Admin l Friday, December 16, 2022
BERLIN – Germany’s upper house of parliament passed a far-reaching reform of residency rights on Friday, making it easier for those who have stayed in Germany for several years to get resident permit.
Those who have lived in the country for five years by the deadline of October 31, 2022 and have not committed any criminal offences will be given 18 months to fulfil the requirements for long-term residency.
This includes, for example, knowledge of the German language and the ability to secure their own livelihood.
“With this law, we are opening a new chapter in migration and integration policy,” said Interior Ministry official Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter.
“We are facing up to reality and recognizing the fact that many people who are legally obliged to leave the country have been living in Germany for years, have been law-abiding and have become part of our society,” she said.
This potential for adding to the pool of skilled workers should not be passed up, she said. Germany is suffering from a lack of hundreds of thousands of skilled workers. Saarland state premier Anke Rehlinger said the law should be seen as the first building block of a modern immigration policy for Europe’s largest economy.
“We need more legal and regulated immigration opportunities, otherwise our status as a place to do business will suffer massively.”
