In Berlin, immigration officials are reportedly being rewarded with perks like remote work for processing as many naturalizations as possible, as the city’s State Office for Immigration (LEA) pursues an ambitious target of 40,000 new German citizens in 2025.
Internal protocols obtained by Bild show employees in the LEA are expected to handle eight naturalizations per week, with incentives offered for meeting or exceeding those numbers.
One employee described mounting pressure to deliver, “We need to produce high naturalization numbers.” The office had already reached 20,600 naturalizations by the end of June, putting it on track to meet its record target by the end of the year.
The motivation behind the push appears strategic. By naturalizing more residents, the city reduces its administrative burden — shifting people out of the foreigner registry and cutting down responsibilities tied to non-citizenship status. By naturalizing foreigners, migrant crime stats are also significantly distorted, as offenders are then classified as German suspects.
The drive has triggered a wave of criticism, with insiders and political leaders warning that standards are being compromised.
Speaking to Focus, one LEA employee described approving a citizenship application from a woman whose German language skills were so poor that he initially refused to hand over her certificate. It was only after internal pressure that he delayed the handover rather than rejecting the case.
Others raised alarms about the lack of proper ideological screening: while applicants are required to sign a commitment to Germany’s democratic order, there is often no personal interaction or substantive evaluation. One employee stated, “The declaration of commitment is often just lip service and a signature on paper.”
The digitalization of the process means that most applicants are not seen in person until they collect their certificates. Officials defend this approach as efficient and secure. LEA director Engelhard Mazanke even pointed to a recent corruption case, where a staff member is under investigation for allegedly naturalizing a Macedonian family outside proper procedure, as proof of the system’s safeguards. But critics argue it reveals deeper flaws.
Some critics claimed the unprecedented naturalization surge will help left-wing parties regain ground in elections. Current polls show the Left Party candidate for Berlin mayor would now win among Muslim voters in the German capital, with the Left Party and the Social Democrats (SPD) garnering 57 percent of the vote.
Danke @CDU! Die besten Wahlhelfer für die Linke☭. Hundertausende neue Wähler werden dieses Jahr einbürgert. Und er hier wird wohl der nächste Bürgermeister von Berlin.
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https://t.co/3ERR4X7XkC pic.twitter.com/XuqixnPQAH
— spaceloop23
(@spaceloop23) July 22, 2025
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has condemned Berlin’s methods, stating that personal interviews are essential to ensure applicants truly support Germany’s constitutional values. “I can hardly imagine that this will work without a personal interview,” Dobrindt told Bild, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding Germany’s democratic order and historical responsibilities. He warned that the “accuracy of the examination” should be the priority, not “an alleged quota achievement.”
The naturalization surge is not limited to the capital. Cities across Germany are also recording major increases. Hamburg approved 5,900 naturalizations in the first half of 2025, up 55 percent from 2024; Munich processed 3,953, an 18 percent increase; Cologne reached 3,083, nearly matching 2024’s full total; while naturalizations in Frankfurt have shot up 59 percent from last year, with 2,223 already approved.
Some cities, however, show declining figures, including Bremen (-26 percent), Dortmund (-25 percent), and Duisburg (-37 percent).
Germany reached a record 291,955 naturalizations in 2024 — a 46 percent jump from 2023 — driven in part by legal reforms that shortened the required residency period. Syrians made up the largest group at 28 percent, followed by Turks (8 percent), Iraqis (5 percent), Russians (4 percent), and Afghans (3 percent).
Despite Chancellor Merz’s calls for fewer asylum applications, more deportations, and tighter borders, local dynamics in Berlin and other major cities reveal the opposite trend.
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