Switzerland adopted a simplified naturalization procedure for grandchildren of migrants
Should so-called "secondos," i.e., descendants of migrants in the second and third generations, have the right to obtain citizenship through a simplified procedure, or—even despite knowledge of the language and culture—do these people have no right to any concessions?
As noted by the portal swissinfo.ch, the people had already answered negatively to this question several times, but now a proposal was put to their judgment to grant such concessions at least not to children, but to grandchildren of migrants who were born in Switzerland and never lived in any other country. A positive vote by the people would mean the need to make corresponding amendments to the federal constitution, which means that a majority of both citizens and cantons had to vote in favor of the simplified procedure for granting citizenship to children of migrants.
And so it happened. The Swiss people and cantons voted for a simplified naturalization procedure for young immigrants of the third generation. Only six out of 26 cantons were against.
From now on, a foreigner of the third generation can apply for simplified naturalization only before their 25th birthday. In addition, they must prove that they were born in Switzerland, that they have a residence permit of category "C," and that they have at least five years of local schooling. Also, one of their parents must meet all the above criteria, plus have lived in Switzerland for at least 10 years. Furthermore, one of the candidate's grandparents must also have been born in Switzerland or be able to prove that they once had a legal right to stay and reside in the country.
Of course, such provisions do not constitute a real simplification of the naturalization procedure. However, the people's approval of them will now mean two very important steps forward. First, young people are relieved of the task of proving that they are well integrated into the country. Rather, cantonal authorities will now have to prove the opposite. Second, the corresponding constitutional amendments approved by the people will make it possible in the future to harmonize cantonal practices in the field of granting citizenship rights. Currently, each canton acts according to its own procedure, and many cantons have already made certain concessions regarding migrants of the third generation.
Opponents of easing naturalization for third-generation migrants argued that the very fact that foreigners of the first and second generations (respectively, parents and grandparents) did not want or were unable to become Swiss citizens indicates that the corresponding family has problems with integration or association with the Confederation, but this was a targeted lie. The authors of such claims omitted that the naturalization procedure in the country is complex and, most importantly, very costly. And that many even well-integrated foreigners of the 1st and 2nd generations simply did not have the time or money to go through this entire process. And the people agreed with this.