If we take the average data over the last ten years, writes 'Russkaya Germaniya', the number of new citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany last year was lower by 1,500 people or 1.4%. Such data was presented this week by the Federal Statistical Office in its annual report on naturalization.
However, as statisticians note, despite the overall negative trend, an increase in the number of new German citizens was recorded in ten federal states. Standout here is Baden-Württemberg, where the increase was as high as 4.4% (+700 people). Slight growth also occurred in Lower Saxony, Bavaria, Saarland, and Saxony-Anhalt. The fewest foreigners underwent the naturalization procedure in North Rhine-Westphalia (minus 1,200, or −4.2%) and in Hesse (minus 800, or −6.6%).
Interestingly, even many citizens of the European Union continue to strive to obtain German passports: their number again increased by 500 people (+1.8%). The absolute majority here are Poles (5,945, +0.2%), followed by Croats (3,327, −14.7%), Greeks (3,057, +9.2%), and Romanians (2,994, +16.7%).
Among European countries not in the EU, the largest number of naturalized citizens are Ukrainians (4,167 people). This figure is almost a third higher than the data for 2014 (+32.6%). Meanwhile, the number of Russians who received German citizenship has decreased to 2,322 people, a drop of 15.3%.
As in the past ten years, the largest number of naturalized foreigners in the Federal Republic are from Turkey – 19,674 people, although this figure decreased by 12.4% compared to 2014.
The statisticians' data on the so-called 'used potential for naturalization' are interesting. This refers to those foreigners who have lived in Germany for at least ten years and in principle have the opportunity to obtain a German passport. For example, 11.1% of Iraqi citizens out of the total number of people from that country used this opportunity and became German citizens. This is the highest rate in the past year. For comparison, only 1.9% of all Russians legally living in Germany wanted to become Germans.
As experts analyzing naturalization data note, serious obstacles to obtaining a German passport are often significant bureaucratic barriers, including in the applicants' home countries. After all, to obtain German citizenship, in most cases one must renounce previous citizenship. In addition, a certain problem is the staffing shortage in German naturalization authorities. For example, in some districts of the German capital, an applicant has to wait about a year for the first interview with an authority official.