To encourage immigration, Germany considering easier citizenship norms

In order to boost migration, Germany has published draft legislation to make it easier for people to acquire German citizenship, reported The Economic Times (ET).

The German government has taken this step to encourage the inflow of migrants and open up the job market in Europe's biggest economy. Quoting Interior Minister Ncaid, the report added, "We want people who have become part of our society to be able to help shape our country democratically." The minister talked about the need for skilled workers in Germany in line with countries like Canada.

The draft talks about the idea of multiple citizenships and proposes to bring down the number of years one has to stay in Germany to become a permanent citizen. The draft proposes to cut down the time to five or three years from the previous eight.

The change has been brought at a time when Germany needs a workforce to cater to various sectors in the country. European Union does not appear to be enough for Germany to fulfill the needs of its economy. Germany has a large number of vacancies in various sectors including gastronomy, childcare, and renewable energy, the ET report said.

However, the bill has attracted opposition from within the ruling coalition in Germany. Those against the legislation are skeptical about the ends achieved through immigration. They fear that the legislation may lead to illegal migration and assimilating the immigrants into the mainstream could come up as a challenge.