(de-news.net) – The Bundesrat has formally ratified the repeal of the expedited naturalization pathway previously available to foreign nationals deemed particularly well-integrated into German society. Under the revised legal framework, applicants must now fulfill a minimum residency requirement of five years before becoming eligible to apply for German citizenship, replacing the earlier threshold of three years. As the legislative amendment had already secured approval from the Bundestag, the Bundesrat refrained from exercising its right to object.

The decreibed policy reversal forms part of a broader recalibration of immigration and integration legislation. The original provision for accelerated citizenship had been introduced just over a year earlier by the then-governing “traffic light” coalition, comprising the SPD, The Greens, as well as the FDP. However, in the context of the current coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and SPD, both parties resolved to rescind the measure.

The CDU/CSU, in particular, has consistently argued that naturalization should represent the culmination of a comprehensive and demonstrable integration process, rather than serve as a preliminary incentive. From this perspective, citizenship is understood as a formal recognition of sustained commitment to the legal, social, and civic norms of the Federal Republic of Germany. Empirical investigations conducted by various media outlets have further substantiated the limited practical impact of the previous regulation with data suggesting that only a marginal number of immigrants were able to benefit from the shortened residency requirement.