Germany granted citizenship to a record number of people last year, due largely to a jump in the number of Syrians who qualified for a passport after fleeing their country around a decade ago, the Federal Statistics Office said on Tuesday.
The newly naturalised Germans were on average 29.3 years old © Mena Today
Germany granted citizenship to a record number of people last year, due largely to a jump in the number of Syrians who qualified for a passport after fleeing their country around a decade ago, the Federal Statistics Office said on Tuesday.
Overall, some 200,100 foreigners were naturalised last year, a 19% rise from the previous year and the highest level since records started in 2000.
Around 38% of those people came from Syria, with Turkish and Iraqi citizens making up the next biggest group.
"The high number of naturalisations of Syrians is linked to the high influx of Syrian asylum seekers between 2014 and 2016 who are increasingly meeting naturalisation requirements, such as language skills and minimum residence time," said the Office.
In addition, spouses and minors can be naturalised without a minimum period of residence.
The newly naturalised Germans were on average 29.3 years old, compared to the average of 44.6 years old in the overall population.
Many economists argue that the integration of younger migrants in the workforce will help tackle the time-bomb of an ageing population in Europe's biggest economy.
Reporting by Madeline Chambers
Israel stepped up airstrikes on Syria overnight, declaring the attacks a warning to the new Islamist rulers in Damascus as it accused their Turkish allies on Thursday of trying to turn the country into a Turkish protectorate.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has issued a forceful condemnation following a wave of Israeli airstrikes across the country, denouncing the attacks as a flagrant violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty.
Israel launched airstrikes on military airbases and infrastructure sites in the Syrian cities of Damascus, Hama and Homs on Wednesday, the Israeli military said.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.