Overview
- Germany recorded a sharp rise in naturalisations, with about 292,000 people granted citizenship in 2024 and reporting that more than 300,000 were likely naturalised in 2025.
- Union (CDU/CSU) figures are urging changes that would lengthen the residence requirement from five to eight years and restrict general acceptance of dual citizenship.
- On Monday, Union proposals also included barring direct naturalisation from protection status until applicants first obtain a settlement permit tied to roughly 60 months of social-security contributions.
- The governing SPD has publicly rejected reopening the 2024 nationality-law reform that reduced residency to five years and allowed most people to keep prior citizenship, making near-term rollbacks unlikely.
- States and parties frame the issue differently: some officials stress stricter checks to guard against imported antisemitism and fraud, employers warn about work and stay certainty for staff, and the Left calls Union plans an unfair setback for long-term residents.