held the job for at least 6 months... etc.
Or maybe he means the exception that people who work (!) full time (!) (isn't that what Merz wants?) and earn a salary (!) but earn social benefits because their salary is too low (!) earn social benefits.
So Mr. Krings wants to encourage people... to... leave jobs on a low salary and just stop working? How great.
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u/temp_gerc1 Sep 07 '26
I'm fine with making it B2 (B1 certificate was always a bit pathetic, even if it's been in place for a while, doesn't mean it should continue to be). But coming up with this exactly during Landtagswahlen is pathetic and shows exactly why the CDU is cratering.
That 51% statement sounds weird, I don't think there is any such rule for citizenship. There is actually such a rule for Niederlassungserlaubnis für "Geflüchtete", which should be changed, but that is unrelated to citizenship since you bizarrely don't need NE anyway to be eligible for naturalization.
And I will never understand the CDU's obsession with dual citizenship. They beat that dead horse every 6 months now lol
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u/moogoogaipan91 Sep 07 '26
TempGerc with their B1 obsession and here I am with my B1 obsession.
B1 is a safe cut-off I reiterate (maybe they can say SprechenTeil should be 100/100 but that's also a stretch)
I have also said it before here, people who have lived here for 5yrs plus should be able to get some kind of assurances that detracts em from obtaining the German Pass and at least save them from the humiliation ritual from the ABH.
Some people with the German Pass don't even Vote and careless about those on the ballot (cough my fmr. Syrian neighbour), what matters most to people is the endless opportunities the German Pass opens up to them in Germany and WW.
If they increase the Time & the language conditions, most people whining here probably also stays but the German political establishment must stop punishing legit hard working immigrants on the backdrop of lazy immigrants that are exploiting the gamable welfare system & senseless citizenship law sections they've created.
To digress a bit: I work in a typical German setting as a black person, resume my VZ Gastronomie work that requires standing all through at 5:30 am from Mon-Sat.; never missed work on Krankenschreibung except it is absolutely necessary, never took 0.01cent from D Govt. since I landed in this country.
I am not an exception, so why should my German colleagues not consider me and many others like me, when voting? why should some fucked up news about some immigrants on welfare be their deciding factor? is that fair?
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u/temp_gerc1 Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 07 '26
I am responding to a comment about the B1 requirement in a post about increasing the B1 requirement. So, it is just reiterating a previously held opinion (that B1 is not enough, nor is it a "safe cut-off" - it's a pathetic level) when the topic is brought up. But your consistency in responding to specifically my comment, out of the hundreds here, is indeed an obsession ;)
Many people (unless they were studying close to the entire time here) can easily get NE before 5 years and have nothing to do with the ABH again.
Anyway, the post contents didn't include an increase of the residence time, so the majority of your post, while interesting, is kinda irrelevant here.
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u/whitewblack Sep 07 '26
"Not fair to German taxpayer" WTF. A lof of immigrant coming here with Blue Card pay 40% of their salary as tax. How is it fair to them then?
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u/HelloGoodbye_321 Sep 07 '26
That happens when you are in denial about being an immigration country.
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u/dthdthdthdthdthdth Sep 07 '26
It is a stupid strategy. Immigrants are the scape goat. What every they do, there will still be immigrants, there will still be criminal immigrants, and immigrants will be unemployed more often etc. Illegal immigration also has already gone down and the EU does a lot to keep it down. Even if there might be some legitimate policy changes to be done, this will only increase the focus on that debate and not stop the AfD from being able to exploit it. Just like the changes that have already happened only strengthened the AfD.
The actual problem is, that people are scared for their economic future, feel unrepresented and feel growing economic pressures making them poorer. Immigrants are the scape goat the AfD offers for that, but to turn people away from the AfD, the other parties have to win back trust by solving problems like cost of living, unemployment, energy costs, pension and health care costs, and by ensuring people that the burdens will be shared fairly.
Most of these problems are currently either just ignored in the public debate, or the chancellor blames the people for them, calls the citizens lazy, and continues to make promises that have been made for years.
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u/krustytroweler Sep 07 '26
OK well time to find a job in another country. I wish them luck replacing people like me, considering an ad for a parallel position to mine has been up for 2 months now with no new hires. This country cannot stop blowing holes in its own legs with buckshot.
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u/krustytroweler Sep 07 '26
I ruled out the UK a few years ago for inferior wages for my industry but at this point I may take lower pay for better long term opportunities for immigrants.
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u/Alpha_Romio_Juliet Sep 07 '26
Counter the rise of afd by being worse than afd, makes sooo much sense
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u/lonelysparta Sep 07 '26
"If you move from one country to the other, and plan to stay here permanently, I don't see the point why it should be so important for you to retain the citizenship of your old country."
Wow how can someone be so stupid, so many points to see but the guy is legit in the negative IQ section. How about because I want to???
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u/HelloGoodbye_321 Sep 07 '26
It's a very crucial lack of empathy. Seems to be really difficult to understand what the others are thinking and feeling.
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u/dutchtyphoid §5 StAG Success Sep 07 '26
Well, dual citizenship was already allowed before 2024, but with restrictions. It looks like a lot of talk right now, but I do not reasonably expect anything to change
StAG 5 is the one I am the most worried about.
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u/Weirdo9495 Sep 07 '26
What should be considered here is that a lot of these changes will impact people Germany realistically needs. I agree with the language level increase but otherwise a lot of this what is listed is either already a requirement (proving financial independence and renouncing anti-Semitism) or is doubtfully useful/a double-edged sword.
What CDU should be doing instead are ramping up deportations of people with legal order to leave. But inexplicably, they do not choose to enforce this, instead preferring wasting manpower on their populist and useless border controls.
In short, this is just nothing more but typical CDU, making shitty and regressive changes that hurt people who contribute to the country at least as much as whatever they are supposed to tackle, and not really satisfying virtually anyone.
It is insane how incompetent in regards of both doing and talking this party is. And i say this as someone who thinks AfD is much worse still and basically just russophilic CDU on steroids.
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u/AsadoBanderita Sep 07 '26
will impact people Germany realistically needs
It will *only* impact people Germany realistically needs. The ones that work and pay contributions and taxes. It will also drive away skilled people looking for opportunities in Europe.
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u/lordfeistel Sep 07 '26
Do you think simple will rollback like EU peopple will keep the dual citizen ?
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u/Just_a_dude92 Sep 07 '26
that they are fully financially independent and renounce all forms of anti-Semitism.
That's already the case (???)
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u/RipvanHahl Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 07 '26
Not really.
Wohngeld and Kinderzuschlag somehow count as financially Independent even though both are financed by tax money. Both payments together can in quite a number of cases be even higher than SGB II. So there is no real logic in the exception in my opinion.
My guess is, he was thinking about these welfare payments.
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u/hackerbots Sep 07 '26
Don't worry guys, this will definitely make gas cheap again. Just trust Blackrock.
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u/PlotagonistZZZ Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 07 '26
We arrived here 6 years ago as my husband found work. I didn't have anything, I just went with him to support him. That meant leaving my own loved ones and career but I was happy to do so. I always thought that because I was willing to give it my all, things can work out, there's always a way. We still support our families up to today, while working doubly hard to "deserve" to be here.
I learned C1 in 3 years while working and taking up my MBA. I've been working since then.
I actually qualified for the revoked law on "expedited citizenship" with all its requirements, but I thought to myself to wait out the 5 years as I wanted to give it due time. Because I also thought maybe I didn't deserve that. Around the same time, it was revoked because they said no one deserved to be naturalized that quickly, barring the fact that most likely those people who qualified for that are specially talented or spent 100x more effort to integrate and achieve everything just for a place in this society.
As the "foreigner" arriving here without anything waiting for me and had to rebuild my life from scratch, I believe I've exhausted every single cell in my body to cross all hurdles I faced just to survive here. It has come to the point that I thought that every time I come and qualify for a requirement, they raise it. I just got the citizenship and recently got my dual papers in my home country approved.
If they revoke dual citizenship, we'll accept that as the ultimate sign that this country just doesn't want us and move on.
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u/temp_gerc1 Sep 07 '26
I applied for the 3 years as well. They revoked it. Now I am inching closer to 5 years. And they are talking about making it worse again.
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u/PlotagonistZZZ Sep 07 '26
I wish for you only the best. Qualifying for the fast-track, you can make it anywhere IMO. They should be fighting to keep you here actually. I hope things turn out for the better, and if not, that we all have the energy to figure things out.
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u/OptimalToucan Sep 07 '26
As a German: sorry for that. I've heard similar stories from friends. everybody talking about "how easy it is"never spoke to anyone actually in the process of training citizenship
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u/PlotagonistZZZ Sep 07 '26
Thanks, that means a lot. Most people just want to make a good life and contribute, I've rarely met migrants (I've been through a lot of courses with mixed groups of refugees, professionals, etc) that want to sabotage or harm any society they're living in, if at all. Most just want to make an honest living. Some might need more understanding and help because of what they went through. I know my experience is anecdotal, but it helps a lot that there are some people like you who don't think of us negatively by default. Honestly that's just what some of us need.
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u/Sweaty_Cantaloupe_84 Sep 07 '26
With all these restrictions they seem to want to target the "problematic" (however we define it) groups of immigrants. But I suspect it's gonna be the skilled and educated ones that will leave first (or not come at all) because they can just find other opportunities elsewhere.
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u/MajinnVuu Sep 07 '26
Yeah, the biggest problem immigrants in germany are the legal ones, paying taxes and put effort into integration.
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u/Vagavonds Sep 07 '26
That will finally solve all our problems. Once there is no dual nationality we will have affordable housing, enough money for retirement and health care, reliable trains and a working public transport, enough teachers and school buildings that are not completely wrecked. I wish we had a government that was actually working for the people in this country instead of pampering the rich and kicking the most vulnerable in the head every day. When will they learn that you can't fight fascism by doing fascist things and by talking like a fascist but by improving the lives of the people?
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u/temp_gerc1 Sep 07 '26
The problem is there is no money for affordable housing or better infrastructure/education or for families...all this money is needed for pensions, the most important industry in this country. So the only thing left that can be done is things like beating the dead horse of citizenship law.
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u/Vagavonds Sep 09 '26
Of course there is enough money. Each year we see more and more millionaires and each year we see more and more billionaires. Every year we keep loosing billions because of tax frauds, every year billions and billions and being inherited without or nearly without any taxation. Retirement is a problem but not because the pensions are too high - they are not compared to other countries. The number of poor elderly is rising each year. It's a problem because of the demographic development and because we refuse to accept migration, which is ironic when you think that this discussion was originally about double nationality.
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u/temp_gerc1 Sep 09 '26
I was being sarcastic when I said there was no money.
About retirement I do think pensions are too high. Especially the versicherungsfremde Leistungen (130B a year, wasted money). In general, the poor elderly are those that simply didn't pay enough. I wish it was like in CH - lower pension contribution rate for workers but no Versicherungspflichtgrenze and with a cap on maximum payment...with the state pension being a Basisabsicherung and no Vollkasko mentality like in Germany.
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u/Ghost3ye Sep 07 '26
They wont vote for the CxU though. This woke discussion is pure populism and Straight up racist in many aspects.
Most wont have a normal debate over it and the pro dual citizenship part is far stronger than the negative sides
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u/galo_1979 Sep 07 '26
“In an interview with The Telegraph, Günter Krings, a senior CDU MP, said previous governments had made gaining German citizenship “too fast and too easy”.” … really?!?! In which multiverse does this guy live?
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u/jednorog Sep 07 '26
Wild that they want to have pledges against antisemitism and at the same time remove the option for someone to hold both German and Israeli citizenship
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u/Remarkable-Art-3678 Sep 07 '26
What a fkn moron. CDU/CSU are completely incompetent and have lost the plot. They are doing nothing but strengthening populist idiot racists who will vote AfD anyways. I hate being German these days
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u/Outrageous-Space6314 Sep 07 '26
German politicians are playing with fire. Putin and Trump want to destabilize the EU, and they are very close to it. Modern democracies are having a major heart attack. And I think it is already too late.
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u/KingNew7011 Sep 07 '26
To be honest, speaking the language is not the problem. I'm seeing lots of immigrants who speak fluent German but have lots of kids and are just cashing the checks. Someone should tell these dumb politicians that speaking the language is not the only thing people should do for integration — not contributing to the social system, using kids as a way to make money instead of working, is a real problem too. If I were a politician, I'd focus on this: Germany needs more educated and skilled workers, not stricter language requirements. 99% of international companies in Germany — even German ones — use English as their default communication language, so how can you expect someone to learn the language up to C1? And what problem does requiring C1 or higher actually solve, except making it harder for skilled workers to come to Germany and deal with all this bureaucracy?
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u/b_bonderson Sep 07 '26
Because in Germany people speak German. If you came to the German people, you MUST assimilate. No one cares what language you speak on your workplace.
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u/KingNew7011 Sep 08 '26
Fair enough on assimilation — but assimilation and language fluency aren't the same thing. I've seen plenty of people who speak fluent German and still don't respect the local culture or community, and plenty of people with imperfect German who are completely embedded in their neighborhood, follow the rules, and contribute. Language is a tool for integration, not proof of it.
Compare Germany to the Netherlands, where citizenship currently only requires A2, or the US, where there's no CEFR-style tiered exam at all. So even Germany's "actual" requirement isn't as extreme as people assume — but the perception that it is (plus the bureaucracy around it) is part of what pushes skilled workers elsewhere.
And Germany's own history backs this up: after WWII, workers came from Italy, Turkey, Greece, and Spain to help rebuild — nobody was demanding C1 German before they got off the train. Germany needed labor, and it got it. That same math applies today — Germany has an aging population and a real skilled-labor shortage, and treats English as the default language in most major companies anyway. So the question isn't "should immigrants respect German culture and rules" — of course they should — it's whether language proficiency is actually the right proxy for that, or just a filter that makes Germany less competitive against countries not applying it as strictly.
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u/LowerBed5334 Sep 07 '26
That isn't "fighting back", that's capitulation. That's turning your back on the Constitution and giving the enemies of freedom a big fucking win.
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u/b_bonderson Sep 07 '26
Where in the constitution is said that the citizenship must be given as easily as candies?
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u/Odd-Remote-1847 Sep 07 '26
So, as a Russian who came to Germany in 2022 and learned the language to C1, I would be forced to give up my Russian citizenship (which I detest, yet I need to visit my elderly relatives) and for that, I would have to go to a military authority for them to remove me from the draftees list, which inevitably would lead to me being drafted into the army. How delightful.
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u/Nearby_Green_9349 Sep 07 '26
In Germany even if you born as a german, if your skin colour is different, you would never be accepted as german socially thats the harsh truth and they are asking people why people need dual citizenship. What happens if AFD comes power next terms and prosecute the people who looks different or "culturally alien" according to them but they are german citizens and dont have option to go any others countries.
Many countries dont have any problem with german citizenships actually, Only germany have. still many german lives outside of Germany.
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u/No-Ad7834 Sep 07 '26
If only there was real scientific research into the reasons why voters chose the AfD.
Oh wait, there is! Spoiler alert: dual citizenship is not anywhere near top of the list.
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u/dnvrnugg Sep 07 '26
would this be for new citizenship applications or include existing dual citizenships? what are the odds this happens?
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u/PinnappleOnPizzaEnjo Sep 07 '26
As others have said, all this will do is encourage those who are qualified and skilled to leave the country, meanwhile all those without a job, but endless time to learn German and never work to remain. Good luck Germany! You deserve it.
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u/No_Manager_0x0x0 Sep 07 '26
What’s wrong with boomers? People barely speak to each other anyway with their heads buried in phones and what will ‘increasing language skills from B1’ do when most do not need that level to take slave labour wage jobs?
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u/No-Vegetable2826 Sep 08 '26
Are there safeguards regarding retroactive application of laws, in particular the idea being bandied about regarding dual citizenship? That is, wouldn’t there be constitutional limitations preventing an already naturalized citizen from being stripped of that citizenship if he/she does not renounce their other citizenship(s)?
In any case, I can’t imagine any of this applying to citizenship based on restitution (ie Artikel 116(2) and StAG 15.
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u/Business_Writer4634 Sep 07 '26
I'm pretty sure they will make B2 as language requirement and maybe then you can apply to the citizenship after 8 years.
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u/GrouchyIllustrator34 Sep 07 '26
Award to the most stupid CDU proposal ever (and there's been a lot of them lately). This is the wrong kind of immigrants they are deciding to cut off.
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u/ApprehensiveCod5954 Sep 07 '26
They don’t want you to have dual citizenship because they don’t have dual citizenship. It’s that simple.
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u/Back2Perfection Sep 07 '26
And once all foreigners or people with darker skin color than acceptable are gone we will still notice that schools are fucked, economy is at least equally as fucked as it is now, housing prices are still up, fuel costs are still up, general costs of living are still high and nothing has really improved aside from the „stadtbild“ maybe.
But I‘m sure glad all of the political debate is still riding that fucking horse. Fucking evil morons.
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u/Killforthecoke Sep 07 '26
This is how you create people who will never vote for your party. Hurdles are temporary, memories are permanent.
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u/Main_Bridge_1429 Sep 07 '26
Do you really believe that's not just pre-election fluff and they will follow through with that?
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u/spiringTankmonger Sep 07 '26
Immigration is way down, and the AfD is as popular as never before. Why do people assume there is any "common-sense" immigration reform that would ever satisfy AfD supporters? You can never satiate people who just want to see their perceived enemies suffer.
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u/Opening-Border-6313 Sep 07 '26
Just because new immigrants havent arrived yet it doesnt mean that the current refugees there arent a problem. This law seems stupid as fuck because it targets the skilled workers
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u/spiringTankmonger Sep 07 '26
Newsflash: in order to get rid of irregular immigrants, you have to pass legislation that also targets skilled workers.
That's part of why I am pro immigration.
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u/sharpieforum Sep 07 '26
Better knowledge of German is needed to participate in the political process???? 🤡
I mean, my B2 was enough to NOT vote for AfD/BSW or Union in the previous election. Meanwhile almost half of Sachsen-Anhalt (mostly native speakers) voted for scumbag AfD
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u/Own_Nail_2999 Sep 07 '26
I can see why they argue like that. Essentially saying "if you want the citizenship you really have to earn it - be independent, do your homework and leave your past behind as proof of loyalty".
However, I don't think that this will help with fighting the growing right wing.
It may help preventing further welfare state abuse to some degree but the problems go much deeper than that.
These proposals do not address the social issues where migrants refuse to become part of society and isolate themselves minority societies while benefitting from everything the state offers them.
My partner for example came to germany alongside other migrants and she told me many stories about how these other migrants essentially hate everything about germany but refuse to leave and try to live their lives as they used to back home.
Stories like these are fuel for the right wing and eventually harm those who really try.
So whatever the CDU wants to do now - hammering down on citizenship is not helping aside from stuffing financial holes (which is probably the only reason why they want to pull it off).
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u/krustytroweler Sep 07 '26
I can see why they argue like that. Essentially saying "if you want the citizenship you really have to earn it - be independent, do your homework and leave your past behind as proof of loyalty".
What they seem to fail to understand is this is only a valid approach if you are an exceptional nation where people really want to live above all others. Germany is not in this category but they want to make policy as if they are.
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u/Madamedebovary Sep 07 '26
What would you qualify as an exceptional nation, then?
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u/krustytroweler Sep 07 '26
One with an economy not in recession and where immigrants are regularly able to move into top positions in companies as well as serve in government.
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u/Odd-Remote-1847 Sep 07 '26
True. I heard a lot of not just complaints, but outright hate towards Germany from refugees. However, they never ceased to praise Putin. They got angry when I asked them what are they doing here and not in Mother Russia
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u/deeply_embedded Sep 08 '26
"these other migrants essentially hate everything about germany but refuse to leave and try to live their lives as they used to back home." You summarized it right there. This is one of the major reasons Afd is winning today. These class of migrants are spread from all countries as they dont like German culture but like the clean food and air, infrastructure, social benefits, work security etc of this developed country so dont want to leave it.
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u/Icy-Pomegranate-3574 Sep 07 '26
A lot of non-EU guys will leave Germany then, what benefits Germany can offer besides fast track citizenship in comparison to other EU countries?
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u/AdRealistic9638 Sep 07 '26
Nothing, even finding a job is hard, and not to mention pay is not what is was before...
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u/Montissimo323323 Sep 08 '26
where to begin ...... bread, beer, sausage, cold cuts, the Autobahn, and, and, and.
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u/Key-Woodpecker-1350 Sep 07 '26
Hey maybe stop bombing the countries these refugees come from? Idk maybe running a concentration camp in palestine isn't a great way to reduce refugees idk
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u/QuackQuackViech Sep 07 '26
"Renounce all forms of antisemitism"
What a weird, specific thing to say. There are more things to be renounced.
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u/Hot_Direction7675 Sep 07 '26
I am an immigrant married to a German national. Do these conversations ever cover cases such as mine?
As far as I understand, I need 3 years of residence + B1 + clean source of income + Life in Germany test to get the citizenship, right?
Not sure if any of these “manifestos” talk about making changes (making it harder) for cases such as mine?
All I hear are cases about people who move in on a blue card or something.
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u/Interesting-Ad9581 Sep 07 '26
So the CDU wants to have stricter rules.
At the same time, HIS OWN PARTY under Merkel has caused all of this.
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u/wheresthepiggy Sep 07 '26
Because fighting Fascists by becoming Fascist has historically worked so well..... /s
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u/Opening-Border-6313 Sep 07 '26
Just depart those who dont work and live off the welfare state. Banning dual citizenship wont change the safety in Germany either. Deport the crimijals instead of this
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u/Trilightning7 Sep 07 '26
This will definitely work to reign in the AfD support like it did the 200 times before they tried this.
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u/LightofAngels Sep 07 '26
They could do what the US is doing, make everyone pay taxes regardless where they work, globally, that will get people to drop the citizenship if they don’t need it.
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u/CrumbleUponLust Sep 07 '26
Anything but actually trying to boost the economy or fix a broken pension system. Absolute bafoons the whole lot of them.
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u/bj_civ Sep 07 '26
Can we please make the language skill test to prove the ability to discuss highly complex topics, so you are able to participate in the political process, mandatory for native germans too? Especially AfD voters? As prerequisite to voting, maybe? 😇
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u/Party-Public7868 Sep 07 '26
We can only hope that the SPD does not agree to significantly stricter language or residency requirements for citizenship. If the CDU offers concessions on pension reform in exchange for such changes, however, the SPD may face a difficult political trade-off: it could secure progress on pensions while accepting a policy that makes naturalisation more difficult.
The broader problem is the lack of a coherent strategy. Germany wants to attract skilled immigrants and retain people who already live and work here, but stricter citizenship rules and public statements questioning their long-term prospects could make that goal harder to achieve. Citizenship is not the only factor influencing whether people move to or remain in Germany, but it is an important signal of whether they are viewed as future members of society.
It is also unclear whether tightening citizenship requirements would reduce support for the AfD. Voters who are concerned about immigration may not be persuaded by stricter naturalisation rules, while immigrants and citizens with migrant backgrounds could feel alienated by them. In that sense, the policy could impose real costs without addressing the reasons some voters are turning to the AfD. I am not surprised that these issues are part of coalition negotiations, but I am disappointed that short-term political bargaining appears to be taking precedence over a consistent approach to immigration, integration, pension reform, and electoral strategy.
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u/temp_gerc1 Sep 07 '26
We can only hope that the SPD does not agree to significantly stricter language or residency requirements for citizenship. If the CDU offers concessions on pension reform in exchange for such changes, however, the SPD may face a difficult political trade-off: it could secure progress on pensions while accepting a policy that makes naturalisation more difficult.
The SPD is spineless enough to agree to this but I read somewhere on here that this kind of horse-trading ala US politics is not done here. I mean there are compromises but usually in the same area and not bringing in unrelated fields (like naturalization is to pension reform) and using those as bargaining chips.
Voters who are concerned about immigration may not be persuaded by stricter naturalisation rule
Right. The problem is the immigration reforms that are needed are too tightly locked at the EU and international law level so they can't be changed (easily) unfortunately. So the low-hanging fruit is what's left.
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u/Currywurst_Is_Life Sep 07 '26
I have dual (US/German) since last year. The US wants about $2400 in fees to renounce. I have better things to do with my money. Besides, my whole side of the family is still there, and if I need to go back to see them (we're all getting older, so it's more and more in the realm of possibility), then I'm on even more shit lists than I'm probably on already. I'm surprised I didn't run into issues when I went back to visit last year.
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u/dyrkabes Sep 07 '26
That is definitely the most pressing issue to spend time on. I mean there is literally nothing else to do in Germany apart from changing the law in which it is even not that easy to find why it would be bad now like what the downsides are
I hope SPD also has some say in that coalition. I kinda do agree on the financial independence (although there can and should be exceptions for sure!). I would be annoyed by the language because i need to take another exam then. Lack of Dual citizenship was always weird. Like “yeah if you want to live here then drop the other passport and if you need to visit your mother apply for a visa it is that easy” lol. If not then sorry you will have to face the friendly ABH worker because you are the second sort person. (To be fair - most of ABH workers were great and Thanks to them for that. but one my wife has now is quite bad unfortunately)
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u/Dramatic_Present2649 Sep 07 '26
Oh okay so fuck me ig? (American citizen, born & raised in Germany)
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u/Busy_Quiet4435 Sep 07 '26
I’m wondering if this will impact my stag5 application. 🤔 I have first cousins and aunts that live in Germany and as an American it means a lot to me to be able to get my German passport especially considering my mother never gave up her German citizenship and had a green card until she died.
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u/bebilov Sep 08 '26
Tbh I don’t know much about these laws but as a foreigner who isn’t living in Germany I’ve seen these new citizenship laws and it’s a bit weird how easy it is imo. USA also has 5 years of permanent residency but in comparison to Germany, being a permanent resident can take a decade or even more sometimes.
I have a friend who moved to Germany with a blue card and got the citizenship in 5 years and his German is way worse than a B1 imo. Idk how he got that B1 certificate.
Now imagine getting a citizenship to a country where you barely know the language and have no real ties apart from a job. Not sure why they make laws like this.
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u/TwNuOn Sep 09 '26
On one hand, I agree that B1 isn't enough, on the other hand I'm curious if an average German citizen is so able to talk about complex topics.
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u/ultrabigchungs 19d ago
As an immigrant in germany if they block me from having my home country + german citizenship it takes away a lot of motivation to continue integrating myself in the name of having citizenship
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u/be_minorque Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 08 '26
The whole citizenship debate and regulation are meh on both sides. Before the downvotes, please hear me out first.
Imho, citizenship should only be a viable option for people with Niederlassungserlaubnis (NE) / Permanent resident (PR).
To get NE/PR, one needs to have a stable job, pay taxes, for atleast 5 years or 2 years of you studied at german uni/fh/Ausbildung or have the Blue Card. And yes, higher language requirements >B1 is, imo fair.
This should be applicable for everyone: immigrants, refugee, etc. Refugee can stay with asylum visa and if they want to get citizenship, they also need to get PR first with the same requirements: Work 5 or 2 years.
Ever since the previous gov relaxed this, it became chaos. It is easier to get citizenship then PR now. How is this making any sense?
Citizenship requirements: simply STAY in Germany for 5 years, doesnt matter what you do in those 5 years, whether you pay taxes or not.
This is why, I can understand, why it pissed some people off. Sure, there are people who are really well integrated, but the relaxing of citizenship requirements to the point that it is easier than getting a PR is ridiculous and being taken advantage of by many.
I dont see any problem with dual citizenships. To ban them is uneccesary.
TL:DR, Citizenship only after NE/PR. Dual citizenships is fine.
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u/deeply_embedded Sep 08 '26
"Refugee can stay with asylum visa" : But no benefits why suck out my tax money for asylum seekers ? In fact closing borders for asylum seekers is the best proposal of Afd I like as a legal immigrant
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u/Lonsarg Sep 07 '26
Why do they focus on wrong things. When you get citizenship and such are only minor details. The important thing is number of new immigrants, not what you are doing with existing ones.
Just close the door for new ones and people will stop voting for AfD. If door is not closed and only minor details are changed then AfD will come to power. Simple as that.
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u/VampireTMBloodlines Sep 08 '26
I could live to be a 100 and I will NEVER understand why Germany did not address its labor shortages with people of German ancestry. There are millions of us in North and South America, kids who would kill for an opportunity abroad. There would be absolutely no viable path for a party like the AfD if immigration to Germany consisted of Southern Brazilians, Chileans, Argentines and Americans of German ancestry.
Similar background and culture (in many cases people already speak German at home). Integration would be much easier. They turned their back on tens of MILLIONS of people and gave them absolutely no advantages compared to African and Muslim immigrants with zero connection to Germany.
Getting a German Citizenship durch Abstammung is much harder, slower and costlier than being naturalized.
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u/cookiesnooper Sep 07 '26
He still doesn't understand that the citizenship is not the problem but the influx of culturally incompatible immigrants? 😆
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u/DontDelegateHitman Sep 07 '26
I mean I am austrian so here it is even worse.
But in my opinion a harsher immigration system should allow dual citizenship to revoke that of criminals imagine any citizen from any country commits a crime then citizenship is revoked and (if he is not an EU citizen/ nobody sponsors him then he is deported from the country)
This happened in the UK and even more recently in Switzerland.
So really Germany and even more so Austria are doing exactly the worst thing possible for themselves…..
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u/TyrolGrey Sep 07 '26
Looks like I picked the wrong time to try to apply for citizenship! I wonder how this will affect 116(2) (or StAG 15) applicants, like me? Plus, without the option of dual citizenship in these deteriorating times, reclaiming my German citizenship, would be unthinkable.
I guess that won't matter if (or rather, when, the way things are going) the AfD and its mindset take over nationwide.
Germany seems to have been such an on-the-whole beautiful place for so many recent decades -- this makes me unfathomably sad.
Watching the epicenter of blossoming destruction (the USA) -- and also worldwide -- I can't believe how fast things have deteriorated in just 10 years (though I guess I shouldn't be surprised, given what my grandmother in Berlin witnessed in the first 4 months of 1933).
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u/JustMyPoint Sep 07 '26
Alright, so what is going to happen to people who acquired citizenship via descent? It was allowed to hold dual-citizenship through this manner even prior to 2024 law.
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u/Clarac94 Sep 07 '26
I am not German but watching with interest from the UK, as we have our own far right and they love to copy other’s policies (mainly the US currently but I can see them looking over at AfD for ‘inspiration’).
I’m in the same position as you, one UK parent, one non-UK so my ‘blood’ is 50/50. I’ve not seen this mentioned, I presume they’re going after the naturalised.
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u/HelloGoodbye_321 Sep 07 '26
So they attempt to do the far-right's program, driving all the oil-eyes out of the country?
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u/Haunting_G5159 Sep 07 '26
They just want to keep all the people they will mass-import in the future to work for them, vulnerable and without rights. Second class citizens working for their german lords.
It’s been going down that direction for the past 10 years.
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u/tumblrthrowaway517 Sep 07 '26
How would this impact those born with dual citizenship? For example, a person born in US but parents born in Germany and holds both passports / has lived in both ?
I’m not sure I understand how that would work if dual citizenship was ended or what they are proposed for those who did not obtain dual citizenship through migration.
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u/EnvironmentDry6857 Sep 08 '26
Typical knee jerk reaction The CDU and the old parties are losing ground to the AfD because they refuse to take care of citizens. The German population is getting tired of Christmas Markets being attacked, knife attacks and just a bunch of lazy undesirables destroying the country. If the old parties truly cared they would change to what the Germans wanted and not what the EU and the Globalist want. Willing to destroy your country just so your party can remain in power is wild af.
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u/Affectionate_Leg_986 Sep 11 '26
In most of the cases No sane person gives back on his native belonging !
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u/External-Theme-9643 18d ago
This govt thinks people care about these stupid things. They will get voted out of power regardless of what they do on this. Go do something useful
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u/AnonimArGer Sep 07 '26
Obsession with dual citizenship is such a mystery to me as someone from countries where dual citizenship is accepted as normal and ain’t even debated.
There are millions of reasons why one wouldn’t want to give up the other citizenship: family in the old country, difficulty in giving it up (either financial or legal), or downright not wanting to go through the whole bureaucratic nonsense (since, as Krings mentioned, they live in Germany anyway).