As you may know, German is a very flexible language. It lets you create your own words. So I wanted to make my own small contribution and came up with this word: Einbürgerungsantragsjubiläum.
It means the anniversary of a citizenship application.
If you want to get German citizenship under the current law, you usually need to:
- Work in Germany for at least 5 years
- Have a permanent residence permit
- Pass the citizenship test
- Have at least B1 level German
After that, you are eligible to apply for German citizenship.
I have been living in Germany for almost 8 years. During this time, I have been working as a Software Developer, and I still do. Germany would probably describe me as a highly skilled immigrant. I already have permanent residency. Last year, after passing the B1 German test, I applied for citizenship.
According to the Hamburg Immigration Office, the average processing time is 14 months. In Munich and Stuttgart, it is around 18 months. In Bremen, people have to wait around 28 months.
But this is only the average. I know some people who have been waiting for more than 3 years for their application to be processed.
I honestly do not know many other processes that take this long. I know there is a big discussion around citizenship, but as you can see from my case, people like me are also applying. You cannot receive government benefits and apply for citizenship. You have to prove that you have been working, paying into the pension system, and earning enough money to support yourself.
Germany needs skilled immigrants more than it often admits. Its pension system is already under pressure from an ageing population, and studies estimate that the country needs around 400.000 net immigrants per year just to keep the labour force stable. Making life harder for the people who already work here, pay taxes, and contribute to the pension system is not a smart strategy.
When Germany makes life harder for highly skilled immigrants, many of them start looking at other countries. I know many people who are planning to leave Germany because of the amount of bureaucracy they have to deal with. I also know people who do not choose Germany in the first place for the same reason.
Personally, I do not have a big problem with waiting, because I do not plan to leave Germany anytime soon. At the same time, I feel like I have to talk about this problem. Germany should be more attractive for highly skilled immigrants. People like me want to contribute, work, pay taxes, and build a life here. The system should make that easier, not harder.
