Overview

• CDU/CSU and SPD plan to use their majority to abolish the accelerated three‑year option today, a step Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt frames as part of a broader migration reset to reduce perceived pull factors.
• The fast‑track required exceptional integration achievements and was rarely used nationwide, accounting for likely under one percent of naturalisations, with Berlin the only state reporting triple‑digit cases.
• The repeal does not affect the general five‑year residency rule or dual citizenship, both retained from last year’s reform.
• There is no transition rule for pending fast‑track applications; the Interior Ministry recommends pausing such cases so they can continue under the five‑year route, drawing criticism from the Greens and the Left.
• Berlin reports record throughput with 27,055 naturalisations from January through August and a director’s estimate of up to 40,000 this year, while a new study credits the ‘Jobturbo’ with about 102,000 additional job entries even as the government moves to limit it for Ukrainians arriving after March 31, 2025.