Integration: Trend towards more naturalizations – complaints about racism

From the perspective of the Federal Government’s Integration Officer, Reem Alabali-Radovan (SPD), racism and heated public debates about migration, the arrival of immigrants in Germany and the acquisition of foreign labor. One day after the fall of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad about returns to Syria, it is “absolutely inappropriate,” said the Minister of State when the cabinet has decided. “That hurts a lot of Syrian fellow citizens.” According to the report, every fifth immigrant and fourth in their descendants report on personal racism experiences.

The co-chair of the Turkish community in Germany (TGD), Aslihan Yesilkaya-Yurtbay, criticizes: “Instead of a welcome culture that we absolutely need in view of the shortage of skilled workers, the opposite is established here.” In Germany there is “a kind of anti -consort culture with which we completely take ourselves out of the game in the competition for specialists from all over the world”.

According to Alabali-Radovan, 222,610 Syrians live in Germany. In addition, there are around 65,000 Syrian mini -jobbers. Many Syrians worked in systematic professions, including 5,000 doctors. The integration officer admits: “We still have a challenge for integration into the labor market for women, which also applies to women from Syria.” One reason for this is difficulties in childcare. There is also not enough integration courses with childcare. Ukrainians are also badly affected by both problems – “and we have to go there”.

More people with a non -permanent residence permit

The number of people with temporary residence titles achieved a record value in 2023. In mid -2016, there were still around two million foreigners who were in Germany with a temporary residence permit, this was the case last year, according to a current position report by the integration officer for four million people. The strong increase also has to do with the influx of refugees due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

According to the integration report, they had a little more than half of the people with limited residence titles (55 percent) for international reasons, according to the integration report for international law, humanitarian or political reasons. About every tenth (10.4 percent) had a temporary residence permit for taking up employment. Due to an apprenticeship, such a residence permit was granted in 6.3 percent of the cases.

Naturalizations at the record level

A permanent permission to stay in Germany had 2.9 million people last year. The number of people who became Germans through naturalization was more than ever before with around 194,000 naturalizations.

The fact that this trend has increased this year is that many Syrians and other foreigners who came to Germany in 2015 and 2016 have now met the prerequisites for naturalization. Another factor is the new Citizenship Act that has been in force since June. It provides for shortened waiting times and basically allows multiple state.

The number of tolerated fell from 2022 to 2023 from around 248,000 to around 194,000. The so -called opportunities for opportunities have existed since December 31, 2022. It affects people who were tolerated, allowed for at least five years as of October 31, 2022 or were in Germany with a residence permit. Together with your relatives you can get a kind of residence permit for 18 months.

The tolerated are people who are subject to departure but cannot be deported for certain reasons – for example because they have no ID documents or are sick. The tolerance is always limited.

Integration is now better in all areas of life, said Alabali-Radovan. Many structures, institutions and authorities have not yet been “geared towards the diverse society”, especially in the field of education. Here “we are still stuck in the last century”.

According to Alabali-Radovan, a diversity strategy in the cabinet should be decided before the new election expected for February 23. This should contribute to an increase in the proportion of employees with a migration background in the public service – especially in the federal ministries. Last year the proportion of immigrants in the public service was 11.7 percent.

The integration report was created entitled “Participation in the Immigration Society” by the German Center for Integration and Migration Research.