The number of people who were naturalized in Berlin and Brandenburg last year has fallen significantly. One reason for this was the corona pandemic, but Brexit also played a role.
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In the past year, fewer people from abroad became German citizens in Berlin and Brandenburg.
There were 845 naturalizations in Brandenburg, which means that they were about 19 percent lower than in the previous year, as the Berlin-Brandenburg Statistics Office announced on Thursday. Most of the new citizens in the Mark come from Poland.
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In Berlin there were 6,411 naturalizations, around six percent fewer than in the previous year. In the capital, the largest group of new German citizens came from Turkey.
In order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the responsible offices were temporarily only open to a limited extent last year, and fewer applications could be processed. Anyone wishing to be naturalized must have lived in Germany for at least eight years. In addition, impunity, a secure livelihood and sufficient knowledge of German are required.
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Around 109,900 foreign nationals were naturalized nationwide – 15 percent less than in 2019. Brexit also had a strong impact on the decline in the numbers: in 2020 only 4,900 British citizens were naturalized, 66 percent fewer than in 2019.
The number of naturalizations from the island peaked in 2019. A total of 36,500 Brits have been naturalized in Germany since the 2016 Brexit referendum.
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Broadcast: Antenne Brandenburg, May 27, 2021, 6:00 p.m.
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