For the first time in over two decades, more than 800 people have been naturalized in the country. More and more Syrians seeking protection who have entered the country meet the requirements.
Halle (dpa/sa) - The number of naturalizations in Saxony-Anhalt has risen significantly and has reached the highest level in the past 20 years. Last year, 833 people received German citizenship in this way, 139 more than in 2020, as the State Statistical Office announced on Thursday in Halle. This corresponds to an increase of 20 percent. Up until 1999, there had been thousands of naturalizations per year for several years, late repatriates were also recorded. From the year 2000, the numbers were between almost 400 and a good 700.
Last year, for the second time, Syrian nationals were at the top of the most frequently naturalized nationalities in Saxony-Anhalt, the statisticians said. After 114 Syrians, 257 have now been naturalized. More and more of the Syrians seeking protection who arrived between 2014 and 2016 met the requirements for naturalization, it said.
Looking at the previous citizenships of the naturalized, however, there is a great deal of diversity: most of them previously had Asian citizenship, i.e. 438 people or 52.6 percent. Almost a third came from a European, about ten percent from an African and 2.4 percent from an American nationality.
As the State Statistical Office further reported, 523 naturalized people were able to keep their previous nationality - that was 62.8 percent. In principle, citizens of EU member states could keep their citizenship. Otherwise, multiple nationalities will only be accepted if the foreign state refuses to leave or if giving up previous citizenship would result in significant economic or financial disadvantages, it said.
Naturalizations are carried out in the rural districts and urban districts. And the numbers are quite different. According to data from the State Statistical Office, 217 people were naturalized in Halle last year, 93 in the state capital Magdeburg and 45 in Dessau-Roßlau. In the districts there was a range between 29 naturalizations in the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel and 70 naturalizations in the Mansfeld-Südharz district.
