Germany Has Relaxed Its Steps To Give Foreigners Citizenship The law reduced the age of passport ownership from eight to five. The German p...
Germany Has Relaxed Its Steps To Give Foreigners Citizenship
The law reduced the age of passport ownership from eight to five.
The German parliament, the Bundestag, has approved a new law that eases the process of granting citizenship to foreigners.
The law reduced the age of passport ownership from eight to five.
After a long day on Friday, the German parliament agreed to grant citizenship passports to those who have spent five years in the country, if they meet certain criteria instead of eight to ten years.
The announcement has thrown thousands of people into a state of happiness, especially some African nationals living in the country.
Eighteen percent of the German people are foreigners, according to statistics in the country, many of them have spent years without getting the document, because of the strict process of obtaining the document.
Now the new law allows a person to continue using the passport of his country of origin, unlike the previous German law that does not allow this, if a person is not from the European Union, but there are also countries like Ghana and Cameroon and their country's law does not allow them to be citizens of another country at the same time.
Leo King, a Cameroonian, said, "Even though I was happy with this news, my joy returned to me as a Cameroonian, before I could benefit from the law, I surrendered my Cameroonian passport, which made me sad, but I hope that the government of Cameroon will reconsider and ease its decision so that we can benefit from the system of using the passports of both countries together.''
In addition, the new law provides for those who have completed three years in the country to be given a permanent citizenship card, especially for those who have made an effort to learn the German language and familiarize themselves with the country's culture.
Dr. Abdallah Yusuf Hafiz Garba Sokoto, a Family Social Worker under the German Ministry of Home Affairs drew the attention of the group hoping to get the document.
The decision of the German government has come at a time when the shortage of workers is causing significant challenges for various industries, which is why it is believed that the new law will help to overcome the problem.
The German passport is one of the most powerful passports in the world, allowing entry to at least 190 countries without a visa, according to a report by the Henley Passport Index in London.