Germany to restrict family reunifications, toughen citizenship rules

Berlin: The German government on Wednesday agreed plans to restrict family reunifications for some migrants and toughen rules for obtaining citizenshi...

Berlin: The German government on Wednesday agreed plans to restrict family reunifications for some migrants and toughen rules for obtaining citizenship. A clampdown on immigration was a key promise of new conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the campaign for February's general election, and his government swiftly moved to impose controls at Germany's borders after taking office earlier this month. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told reporters Wednesday that the new measures marked a "decisive day" for the reduction of irregular migration. The suspension of family reunifications will last for two years and affect people who have "subsidiary protection", not full refugee status.

Dobrindt said the move would help "take pressure off" local councils tasked with providing for and integrating new arrivals. He recalled that a similar measure was put in place between 2016 and 2018 in the wake of the European migration crisis. Dobrindt also announced the scrapping of a reform implemented by the previous centre-left government of chancellor Olaf Scholz under which some immigrants could apply for citizenship after three years of residency if they could prove they had had "particular success in integration". The minimum residency requirement will now be brought back up to five years. According to Dobrindt, the new measures will help reduce "pull factors" for migrants who may otherwise attempt to enter Germany via irregular means. However, academic and migration policy expert Herbert Bruecker said he thought the suspension of reunifications would have a "very low" impact on limiting migration and could be "problematic from a humanitarian point of view". In addition, the abolition of the possibility of applying for citizenship after three years could be a hindrance to Germany's attempt to plug gaps in its jobs market, he said. The measure will affect migrants who are "highly qualified and have a high income... exactly the group we want in Germany". The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has long railed against immigration, with leading figures in the party demanding mass deportations of foreigners. Merz has been accused by critics of pandering to the AfD with his rhetoric but insists that taking action on migration is the only way to counter the far right's rising popularity. The AfD achieved its best-ever score of just over 20 percent in February's vote. Wednesday's decisions are expected to be approved by parliament before the summer break starting in July. The tougher border controls introduced earlier this month aim at turning back all undocumented migrants, including asylum seekers, and have irritated some of Germany's neighbours.

"It's not surprising that these decisions have attracted criticism," Dobrindt said. "But they are necessary to show clearly that we have changed course when it comes to migration."