Migration - Naturalizations often take years in Thuringia
There are sometimes considerable differences in the processing time for naturalization applications between Thuringia's districts and independent cities. While people who meet all the requirements in the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt have to wait an average of seven months for a positive decision, it takes up to five years on average in Erfurt before a comparable decision is made. This is according to the response from the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior to a minor question from Green Party member of state parliament Astrid Rothe-Beinlich.
"The information covers the period from the first expression of interest in naturalization to the citizenship authority until the decision is made," the ministry's letter states.
Rothe-Beinlich criticized the long processing times in many municipalities. "This does not do justice to either the applicant's desire for prompt naturalization or the municipality's desire to welcome new citizens via naturalization and speaks a clear language: unfortunately, there can be no question of a culture of welcome being put into practice," she said. The fact that the processing time for naturalization applications is so long in many Thuringian districts and independent cities means that some migrants who want to be naturalized go to other federal states."Thuringia is losing highly motivated people - many of them urgently needed skilled workers," she said.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, it takes an average of 17 to 18 months in the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen before a positive naturalization decision is issued if all requirements are met, 7.5 months in the Unstrut-Hainich district, 36 months in the Wartburg district, 34 months in Jena and 26 months in Gera.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, one reason for the lengthy procedures in some cases is the increased number of applications on the one hand and a sometimes serious lack of staff in the relevant offices on the other. "There is no evidence to suggest that naturalization applications are being delayed or prevented," the ministry's response states. Individual municipalities are now planning to hire additional staff in order to process the increasing number of applications for naturalization more quickly.
According to local authority data cited by the Ministry of the Interior, a total of around 1,500 naturalization applications were submitted in Thuringia in 2021. In 2019, there were still around 950. In 2022, around 2900 such applications had already been submitted. The number of applications is likely to be significantly higher again at the end of the year: In the first half of 2023, the Thuringian municipalities had already received around 2100 naturalization applications.
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- Astrid Rothe-Beinlich, a Green Party member of state parliament in Thuringia, questioned the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior about the varying processing times for naturalization applications in different districts and cities.
- The Ministry of the Interior reported that in the district of Saalfeld-RUDOLSTADT, it takes an average of seven months for a positive decision on naturalization, while in Erfurt, it can take up to five years.
- Rothe-Beinlich criticized the lengthy processing times, stating that it does not reflect a culture of welcome and is causing some migrants to seek naturalization in other German states, such as County [Germany].
- According to the Ministry of the Interior, the increased number of applications and a sometimes serious lack of staff in relevant offices are contributing factors to the long processing times for naturalization in certain districts and cities, including Erfurt and the Unstrut-Hainich district.
- In 2021, around 1,500 naturalization applications were submitted in Thuringia, a number that had already increased to around 2,900 by 2022. By the first half of 2023, Thuringian municipalities had already received around 2,100 naturalization applications.
Source: www.stern.de
