German-Turkish Community Leader Expresses Caution Over Reversal of Integration Incentive
The head of the Turkish Community in Germany, Gökay Sofuoglu, does not anticipate significant consequences from the planned reversal of the fast-track naturalization in the citizenship law.
According to Sofuoglu, who spoke to the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”, the correction will not have a major impact, as it only affects a limited number of people and those who are affected will simply have to wait two more years. He added, however, that it is unfortunate the reform is being rolled back, as the fast-track naturalization has been a motivator for people to engage in voluntary work, such as with the Red Cross or the Volunteer Fire Department.
Sofuoglu also emphasized the importance of increasing the number of staff in relevant authorities to process naturalization applications, citing the lengthy waiting times as a concern. Moreover, he criticized the Federal Minister of the Interior, Alexander Dobrindt, for being overly influenced by the AfD in his migration policy.
Under the original plan, foreigners would be able to become German citizens after three years of special integration efforts, rather than the current five years. However, the Federal Minister of the Interior, Alexander Dobrindt, intends to remove this incentive from the citizenship law.