Germany’s immigration and naturalisation law is being revamped to transform the country into an ‘immigration’ society and to attract more skilled workers from third states, according to the government.
The German coalition already outlined its plans to initiate a paradigm shift in immigration policy and referred to Germany as an “immigration country” in its coalition agreement. While the number of highly qualified immigrants has risen in recent years, so did the number of vacancies in the federal republic.
“That’s why we need to provide better education and training opportunities here in Germany. And at the same time, we also need skilled workers from abroad,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday.
The government plans to introduce a new “points system” modelled on the Canadian immigration system. The system would allow people with “good potential” to immigrate to Germany without a job offer. On Wednesday, the cabinet of Scholz is set to adopt a position paper on that issue.
Changes are also foreseen to the country’s citizenship laws. Children born in Germany whose parents have lived in the country for at least five years will automatically receive citizenship, multiple citizenships will be allowed, and the mandatory residence time before applying will be reduced.
“Anyone who lives and works here permanently should also be able to vote and be elected. They should be part of our country with all the rights and duties that go with it, and completely independent of origin, skin colour or religious confession,” Scholz emphasised.
In recent years, the demographic situation of Germany has stabilised due to increased immigration. While the German national statistic office estimated in 2014 that Germany’s population would shrink by between four and seven million inhabitants by 2040, current projections estimate that the people will largely stay the same.
(Oliver Noyan | EURACTIV.de)
Source: euractiv.com
