Germany makes massive change to citizenship rules to cut number of migrants | World | News
Germany’s parliament has repealed a fast-track citizenship programme for well-integrated migrants, highlighting the rapidly shifting mood on immigration in the country. The legislation allowed those who had “exceptionally well integrated” to apply for German citizenship after three years, rather than the usual five.
The rescinded law was only introduced by the previous centre-left SPD-led government in 2024 who argued the measure would attract more overseas workers to fill labour shortages in key industries. Proving hugely unpopular, the programme was used by a couple hundred applicants. However, Friedrich Merz who became Germany’s 10th Chancellor since World War 2 vowed to reverse the policy as part of its broader pledge to tighten immigration controls.
The conservative leader secured 325 votes in the second ballot, just above the majority of 316 needed to win in May’s election.
Ahead of the vote in parliament, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that the Government was sending a “clear signal”.
“A German passport must come as recognition of a successful integration process and not act as an incentive for illegal immigration,” he added.
A total of 450 lawmakers, including members of the SPD and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), voted to repeal the measure, while 134 opposed it.
The SPD defended its support for the change because the fast-track provision was rarely used.
Just 1.02% of all citizenship applicants in Berlin had applied for the fast-track citizenship since 2024 to July 2025 representing just 573 people, according to a survey by ARD Capital Studio.
Chancellor Merz’s hard-line stance has cut asylum seeker numbers down drastically. Germany’s tougher border control has seen illegal migration fall to 22,170 entries so far in 2025, significantly down from 83,572 in the same period in 2024 and 127,549 in 2023, Die Welt reports.
This is in sharp contrast to the small boat crisis in the English Channel with Sir Keir Starmer failing to curb the ceaseless tide of illegal migrants arriving on our shores.
The 10,000 mark of illegal migrants crossing the Channel was reached before the end of April, more than a month earlier than the year before.
