Access to citizenship & its impact on immigrant integration (ACIT)

Results for Germany22 January 2012

Prof. Dr. Gerard-René de GrootUniversity of Maastricht Jasper Dag TjadenMigration Policy Group Co-financed by the

European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals

Access to citizenship & its impact on immigrant integration (ACIT)

http://eudo-citizenship.eu End date: 31/03/2013

Goal: Researchers & policy actors better understand how law, implementation, and other factors affect citizenship acquisition and how citizenship affects integration processes;

Goal: Policymakers & civil society use evidence to design more effective laws and measures

Consolidate law indicators

Pilot implementation indicators

Expand ‘outcome’ indicators

Assess determinants of naturalisation across EU

Assess citizenship impact on integration process

10 national citizenship dialogues and national handbooks

EU conclusions, recommendations, dialogue, module

Citizenship Law Indicators(CITLAW)

• 57 indicators compare specific aspects of citizenship regimes across countries and time– basic indicators (e.g. Ius Soli for second generation)– several combined indicators (e.g. Ius Soli at birth)– six combined indicators: ius sanguinis, ius soli, ordinary

naturalisation, special naturalisation, renunciation, withdrawal

• Indicators measure strength of the purpose or principle of the citizenship law

• Indicator scores range from 0 to 10 = purpose/principle not represented1 = purpose/principle strongly represented

Summary of FindingsIus Sanguinis

Ius Soli

Ordinary Naturalisation

Special Naturalisation

Involuntary Loss

Renunciation

0.00.10.20.30.40.50.60.70.80.9

Germany EU-15 EU-27

Ordinary Naturalisation

Overal

l

Residen

ce Conditions

Renuncia

tion

Langu

age C

onditions

Civic K

nowledge

/ Assi

milation

Criminal

Record

Economic R

esource

s0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

0.57

0.71

0.50

0.00

0.25 0.25 0.25

0.640.61

0.83

0.47

0.57

0.30

0.630.58

0.55

0.73

0.37

0.61

0.29

0.65

Germany EU-15 EU-27

Ordinary Naturalisation

opportunities• residence requirement: – Belgium 1.00– Germany 0.71– EU-15 0.61– Switzerland 0.12

obstacles• Economic resources required• Dual nationality restricted• High-level written language test• Use of test for civic knowledge

Special Naturalisation (selected modes)

Overal

l

Socia

lisation-base

d

Family

-based

Spousal

Tran

sfer

Adoption

Descen

dants

Form

er Citizen

s

Spousal

Exten

sion

Child Ex

tensio

n

Reacq

uisition

Citizens o

f Speci

fic Countri

es

Cultural

Affinity

Good Faith

Citizen

Refuge

es

Statel

ess Pers

ons0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

0.39

0

0.34

0.75

1

0.69

0.06 0.06

0.75

0.5

0.690.75

0.5

0.380.360.29

0.38

0.54

0.88

0.26

0.02

0.48

0.68

0.21

0.31

0.23

0.46 0.47

0.33

0.24

0.35

0.46

0.81

0.28

0.04

0.5

0.64

0.18

0.35

0.16

0.430.39

Germany EU-15 EU-27

Special Naturalisation

opportunities• spousal transfer• adoption• descendants of former

citizens• good faith citizens• refugees

obstacles• child extension• no socialisation-based

access for foreign-born children

• stateless persons

• 38 indicators compare formal aspects of naturalisation procedure. These include all stages, from efforts by public authorities to inform applicants to the options to appeal a negative decision.

• 5 dimensions covered administrative procedure:

1) Promotion: how much do authorities encourage applicants to apply?

2) Documentation: how easily can applicants prove they meet the conditions?

3) Discretion: how much room do authorities have to interpret conditions?

4) Bureaucracy: how easy is it for authorities to come to a decision?

5) Review: how strong is judicial oversight of the procedure?

Citizenship Implementation Indicators (CITIMP)

Summary of FindingsGenerally, positive link between law (CITLAW) & implementation (CITIMP) In contrast, DE has more legal obstacles to naturalise than most EU15, but fewer procedural obstacles in federal standards and selected laender

DE naturalisation procedures more like FR than any other EU country • Some state promotion (widest variation in selected laender)• Some demanding documentation as in other EU15 countries• Limited discretion within procedure• Some bureaucratic elements (variation between selected laender)• Relatively strong judicial review

PromotionOpportunities• Campaigns, pilots/materials, ceremonies in Hamburg & a few cities• Free federal language and integration courses• Exemptions to high fees‘Missed’ opportunities—• Required citizenship ceremonies involving public authorities & media• Naturalisation campaigns, also targeting attitudes of general public• Cooperate more in the process with immigrant NGOs• Legal obstacles may make promotional activities much less effective

DocumentationOpportunities: • Test exemptions for those completing various forms of schooling in Germany• Authorities obtain information themselves on criminal record• Test exemptions generally on vulnerability grounds (e.g. age, illiteracy, illness)Obstacles:• Few exemptions on test or economic resources for refugees or stateless persons• Additional paperwork from country of origin (translated and certified)• Renunciation fully enforced (requirement is symbolic oath in Spain or United States)

Citizenship acquisition (CITACQ)

• Acquisition indicators compare rates of citizenship acquisition among foreign-born in their country of residence

• Percentages of foreign-born immigrants who have acquired citizenship at any point in time, not naturalisation rates measuring the number of new naturalisations divided by resident population with foreign citizenship

• Information based on European Labour Force Survey Ad Hoc Module (2008) that targets immigrants and their descendants, aged 15-67

• Data exclusively on foreign-born (1st generation) and allows for comparisons of citizenship acquisition rates across 25 European countries

Includes information on the following indicators for citizenship acquisition by foreign-born:

– ALL– SEX (female vs. male)– ORIGIN (EU vs. non-EU countries)– AGE AT MIGRATION (age at which respondent took up

residence)– YEARS OF RESIDENCE (years of residence)– YEARS OF RESIDENCE (minimum number of years of residence)– TIME UNTIL NATURALISATION (numbers of years until

naturalisation)

Citizenship acquisition (CITACQ)

• On average around 34% of foreign-born persons are a citizen of their EU-15 country of residence.– Citizenship acquisition rates in EU-15 range are lowest in

Luxembourg (10%) and highest in Sweden (67%). In Germany acquisition rate (43%) is slightly above average.

– Immigrants from non-EU countries (42%) more often acquire citizenship than those from EU countries (20%).

• On average it takes around 10 years for foreign-born persons to acquire citizenship of their country of residence, within EU-15 countries.– In Luxembourg it takes almost 15 years on average to

naturalise, whereas in Ireland this is around 5 years. In Germany the speed (9,5 years) is around the EU15 average.

Summary of Findings

Acquisition rates in EU-15 (+CH, NO)

Germany

Speed of naturalisation

GERMANY

43,03 42,86 43,23

40,06

44,50

34,4335,67

33,02

20,48

42,04

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

ALL SEX (female) SEX (male) ORIGIN COUNTRY (EU)

ORIGIN COUNTRY (non-EU)

Germany EU-15

%

Germany compared I(% foreign-born with citizenship)

Germany compared II(% foreign-born with citizenship)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

at least 5 years at least 10 years at least 15 years at least 20 years

Germany EU-15

%

years of residence

Analysis of acquisition ratesCitizenship acquisition & speed of acquisition are mainly driven by:• Socio-economic development of countries of origin• Citizenship laws of the country (see following graph)Variation in acquisition rates is mainly explained by:• Marital status (married people are more likely to be naturalised)• Socio-economic status (employed immigrants are more likely)• Gender (female immigrants are more likely)• Use of native language at home (immigrants who speak the

language of the destination country at home are more likely)

Predicted probability of having destination country citizenship by MIPEX Access to Nationality

(by years of residence in country)

Germany (50) Germany (50)

MIPEX Access to Nationality score (adjusted for first generation only)

Citizenship and Integration (CITINT)

• 18 core indicators measure the the extent to which changes in citizenship status affect levels of integration.

• Three categories of indicators:– Labour force participation (2008 Eurostat LFS ad hoc module)– Social inclusion and standard of living (2008 EU-SILC)– Host society attitudes (ESS rounds 1-5)

• Sample: EU-27, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland• As expected, immigrants who naturalised are often better off

than immigrants who have not naturalised.

CITINT: Labour Force Participation

Source: 2008 EU Labour Force Survey Ad Hoc Module

Germany EU-15 EU-270

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Unemployment Rates, 2008 (%)

Natives Naturalized Immigrants Non-citizen Immigrants

Labour Force Participation

Source: 2008 EU Labour Force Survey Ad Hoc Module

Non-citizen Immigrants

Naturalized Immigrants

Natives

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

24.7

27.1

19.9

43.6

27.6

Overqualification Rates, Germany, 2008 (%)

Non-EU EU

Social Exclusion

Source: 2008 EU-SILC Survey

Germany EU-15 EU-270

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Share Having Difficulty Making Ends Meet, 2008 (%)

Natives Naturalized Immigrants Non-citizen Immigrants

Living Conditions

Source: 2008 EU-SILC Survey

Germany EU-15 EU-270

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Social Housing Occupation, 2008 (%)

Natives Naturalized Immigrants Non-citizen Immigrants

ConclusionsMajor legal opportunities• Residence requirement • Ius soliMajor legal obstacles• Restrictions on dual nationality • Economic resource requirement • No socialisation-based entitlement Major administrative opportunities• Limited discretion• Promotion measures in laender • Judicial reviewMajor administrative obstacles• Documentation required abroad • Test exemptions for refugees/stateless

• Settled immigrants from developing countries are more likely to naturalise, but policies have major impact on naturalisation rates

• Naturalised German citizens took on average 9,5 years to naturalise• Still around half of the foreign-born population has not naturalised, even after

15 or 20 years in Germany