Bundestag proposal urges Germany to scrap work requirements for citizenship

The Left Party (die Linke) has submitted a proposal to the Bundestag suggesting that the German government scrap the existing employment requirements for German citizenship.

Current citizenship law does not abide by the Grundgesetz, says die Linke

On October 8, the German parliament (Bundestag) will debate a proposal by the Left Party that the CDU-SPD government should scrap employment requirements for German citizenship. The proposal was submitted in June and will now face its second and third readings on the Bundestag floor, before members of parliament vote on the proposal.

The Left Party argue that although Germany expanded its citizenship law in 2024, many residents remain excluded from naturalisation because they cannot prove their financial independence. Possibly excluded groups include people who cannot work due to disabilities or permanent illness; people caring for relatives; pensioners who aren’t part of the “guest worker generation”; non-working single parents with young children; and students.

There are currently no minimum income requirements for obtaining citizenship, but applicants must prove their financial independence. Applicants must submit payslips and information about their housing costs and other expenses, allowing authorities to determine their financial stability. Applicants who are claiming or have recently claimed unemployment benefits are unlikely to have their naturalisation application approved.

The Left Party’s proposal argues that the current naturalisation law violates the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz), which stipulates equal treatment for all residents.

What does die Linke propose instead?

Die Linke proposes several amendments to make the naturalisation law fairer. Namely, that naturalisation be possible regardless of income, that applicants shouldn’t have to prove their financial independence and that unemployment benefit recipients shouldn’t be excluded from naturalising.

The party proposes that the naturalisation law should stipulate more clearly which groups are eligible to naturalise despite claiming state benefits, including people who are chronically ill, those with disabilities, family carers, parents in part-time work, trainees, and students.

Currently, many residents wait months or even years to find out whether their citizenship application has been successful. Die Linke proposes that more be done to digitise citizenship application procedures, consolidate procedures across federal states and hire more processing staff.