Asylum is halved, citizenship law will be tightened

2025-12-06 09:32:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Asylum applications in Germany fall by 51% thanks to Merz government measures. Meanwhile, citizenship law will be toughened for fraudsters, writes Auron Dodi.

The numbers speak for themselves. The number of initial asylum applications in Germany has fallen by more than half since the beginning of 2025. This year, 106,298 initial asylum applications have been filed, compared to 216,861 in 2024.

The 51 percent drop in asylum applications was confirmed by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). Even commentators in conservative German newspapers, such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, write that "the turnaround in asylum policy has been achieved." The German migration system is thus being simplified, and this is a confirmation of the effectiveness of the measures taken by the new government.

Interaction of several measures

The success so far stems from the interaction of several measures. Since coming to power seven months ago, the Merz government has sent signals in several areas at once: with border controls, with pushbacks at the border, and by maintaining a tough tone towards illegal migration in public discourse.

The current coalition government has implemented stricter border security measures. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has sent large numbers of additional federal police forces to the border and has insisted that they remain there, despite criticism. And most illegal asylum seekers come from the land border, from safe countries neighboring Germany. Especially since they were trying to enter Germany from safe countries, and thus illegally apply for asylum in Germany, it was easy for the police to turn them away.

100,000 asylum applications: a little for Germany, a lot for others

In Germany today, 100,000 asylum applications seem like a low number of applications. Of course, until 2012, the number of asylum applications was much lower than today. But since then, migratory movements around the world have intensified.

It is clear that the same figures that Germany considers low are alarming for other European countries, such as the United Kingdom. As many as came to Germany this year, more than 100,000 asylum seekers went to the United Kingdom last year, for the first time such a high figure in the country's history. In 2025, as many as 110,000 people arrived there. This has also forced the current British government, a Labour government under pressure from the growth of Nigel Farage's UK Reform Party, to commit to a significant tightening of the asylum system.

Steps on the path to restricting migration

Germany will continue to offer protection to asylum seekers who are at risk, but in recent years there has been a high rate of abuse. It is true that Germany needs foreigners as a workforce, but mainly for skilled labor, not for illegal migration.

The conservative forces in particular now want the coalition to go further: to reflect on those who are legally in Germany and want German citizenship. Conservative politicians say that granting someone German citizenship simply because they have lived in Germany legally for years, without any real connection to Germany, does not help to strengthen the country. This is a delicate area, also favoured by the far-right AfD party, where progress may not be easy.

Granting German citizenship is expected to become more difficult

Until a "real" connection between new citizens and Germany is achieved, the conservative parties, the CDU/CSU and the Social Democrats (SPD), want to further tighten the citizenship law. This was first reported by Bild-Zeitung, and then by other sources.

The tightening consists of a strong sanction that is being prepared: in the future, all those who forge their German language exam certificate and are caught will not have the right to apply for German citizenship again for 10 years.

Even if they resubmit their application with an appeal during the ten-year blockade period, this will not be of any use. Since they will be listed in a special register, which will expedite the rejection of the application, a rejection based on the amended law.

Further: the person will be placed on a ten-year block until they are allowed to reapply, even if they have (illegally) obtained citizenship. That is, when their fraud is discovered after that person has already obtained German citizenship.

The Bundestag is scheduled to vote on this change to the law, requested by the ruling parties in the Bundestag's Internal Affairs Committee, this year.

It is known that the accelerated naturalization after three years for well-integrated persons, approved by the previous government, was canceled in October. This Friday (05.12.) was also scheduled to vote on the abolition of the obligation for the state to pay for a lawyer in the event of detention before deportation. This idea of ??the state's obligation to pay for a lawyer was a decision of the previous government.

The broader background to the tightening of citizenship law

The law is being strengthened in response to ongoing fraud with German language certificates.

It is known that everyone who wants to obtain German citizenship must be able to communicate in everyday German. This is confirmed when you have a language certificate at level B1.

But last week, fifteen main suspects were identified in southern Germany, who organized the forgery of German language certificates in exchange for money. In the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Hesse, there were massive police raids.

At about the same time last year, a group of forgers was brought before the Bonn State Court for the same crime. They had made millions by forging language certificates, which they sold for up to 3,000 euros. The tightening of citizenship law in this regard is intended to have a deterrent effect./ DW