Germany's parliament has voted to abolish a fast-track citizenship programme that allowed certain applicants to obtain a German passport in three years instead of the usual five. The move reflects a significant shift in public attitudes towards migration in Europe's largest economy.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told parliament that 'a German passport must come as recognition of a successful integration process and not act as an incentive for illegal immigration.' The fast-track provision was part of a broader citizenship reform introduced by the previous government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The rest of the new citizenship law remains intact, including dual citizenship and the reduction of the standard waiting period from eight to five years. The Social Democrats (SPD), now junior coalition partners under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, defended their support for the change, noting that the fast track was rarely used.
According to official figures, of the record 300,000 naturalisations in 2024, only a few hundred were processed through the fast track. The programme was originally designed to attract highly skilled workers to address acute labour shortages in Germany.
The Greens' Filiz Polat argued that 'Germany is in competition to get the best brains in the world, and if those people choose Germany we should do everything possible to keep them.' However, growing strain on public services from high migration levels has fuelled support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
