Following several suspected fraud cases involving language certificates, CDU politicians are calling for a halt to naturalisation proceedings until the authenticity of the certificates can be conclusively verified. “All cases in which the authenticity of language certificates is unclear must be checked” said Alexander Thorm, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s domestic affairs spokesperson, in an interview with the “Bild” Thursday edition. “Existing proceedings should be suspended for the duration of the investigation”.
Thorm added that deliberate deception in the naturalisation process amounts to “deception by all law‑abiding people in Germany”. He also referred to reforms already decided: at the end of last year, the black‑red coalition agreed on a ten‑year ban on naturalisation for those who attempt deception. “Our actions should be guided by that standard in general” the CDU politician said.
The CDU state chair of Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern, Daniel Peters, also supports stopping naturalisations. “Anyone who cheats the welfare system should not be rewarded with a German passport” Peters told “Bild”. He described the certification fraud as “not a minor offence but an attack on solidarity and fairness – it must have naturalisation‑law consequences”.