immigration to Germany

The Counter-Reformation in the 16th and 17th centuries led large numbers of Protestants to settle in Protestant — or at least religiously tolerant — principalities and cities of the Holy Roman Empire, much of which would later become Germany. According to one estimate, a total of 100,000 Protestants moved from Habsburg lands to what is now southern and central Germany in the 17th century.

Large numbers of Huguenots also fled France after the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572, around 40,000 of whom settled in what is now Germany. Although many returned to France after the 1598 Edict of Nantes, which proclaimed a policy of religious tolerance towards Huguenots, repeated waves of conflict and persecution over the next few centuries spurred new waves of emigration. Brandenburg-Prussia, Hesse-Kassel, Brandenburg-Bayreuth, and Hanover were major destinations of Huguenots during this time.

Several thousand English and Scottish Presbyterians also fled the violent reign of Mary Tudor; many settled in Frankfurt. Many Dutch Calvinists settled in northwestern Germany after the Dutch Revolt.

{{Main|Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950)}}

Towards the end of World War II, and in its aftermath, up to 12 million refugees of ethnic Germans, so-called "Heimatvertriebene" (German for "expellees", literally "homeland displaced persons") were forced to migrate from the former German areas, as for instance Silesia or East Prussia, to the new formed States of post-war Germany and Allied-occupied Austria, because of changing borderlines in Europe.[http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/spiegelgeschichte/d-76574305.html SpiegelOnline] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402133636/http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/spiegelgeschichte/d-76574305.html |date=2 April 2015 }}, 25 January 2011.[http://www.kas.de/wf/de/71.8807/ "Konrad Adenauer Stiftung" ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616204216/http://www.kas.de/wf/de/71.8807/ |date=16 June 2018 }}, viewed on 31 March 2015.

{{Main|Gastarbeiter|Vertragsarbeiter}}

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-01986-09083, Schwarza, kubanische Gastarbeiterin.jpgin) from Cuba, working in an East German factory, 1986]]

Due to a shortage of laborers during the Wirtschaftswunder ("economic miracle") in the 1950s and 1960s, the West German government signed bilateral recruitment agreements with Italy in 1955, Greece in 1960, Turkey in 1961, Morocco in 1963, Portugal in 1964, Tunisia in 1965 and Yugoslavia in 1968. These agreements allowed German companies to recruit foreign citizens to work in Germany.{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Gastarbeiter|url=https://www.bpb.de/nachschlagen/lexika/270369/gastarbeiter|access-date=6 November 2021|website=Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung|language=de|archive-date=5 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105080613/https://www.bpb.de/nachschlagen/lexika/270369/gastarbeiter|url-status=live}} The work permits were at first issued for a duration of two years, after which the recruited workers were supposed to return to their home countries. However, many companies repeatedly renewed the work permits;{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Erstes "Gastarbeiter-Abkommen" vor 55 Jahren {{!}} bpb|url=https://www.bpb.de/politik/hintergrund-aktuell/68921/erstes-gastarbeiter-abkommen-20-12-2010|access-date=6 November 2021|website=Bundeszentrum für politische Bildung|date=17 December 2020|language=de|archive-date=6 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106182139/https://www.bpb.de/politik/hintergrund-aktuell/68921/erstes-gastarbeiter-abkommen-20-12-2010|url-status=live}} some of the bilateral treaties were even updated to give workers permanent residency upon arrival.{{Cite web|last=Luft|first=Stefan|title=Die Anwerbung türkischer Arbeitnehmer und ihre Folgen {{!}} bpb|url=https://www.bpb.de/internationales/europa/tuerkei/184981/gastarbeit|access-date=6 November 2021|website=Bundeszentrum für politische Bildung|date=5 August 2014|language=de|archive-date=6 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106182139/https://www.bpb.de/internationales/europa/tuerkei/184981/gastarbeit|url-status=live}} As a result, even though many did ultimately return to their countries of origin, several million of the recruited workers and their families ended up settling in Germany permanently. Nevertheless, the government continued to encourage the public perception of the arriving immigrants as temporary guest workers (Gastarbeiter) and for many years made little provision for their integration into German society.{{Cite news|date=6 November 2021|title=Sixty years of Turkish "guest workers" in Germany|newspaper=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/11/06/sixty-years-of-turkish-guest-workers-in-germany|access-date=6 November 2021|issn=0013-0613|archive-date=6 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106182132/https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/11/06/sixty-years-of-turkish-guest-workers-in-germany|url-status=live}}

East Germany set up similar foreign recruitment schemes, although at much smaller scales and exclusively with other socialist states. Most foreign workers recruited to East Germany, known locally as Vertragsarbeiter, came from North Vietnam (ca. 60,000),{{Cite web|title="Aus Vietnam in die DDR. 40 Jahre Vertragsarbeiter-Abkommen"|url=https://www.boell.de/de/aus-vietnam-die-ddr-40-jahre-vertragsarbeiter-abkommen|access-date=7 November 2021|website=Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung|language=de|archive-date=21 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121223410/https://www.boell.de/de/aus-vietnam-die-ddr-40-jahre-vertragsarbeiter-abkommen|url-status=live}} Cuba (30,000),{{Cite web|last1=Forster|first1=Gioia|last2=Krüger|first2=Ralf|date=4 November 2019|title=DDR-Vertragsarbeiter aus Afrika: "Die haben uns belogen und betrogen"|url=https://www.zdf.de/uri/d3a9db3c-0fd4-41ca-a055-daf0981ef88b|access-date=7 November 2021|website=ZDF|language=de}} Mozambique (21,000){{Cite news|last=Mai|first=Marina|date=3 March 2019|title=Vertragsarbeiter aus Mosambik: "Moderne Sklaverei" in der DDR|language=de|work=Die Tageszeitung|url=https://taz.de/!5576988/|access-date=7 November 2021|issn=0931-9085|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603134751/http://www.taz.de/!5576988/|url-status=live}} and Angola (6,000).{{Cite web|last=|title=Kuba und die DDR {{!}} MDR.DE|url=https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/kuba-ddr-sozialistisches-bruderland100_page-1_zc-43c28d56.html|access-date=7 November 2021|website=Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk|language=de|archive-date=7 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107165639/https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/kuba-ddr-sozialistisches-bruderland100_page-1_zc-43c28d56.html|url-status=live}} The government portrayed East Germany as a post-racial society and called the foreign workers socialist "friends" who would learn skills which could then be applied in their home countries. In reality, racism and exploitation were widespread.{{Cite web|last=Rabenschlag|first=Ann-Judith|title=Arbeiten im Bruderland. Arbeitsmigranten in der DDR und ihr Zusammenleben mit der deutschen Bevölkerung {{!}} bpb|url=https://www.bpb.de/geschichte/zeitgeschichte/deutschlandarchiv/233678/arbeitsmigranten-in-der-ddr|access-date=7 November 2021|website=Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung|date=15 September 2016|language=de|archive-date=7 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107165638/https://www.bpb.de/geschichte/zeitgeschichte/deutschlandarchiv/233678/arbeitsmigranten-in-der-ddr|url-status=live}} The workers were generally strictly segregated from locals and did menial work that locals refused to do. Considerable portions of their paychecks were often diverted to their home governments, making their livelihoods precarious.{{Cite news|last=Mai|first=Marina|date=3 March 2019|title=Vertragsarbeiter aus Mosambik: "Moderne Sklaverei" in der DDR|language=de|work=Die Tageszeitung: taz|url=https://taz.de/!5576988/|access-date=7 November 2021|issn=0931-9085|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603134751/http://www.taz.de/!5576988/|url-status=live}} Female {{lang|de|Vertragsarbeiter}} were not allowed to become pregnant during their stay. If they did, they were forced to have an abortionKarin Weiss: "Die Einbindung ehemaliger vietnamesischer Vertragsarbeiterinnen und Vertragsarbeiter in Strukturen der Selbstorganisation", In: Almut Zwengel: "Die Gastarbeiter der DDR - politischer Kontext und Lebenswelt". Studien zur DDR Gesellschaft; p. 264{{citation|url=http://www.stern.de/politik/panorama/:Vietnamesen-Deutschland-Phuongs-Traum-/637993.html|title=Vietnamesen in Deutschland: Phuongs Traum|periodical=Stern|date=1 October 2008|access-date=18 October 2008|last=Pfohl|first=Manuela}}

or faced deportation.

Following German reunification in 1990, many of the roughly 90,000 foreign workers living in what had been East Germany had no legal status as immigrant workers under the Western system. Consequently, many faced deportation or premature termination of residence and work permits, as well as open discrimination in the workplace and racism in everyday life. The vast majority ultimately returned to their home countries.

During the 1980s, a small but steady stream of East Germans immigrating to the West (Übersiedler) had begun with the gradual opening of the Eastern bloc. In 1990, the year of German reunification, the number swelled to 389,000.{{cite web|author1=Eric Solsten|title=Germany: A Country Study; Chapter: Immigration|url=http://countrystudies.us/germany/89.htm|publisher=GPO for the Library of Congress|access-date=5 January 2015|location=Washington DC|date=1995|archive-date=29 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329035557/http://countrystudies.us/germany/89.htm|url-status=live}}

{{See also|German diaspora#History||}}

File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F079036-0016, Lager Friedland, Familie aus Kasachstan.jpg arriving in a camp in Friedland in 1988]]

As Eastern bloc countries gradually began to open their borders in the 1980s, large numbers of ethnic Germans from these countries began to move to Germany. German law at the time recognized an almost unlimited right of return for people of German descent,{{Cite news|last=Darnstädt|first=Thomas|date=6 November 1988|title=Deutsches Blut, fremde Folter SPIEGEL-Redakteur Thomas Darnstädt|language=de|work=Der Spiegel|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutsches-blut-fremde-folter-spiegel-redakteur-thomas-darnstaedt-a-f7c7f60a-0002-0001-0000-000013530162|access-date=1 November 2021|issn=2195-1349|archive-date=1 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101103630/https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutsches-blut-fremde-folter-spiegel-redakteur-thomas-darnstaedt-a-f7c7f60a-0002-0001-0000-000013530162|url-status=live}} of whom there were several million in the Soviet Union, Poland and Romania.{{Cite web|last=Seifert|first=Wolfgang|title=Geschichte der Zuwanderung nach Deutschland nach 1950 {{!}} bpb|url=https://www.bpb.de/politik/grundfragen/deutsche-verhaeltnisse-eine-sozialkunde/138012/geschichte-der-zuwanderung-nach-deutschland-nach-1950|access-date=1 November 2021|website=bpb.de|language=de|archive-date=1 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101103629/https://www.bpb.de/politik/grundfragen/deutsche-verhaeltnisse-eine-sozialkunde/138012/geschichte-der-zuwanderung-nach-deutschland-nach-1950|url-status=live}} Germany initially received around 40,000 per year. In 1987, the number doubled, in 1988 it doubled again and in 1990 nearly 400,000 immigrated.

Upon arrival, ethnic Germans became citizens at once according to Article 116 of the Basic Law, and received financial and many social benefits, including language training, as many did not speak German. Social integration was often difficult, even though ethnic Germans were entitled to German citizenship, but to many Germans they did not seem German. In 1991, restrictions went into effect, in that ethnic Germans were assigned to certain areas, losing benefits if they moved. The German government also encouraged the estimated several million ethnic Germans living in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to remain there. From 1993 to 1999, the German government established a cap limiting ethnic German immigration to 220,000 people per year, which was later lowered to 100,000.{{Cite web|date=1 July 2004|title=Germany: Immigration in Transition|url=https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/germany-immigration-transition|access-date=26 January 2023|website=Migration Policy Institute|archive-date=26 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126001053/https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/germany-immigration-transition|url-status=live}} In total, more than 4.5 million ethnic Germans moved to Germany between 1990 and 2007.{{Cite web|last=Phalnikar|first=Sonia|date=7 September 2007|title=Russia Hopes to Lure Back Ethnic Germans {{!}} DW {{!}} 7 September 2007|url=https://www.dw.com/en/russia-hopes-to-lure-back-ethnic-germans/a-2772792|access-date=28 June 2021|website=Deutsche Welle|language=en|archive-date=26 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626102505/https://www.dw.com/en/russia-hopes-to-lure-back-ethnic-germans/a-2772792|url-status=live}}

File:Greeting Vietnamese refugees in Hamburg, Germany 1986.jpg

And in parallel, a third stream of immigration starting in the mid-1980s were war refugees, of which West Germany accepted more than any other West European country due to a nearly unqualified right to asylum. Around 300,000 Iranians fled from persecution in the wake of the Iranian Revolution between 1979 and 1986 alone.{{Cite news|date=21 September 1986|title=Die Spreu vom Weizen trennen|language=de|work=Der Spiegel|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/die-spreu-vom-weizen-trennen-a-de60664f-0002-0001-0000-000013520799|access-date=1 November 2021|issn=2195-1349|archive-date=1 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101224748/https://www.spiegel.de/politik/die-spreu-vom-weizen-trennen-a-de60664f-0002-0001-0000-000013520799|url-status=live}} Notable numbers of asylum seekers came from Turkey after a military coup in 1980 and, separately, due to ongoing persecution of Turkish Kurds in the country.{{Cite web|last=Schührer|first=Susanne|date=2018|title=Türkeistämmige Personen in Deutschland|url=https://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/bitstream/handle/document/67625/ssoar-2018-schuhrer-Turkeistammige_Personen_in_Deutschland_Erkenntnisse.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y&lnkname=ssoar-2018-schuhrer-Turkeistammige_Personen_in_Deutschland_Erkenntnisse.pdf|publisher=Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge: Forschungszentrum Migration, Integration und Asyl|access-date=1 November 2021|archive-date=1 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101224750/https://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/bitstream/handle/document/67625/ssoar-2018-schuhrer-Turkeistammige_Personen_in_Deutschland_Erkenntnisse.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y&lnkname=ssoar-2018-schuhrer-Turkeistammige_Personen_in_Deutschland_Erkenntnisse.pdf|url-status=live}} Several thousand people also sought refuge in Germany from the Lebanese Civil War.{{Cite news|last=|date=5 January 2016|title=Flüchtlingskrise: "Viele waren schon in der Heimat Underdogs"|language=de|work=Die Welt|url=https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article150620996/Viele-waren-schon-in-der-Heimat-Underdogs.html|access-date=1 November 2021|archive-date=19 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119132636/https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article150620996/Viele-waren-schon-in-der-Heimat-Underdogs.html|url-status=live}}

File:Germans without a migrant background (2016).svg

Due to the outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars in 1991, large numbers of refugees headed to Germany and other European countries.[http://www.efms.uni-bamberg.de/ds27_2_d.htm " Kriegsflüchtlinge aus dem ehemaligen Jugoslawien nach Zielland (Schätzung des UNHCR, Stand März 1995)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514050016/http://www.efms.uni-bamberg.de/ds27_2_d.htm |date=14 May 2015 }}, viewed on 31 March 2015. Between 1990 and 1992 nearly 900,000 people sought asylum in a united Germany. In 1992 Germany admitted almost 70 percent of all asylum seekers registered in the European Community.{{cite web|author=Kay Hailbronner|date=1994|title=Asylum law reform in the German Constitution|url=http://www.auilr.org/pdf/9/9-4-9.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422212650/http://www.auilr.org/pdf/9/9-4-9.pdf|archive-date=22 April 2012|access-date=3 January 2012|publisher=American University International Law Review|pages=159–179|volume=9|issue=4}} By comparison, only about 100,000 people sought asylum in the U.S in the same year.{{cite web|author=James M. Didden|url=http://www.auilr.org/pdf/9/9-4-6.pdf|title=Toward collective responsibility in asylum law: Reviving the eroding right to political asylum in the US and the Federal Republic of Germany|publisher=American University International Law Review|volume=9|issue=4|date=1994|pages=79–123|access-date=5 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105113136/http://www.auilr.org/pdf/9/9-4-6.pdf|archive-date=5 January 2015|url-status=dead}}

The growing numbers of asylum seekers led the Bundestag to significantly curtail the previously unqualified right to asylum in Germany, which former German refugees had "held sacred because of their reliance on it to escape the Nazi regime" and which required a constitutional amendment. Applications from people entering Germany after passing through other European Community member states, where they theoretically could have already applied for asylum, were now refused, as were applications from nationals of designated safe countries.Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF): [http://www.bamf.de/EN/Migration/AsylFluechtlinge/Asylrecht/asylrecht-node.html Asylum law] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921191127/http://www.bamf.de/EN/Migration/AsylFluechtlinge/Asylrecht/asylrecht-node.html |date=21 September 2013 }}

Though only about 5 percent of the asylum applications were approved and appeals sometimes took years to be processed, many asylum seekers were able to stay in Germany and received financial and social aid from the government.[https://www.destatis.de/DE/PresseService/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2014/09/PD14_312_222.html;jsessionid=B22B5B0397B71348FFD3995E648915E4.cae4 "Asylbewerberleistungen"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100019/https://www.destatis.de/DE/PresseService/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2014/09/PD14_312_222.html;jsessionid=B22B5B0397B71348FFD3995E648915E4.cae4 |date=2 April 2015 }}, published on 4 September 2014.

File:Map_foreign_nationals_germany_2016.png

{{main|European migrant crisis}}

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|caption=Illegal immigrants in Germany 2008 onwards{{cite web|url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=migr_eipre&lang=en|title=Eurostat table [migr_eipre] Third country nationals found to be illegally present - annual data (rounded)|date=17 July 2017|website=Eurostat|access-date=28 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042413/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=migr_eipre&lang=en|url-status=live}}

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File:Polizei fängt Flüchtlinge ab.jpg.]]

In June 2015, new arrivals of asylum seekers, which had been increasing steadily for years,{{Cite web|last=Integration|first=Mediendienst|title=Zahl der Flüchtlinge {{!}} Flucht & Asyl {{!}} Zahlen und Fakten {{!}} MDI|url=https://mediendienst-integration.de/migration/flucht-asyl/zahl-der-fluechtlinge.html|access-date=30 June 2021|website=Mediendienst Integration|language=de|archive-date=22 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622181435/https://mediendienst-integration.de/migration/flucht-asyl/zahl-der-fluechtlinge.html|url-status=live}} began to rise sharply,{{Cite web|last=Hanewinkel|first=Vera|title=Fluchtmigration nach Deutschland und Europa: Einige Hintergründe|url=https://www.bpb.de/gesellschaft/migration/kurzdossiers/217369/fluchtmigration-hintergruende|access-date=30 June 2021|website=bpb.de|date=15 December 2015|language=de|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709181747/https://www.bpb.de/gesellschaft/migration/kurzdossiers/217369/fluchtmigration-hintergruende|url-status=live}} driven especially by refugees fleeing wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. An original projection of 450,000 asylum seekers entering Germany for the whole of 2015 was revised upwards to 800,000[https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article145402071/Zahl-der-Fluechtlinge-erreicht-Allzeithoch.html#disqus_thread "Zahl der Flüchtlinge erreicht "Allzeithoch""] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201151252/https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article145402071/Zahl-der-Fluechtlinge-erreicht-Allzeithoch.html#disqus_thread |date=1 December 2016 }} Retrieved 19 August 2015 in August and again in September to over 1 million.[http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/sigmar-gabriel-geht-von-einer-million-fluechtlinge-2015-aus-a-1052809.html "Neue Prognose für Deutschland 2015: Vizekanzler Gabriel spricht von einer Million Flüchtlingen"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916034436/http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/sigmar-gabriel-geht-von-einer-million-fluechtlinge-2015-aus-a-1052809.html |date=16 September 2015 }}, Retrieved 14 September 2015. The actual final number was 1.1 million; Germany spent about €16 billion (0.5% of GDP) on processing and housing refugees that year.{{Cite journal|title=Who bears the cost of integrating refugees?|url=https://www.oecd.org/els/mig/migration-policy-debates-13.pdf|journal=OECD Migration Policy Debates|date=9 January 2017 |volume=13 January 2017|page=2|access-date=10 November 2018|archive-date=11 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111000031/https://www.oecd.org/els/mig/migration-policy-debates-13.pdf|url-status=live}}

Most of the refugees entering Western and Central Europe around this time came by land via the so-called "Balkan route." According to an EU law (the Dublin regulation), refugees were required to file asylum claims in the first EU country they set foot in, which for about the 85% of sea arrivals was Greece, and for about 15%, Italy.{{cite news|date=22 December 2015|title=Irregular Migrant, Refugee Arrivals in Europe Top One Million in 2015: IOM|publisher=IOM|url=https://www.iom.int/news/irregular-migrant-refugee-arrivals-europe-top-one-million-2015-iom|access-date=23 December 2015|archive-date=28 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328233957/https://www.iom.int/news/irregular-migrant-refugee-arrivals-europe-top-one-million-2015-iom|url-status=live}} However, instead of applying there, many attempted to travel to Northern and Western European countries, mostly by traveling through the Balkans and re-entering the EU through Hungary or Croatia. As a result, Hungary registered 150,000 asylum seekers by August 2015. However, the vast majority of these refugees had no desire to remain in Hungary and wanted to move on to Western or Northern Europe, leading to a sizable population of refugees "trapped" in the country.{{Cite web|last=Schönhagen|first=Ulrich Herbert, Jakob|title=Vor dem 5. September. Die "Flüchtlingskrise" 2015 im historischen Kontext {{!}} APuZ|url=https://www.bpb.de/apuz/312832/vor-dem-5-september-die-fluechtlingskrise-2015-im-historischen-kontext|access-date=1 July 2021|website=bpb.de|date=17 July 2020|language=de|archive-date=19 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619212657/https://www.bpb.de/apuz/312832/vor-dem-5-september-die-fluechtlingskrise-2015-im-historischen-kontext|url-status=live}} The Hungarian government began to house refugees in camps under squalid conditions.{{Cite news|date=11 September 2015|title=Migrant crisis: People treated 'like animals' in Hungary camp|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34216883|access-date=1 July 2021|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709193158/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34216883|url-status=live}} The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, overwhelmed with the task of processing the sheer number of incoming asylum claims, was unable to prioritize deporting refugees to Hungary and decided to suspend enforcement of the Dublin regulation for Syrian nationals. As a result, refugees in Hungary requested to be allowed leave for Germany; several thousand began making their way across Hungary and Austria towards Germany on foot. Claiming it was no longer able to process asylum claims properly, Hungary began providing buses for refugees to the Austrian border. Responding to a wave of public sympathy in reaction to widely broadcast scenes of police brutality and refugees dying at the hands of smugglers in Hungary, and unable to keep the migrants out of the country without resorting to brutal force, the German and Austrian chancellors, Angela Merkel and Werner Faymann decided to allow the refugees in. The publicity from this decision led hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the Syrian civil war to make for Germany.

Although the number of refugees in formal employment more than tripled between 2016 and 2019,{{Cite web|last=Becher|first=Lena|date=9 July 2019|title=Die Beschäftigung von Flüchtlingen wächst – die Arbeitslosigkeit auch|url=https://www.o-ton-arbeitsmarkt.de/o-ton-news/die-beschaeftigung-von-fluechtlingen-waechst-die-arbeitslosigkeit-auch|access-date=1 July 2021|website=O-Ton Arbeitsmarkt|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183614/https://www.o-ton-arbeitsmarkt.de/o-ton-news/die-beschaeftigung-von-fluechtlingen-waechst-die-arbeitslosigkeit-auch|url-status=live}} as a group they remain overrepresented in unemployment statistics, which experts ascribe to a combination of red tape and refugees' difficulty in finding housing.{{Cite web|last=Dernbach|first=Andrea|date=23 January 2020|title=Wie das Integrationsgesetz die Integration behindert|url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/arbeitslosigkeit-bei-fluechtlingen-wie-das-integrationsgesetz-die-integration-behindert/25464710.html|access-date=1 July 2021|website=www.tagesspiegel.de|language=de|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183520/https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/arbeitslosigkeit-bei-fluechtlingen-wie-das-integrationsgesetz-die-integration-behindert/25464710.html|url-status=live}} Employment among Syrians and Afghans, the two most common nationalities among the 2015–2016 refugee arrivals, rose by 79% and 40%, respectively, between 2017 and 2018.{{Cite web|last=Graf|first=Johannes|title=Migration Monitoring: Educational and Labour Migration to Germany|url=https://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/EN/Forschung/BerichtsreihenMigrationIntegration/Wanderungsmonitoring/wanderungsmonitoring-jahresbericht-2018.pdf|website=bamf.de|publisher=Federal Office for Migration and Refugees|page=39|access-date=6 May 2021|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184350/https://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/EN/Forschung/BerichtsreihenMigrationIntegration/Wanderungsmonitoring/wanderungsmonitoring-jahresbericht-2018.pdf|url-status=live}}

The 2018 Ellwangen police raid, in which residents of a migrant shelter rioted to prevent police from deporting an asylum seeker whose claim had been deemed invalid, sparked a significant political debate.[https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-europe-migrants-germany-police/german-police-raid-migrant-shelter-after-clashes-idUKKBN1I40N5 Clashes at migrant hostel stir German integration fears] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617022231/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-europe-migrants-germany-police/german-police-raid-migrant-shelter-after-clashes-idUKKBN1I40N5 |date=17 June 2018 }} Reuters, 3 May 2018

File:Immigranten beim Grenzübergang Wegscheid (23090961436).jpg

In 2015, most Germans were very supportive of the large numbers of refugees arriving in Germany. Then-chancellor Angela Merkel declared in a speech, “Wir schaffen das" (roughly, "we can do this"), which was widely used by news media as well as the public as a defining statement of her policy during the crisis.{{Cite web|last=Karnitschnig|first=Matthew|date=31 August 2020|title=5 years on from Angela Merkel's three little words: 'Wir schaffen das!'|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/angela-merkel-wir-schaffen-das-5-years-on/|access-date=1 November 2021|website=POLITICO|language=en-US|archive-date=1 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101173300/https://www.politico.eu/article/angela-merkel-wir-schaffen-das-5-years-on/|url-status=live}} In 2015, the brunt of the European immigration crisis was placed on Germany when 890,000 refugees crossed the border and applied for asylum, most of them fleeing from the Syrian War. By 2018, 670,000 out of 700,000 Syrians living in Germany immigrated as a result of internal strife and conflict in Syria beginning in 2011.{{cite web |last1=Hindy |first1=Lily |title=Germany's Syrian Refugee Integration Experiment |url=https://tcf.org/content/report/germanys-syrian-refugee-integration-experiment/ |website=tcf.org |date=6 September 2018 |publisher=The Century Foundation |access-date=2 May 2021 |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506163411/https://tcf.org/content/report/germanys-syrian-refugee-integration-experiment/ |url-status=live }} A 2015 survey shows that 46% of the entire German population was facilitating help in some way for refugees. All over, German citizens were creating initiatives and support groups for asylum seekers as well as donating their time to help on-site with refugees. Media helped shape German attitudes as well as put pressure on the government by covering the victims of immigration and by showing individual stories, which humanized them.

The widespread sexual assaults on New Year's Eve of 2015, for which a significant number of suspects were asylum seekers, marked a shift in the tone of media coverage and public opinion towards refugees, though the government noted refugees were, statistically, no more likely than locals to commit crimes.{{Cite web|last=Quadbeck|first=Eva|date=9 June 2016|title=Übergriffe von Köln: Silvester-Täter kamen mit Flüchtlingswelle ins Land|url=https://rp-online.de/politik/deutschland/berlin/silvester-nacht-von-koeln-taeter-kamen-mit-fluechtlingswelle-ins-land_aid-9233833|access-date=1 November 2021|website=Rheinische Post|language=de|archive-date=1 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101175422/https://rp-online.de/politik/deutschland/berlin/silvester-nacht-von-koeln-taeter-kamen-mit-fluechtlingswelle-ins-land_aid-9233833|url-status=live}}

Between 2010 and 2016, the number of Muslims living in Germany increased from 3.3 million (4.1% of the population) to nearly 5 million (6.1%). The most important factor in the growth of Germany’s Muslim population is immigration.{{cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Travis |title=The Growth of Germany's Muslim Population |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2017/11/29/the-growth-of-germanys-muslim-population-2/ |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |date=29 November 2017 |access-date=26 August 2023 |archive-date=25 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125161625/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2017/11/29/the-growth-of-germanys-muslim-population-2/ |url-status=live }}

The intake of refugees in Germany temporarily decreased in the following years, while deportations increased and leveled out at around 20,000.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bamf.de/DE/Infothek/Statistiken/Asylzahlen/AktuelleZahlen/aktuelle-zahlen-asyl-node.html|title=Current Figures on Asylum|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160613105555/http://www.bamf.de/DE/Infothek/Statistiken/Asylzahlen/AktuelleZahlen/aktuelle-zahlen-asyl-node.html|archive-date=13 June 2016}}

352,000 people applied for asylum in Germany in 2023, the highest number since 2016, when 722,370 people applied for asylum. People from Ukraine are not included. Most asylum seekers in 2023 were from Turkey, Syria and Afghanistan.{{cite news |title=Germany: Asylum applications rose sharply in 2023 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-asylum-applications-rose-sharply-in-2023/a-67928269 |work=Deutsche Welle |date=9 January 2024}}

In September 2023, more than 120 boats carrying approximately 7,000 migrants from Africa arrived on the island of Lampedusa within 24 hours.{{Cite web |date=15 September 2023 |title=What's behind the surge in migrant arrivals to Italy? |url=https://apnews.com/article/migration-italy-lampedusa-3b47cdacb91c2d72f99b11aa396a6d59 |access-date=16 September 2023 |website=AP News |language=en}} Some of the migrants were relocated to Germany.{{cite news |title=Germany agrees to accept some migrants from Italy amid Lampedusa crisis |url=https://tvpworld.com/72767469/germany-agrees-to-accept-some-migrants-from-italy-amid-lampedusa-crisis |work=Telewizja Polska |date=16 September 2023}}

{{Main|2022 Ukrainian refugee crisis}}

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in Donbas in 2014. In addition to tens of thousands of deaths on both sides, this invasion has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II, with around 7.5 million Ukrainians fleeing the country and a third of the population displaced. Accordingly, by October 2022, Germany had recorded net immigration of 750,000 people from Ukraine in the first half of 2022, according to the office, responsible for collecting information on German society, economy, and the environment. That influx pushed Germany's population growth to 1%, or about 843,000 people, in the first half of the year.{{Cite web|date=27 September 2022|agency=Reuters|title=Ukrainian refugees push Germany's population to record high.|website=Deutsche Welle|url=https://www.dw.com/en/ukrainian-refugees-push-germanys-population-to-record-high/a-63258430|language=en|access-date=4 October 2022|archive-date=4 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004051126/https://www.dw.com/en/ukrainian-refugees-push-germanys-population-to-record-high/a-63258430|url-status=live}} Germany's population rose to an all-time high of 84.3 million people in 2022.Maria Martinez (19 January 2023), [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/migration-drives-german-population-record-high-2022-2023-01-19/ Migration drives German population to record high in 2022] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126070403/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/migration-drives-german-population-record-high-2022-2023-01-19/ |date=26 January 2023 }} Reuters.

In 2023, 1,933,000 people immigrated to Germany, including 276,000 from Ukraine and 126,000 from Turkey, while 1,270,000 people emigrated. Net immigration to Germany was 663,000 in 2023, down from a record 1,462,000 in 2022.{{cite news |title=Germany: Net immigration sinks sharply in 2023 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-net-immigration-sinks-sharply-in-2023/a-69489487 |work=Deutsche Welle |date=27 June 2024}}

In September 2024, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Kenyan President William Ruto signed an agreement that opened the German labor market to up to 250,000 skilled and semi-skilled migrant workers from Kenya.{{cite news |title=Germany opens its doors to Kenyan workers in controlled migration deal |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/14/europe/germany-kenyan-workers-migration-deal-intl/index.html |work=CNN |date=14 September 2024}} The German government has already signed or is negotiating migration partnerships with Morocco, Nigeria, India, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Moldova.{{cite news |title=How is Germany handling its migration partnerships? |url=https://www.dw.com/en/how-is-germany-handling-its-migration-partnerships/a-68206296 |work=Deutsche Welle |date=2 September 2024}}{{cite news |title=Germany begins recruiting 250,000 bus drivers, computer repairers from Kenya |url=https://gazettengr.com/germany-begins-recruiting-250000-bus-drivers-computer-repairers-from-kenya/ |work=Peoples Gazette |date=13 September 2024}} Scholz and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed that Germany would accept 90,000 skilled workers from India each year.{{cite news |title=fGermany promises India more visas for skilled workers |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-promises-india-more-visas-for-skilled-workers/a-70601884 |work=Deutsche Welle |date=25 October 2024}}

Scholz supported replacement migration in response to the decline and aging of Germany's population.{{cite news |title='Serious politics': Scholz backs government's migration policies |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/09/11/serious-politics-scholz-backs-governments-migration-policies |work=Euronews |date=11 September 2024}} He said that Germany would have to accept 288,000 foreign workers per year.{{cite news |title=German chancellor praises 'well-integrated' immigrants in party meeting |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/german-chancellor-praises-well-integrated-immigrants-in-party-meeting/3409703 |work=Anadolu Agency |date=30 November 2024}} There are concerns about a brain drain from developing countries, with professionals such as doctors and nurses leaving for better-paid jobs abroad.{{cite news |title=Germany to welcome Kenyans in labour deal |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gegkkg14ko |work=BBC |date=14 September 2024}}

As of 2014, about 16.3 million people with an immigrant background were living in Germany, accounting for every fifth person.{{cite news|title=Pegida - Faktencheck: Asylbewerber|work=Frankfurter Rundschau|url=http://www.fr-online.de/pegida,29337826,29350760.html|access-date=5 January 2015|archive-date=26 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226232507/http://www.fr-online.de/pegida,29337826,29350760.html|url-status=live}} Of those 16.3 million, 8.2 million had no German citizenship, more than ever before. Most of them had Turkish, Eastern European or Southern European background. The majority of new foreigners coming to Germany in 2014 were from new EU member states such as Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia, non-EU European countries like Albania, North Macedonia, Switzerland and Norway or from the Middle East, Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, South America, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, many people are hoping to seek asylum in the European Union and Germany.[http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/neuer-hoechststand-knapp-millionen-auslaender-leben-in-deutschland-1.2395368 Knapp 8,2 Millionen Ausländer leben in Deutschland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319012249/http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/neuer-hoechststand-knapp-millionen-auslaender-leben-in-deutschland-1.2395368 |date=19 March 2015 }}, "sueddeutsche.de" published in March 2015 .

The vast majority of immigrants are residing in the so-called old states of Germany.[http://www.bpb.de/nachschlagen/zahlen-und-fakten/soziale-situation-in-deutschland/61625/auslaendische-bevoelkerung-nach-laendern "Ausländische Bevölkerung nach Ländern"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329084453/http://www.bpb.de/nachschlagen/zahlen-und-fakten/soziale-situation-in-deutschland/61625/auslaendische-bevoelkerung-nach-laendern |date=29 March 2015 }}.[http://www.religioustolerance.org/isr_pal.htm "Conflicts in the Middle East fueled by religious intolerance"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150608062823/http://www.religioustolerance.org/isr_pal.htm |date=8 June 2015 }}, Retrieved 18 May 2015.

In 2022, there were 23.8 million people, 28.7 percent of the total population, who had a migration background.{{cite web|date=20 April 2023|publisher=Statistisches Bundesamt|title=Pressemitteilung Nr. 158 vom 20. April 2023|url=https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2023/04/PD23_158_125.html|archive-date=7 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107012216/https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2023/04/PD23_158_125.html|url-status=live}}

{{See also|Citizens' Rights Directive}}

European Union free movement of workers principles require that all EU member state citizens have the right to solicit and obtain work in Germany regardless of citizenship. These basic rules for freedom of movement are given in Article 39 of the Treaty on the European Union.

Immigration to Germany as a non-EU-citizen is limited to skilled or highly educated workers and their immediate family members.{{cite web |url=http://bundesrecht.juris.de/beschv/BJNR293710004.html |title=Ordinance on employment (German) |access-date=4 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206024145/http://www.bundesrecht.juris.de/beschv/BJNR293710004.html |archive-date=6 February 2009 |url-status=dead }} In April 2012, European Blue Card legislation was implemented in Germany, allowing highly skilled non-EU citizens easier access to work and live in Germany. Although uptake of the scheme has grown steadily since then, its use remains modest; around 27,000 blue cards were issued in Germany in 2018.{{Cite web|title=Figures on the EU Blue Card|url=https://www.bamf.de/EN/Themen/Statistik/BlaueKarteEU/blauekarteeu-node.html;jsessionid=33864CFDFDC82C727D61D0114268ED11.internet282|access-date=20 April 2021|website=BAMF - Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge|language=en|archive-date=20 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420064051/https://www.bamf.de/EN/Themen/Statistik/BlaueKarteEU/blauekarteeu-node.html;jsessionid=33864CFDFDC82C727D61D0114268ED11.internet282|url-status=live}}

Self-employment requires either an initial investment of EUR 250,000 and the creation of a minimum of 5 jobs.[http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_aufenthg/englisch_aufenthg.html Residence Act in the version promulgated on 25 February 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115141411/http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_aufenthg/englisch_aufenthg.html |date=15 November 2012 }} (Federal Law Gazette I p. 162), last amended by Article 3 of the Act of 6 September 2013 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 3556)

New regulations were enacted in 2020 in response to the 2019 Skilled Immigration Act.{{cite web|date=6 March 2020|title=Skilled Immigration Act (Fachkräfte-Einwanderungsgesetz)|url=https://india.diplo.de/in-en/themen/-/2315040|access-date=16 June 2020|publisher=German Missions in India|archive-date=16 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616122451/https://india.diplo.de/in-en/themen/-/2315040|url-status=live}} In order to qualify for a visa under the new rules, applicants must obtain official recognition of their professional qualification from a certification authority recognized by the German government. Further, the applicant must meet language competency requirements and obtain a declaration from their prospective employer.

International students make up nearly 15 percent of Germany's student population, with 325,000 international students studying in Germany during the winter semester 2020/2021.{{Cite web |last=DAAD |title=Wissenschaft weltoffen kompakt 2022 |url=https://www.wissenschaft-weltoffen.de/content/uploads/2022/03/wiwe_kompakt_2022_en.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524101015/https://www.wissenschaft-weltoffen.de/content/uploads/2022/03/wiwe_kompakt_2022_en.pdf |archive-date=24 May 2022 |access-date=10 July 2022}} According to a study from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), around 54 percent of foreign students in Germany decide to stay after graduation.{{cite web |date=20 February 2015 |title=BAMF's Graduates Study: Every second foreign student stays in Germany after graduation |url=http://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/for-qualified-professionals/make-it-in-germany/news/detail/bamfs-graduates-study-every-second-foreign-student-stays-in-germany-after-graduation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605021136/http://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/for-qualified-professionals/make-it-in-germany/news/detail/bamfs-graduates-study-every-second-foreign-student-stays-in-germany-after-graduation |archive-date=5 June 2015 |access-date=4 June 2015 |website=Make it in Germany |publisher=German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy}}

Substantial reforms began to be enacted in 2023, touching many aspects of German immigration policy. The Skilled Workers Immigration Act updates previous immigration legislation concerning the ability of foreign workers to find work in Germany or begin employment at a German company.{{Cite web |title=Germany: New "Skilled Workers Immigration Act" Enacted |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2023-08-24/germany-new-skilled-workers-immigration-act-enacted/ |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}} The legislation enables those with substantial professional experience or training to acquire a work permit{{Cite web |title=Germany's progressive immigration reform |url=https://parakar.eu/knowledge/de/germany-immigration-reform |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=parakar.eu |language=en-US}} and makes it easier for those with vocational experience or with a university degree to obtain residence permits.{{Cite web |title=Changes to Germany's skilled immigration rules take effect – DW – 03/01/2024 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/more-changes-to-germanys-skilled-immigration-rules-take-effect/a-67458940 |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=dw.com |language=en}}

The new law relaxes requirements for obtaining an EU Blue Card. Blue Cards enable highly skilled applicants to stay in an EU country,{{Cite web |title=Essential information - European Commission |url=https://immigration-portal.ec.europa.eu/eu-blue-card/essential-information_en |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=immigration-portal.ec.europa.eu |language=en}} and the 2023 reforms lowered minimum annual wage requirements{{Cite web |title=The Skilled Immigration Act |url=https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/visa-residence/skilled-immigration-act?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0BMAABHRUZbfs4R8PXdDLDkNUF4UPXxFySrPC--7sjV0-xOPIjXhhVKUtzSpoV9w_aem_EowePB06tm8bq-oD9rgvsQ&utm_campaign=feg&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=fb |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=www.make-it-in-germany.com |language=en-GB}} and guaranteed greater mobility within the EU in order to encourage more applicants to use the system. Further, family reunification services are expedited for Blue Card holders, effectively easing immigration for families of Blue Card applicants.

The new legislation also introduces a so-called chance card, which gives applicants without a job offer but with enough qualifications the opportunity to live and work in Germany. Successful applicants are allowed to seek employment for up to a year, with the potential to extend the chance card by two years based on employment. Chance card holders must have a university degree or professional training, and must also demonstrate some German proficiency or advanced English skills.

Further, the reforms dropped the longstanding restrictions on dual citizenship, allowing most German citizens to hold multiple passports.{{Cite web |title=Germany reforms citizenship law – DW – 01/19/2024 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-reforms-citizenship-law/a-63987066 |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=dw.com |language=en}} This change brings German citizenship policy in line with the rest of the world which is increasingly shifting towards an acceptance of multiple citizenship.{{Cite web |date=27 February 2024 |title=16 Countries That Allow Multiple Citizenship in the World |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/16-countries-allow-multiple-citizenship-070539459.html |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=Yahoo Finance |language=en-US}} In addition to this change, legal residents only have to wait five years before qualifying for naturalization, as opposed to the previous eight.{{Cite web |title=Germany: New Citizenship Law to Enter into Force in June 2024 |url=https://www.fragomen.com/insights/germany-new-citizenship-law-to-enter-into-force-in-june-2024.html |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=Fragomen - Immigration attorneys, solicitors, and consultants worldwide - Germany: New Citizenship Law to Enter into Force in June 2024 |language=en}}

The traffic light coalition that was created after the 2021 federal elections committed to implementing immigration reforms in an effort to make Germany a more competitive labor market.{{Cite web |url=https://www.euronews.com/travel/2023/10/16/skilled-workers-are-in-demand-as-germany-tackles-labour-shortage-with-new-points-based-vis |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=www.euronews.com |title=Moving to Germany will be easier in 2024 under a new visa scheme |date=16 October 2023}} The government argues that Germany, facing a shortage of skilled workers, must attract new talent by facilitating immigration for work and by upending citizenship uptake laws that were among the world's most restrictive.{{Cite web |title=Germany's parliament approves easing citizenship laws |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/19/germanys-parliament-approves-easing-citizenship-laws |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}

The government's actions were a response to long standing demands from progressives to modernize German immigration policy and from industry leaders to combat a shortage of skilled labor. By making it easier for job applicants to work in Germany, the government hopes to support a stable supply of skilled professionals that ensure German economic growth and competitiveness{{cite news |title=Germany calls for more immigrants to fix its shrinking economy |url=https://www.ft.com/content/de913edd-71d1-4a36-b897-091125596952 |work=Financial Times |date=11 October 2023}} In July 2024, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck suggested the tax relief for skilled foreign workers.{{cite news |title=Germany's proposed tax rebate for skilled foreign workers 'socially explosive' |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/07/09/germanys-proposed-tax-rebate-for-skilled-foreign-workers-socially-explosive |work=Euronews |date=9 July 2024}}

However, the citizenship reforms incited vigorous debate, causing a scandal involving the anti-immigrant far-right Alternative for Germany (in German, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD). The government argues that the reforms create opportunity and provide security for the 14% of the population that do not have citizenship,{{Cite web |date=19 January 2024 |title=German parliament approves easing rules to get citizenship, dropping restrictions on dual passports |url=https://apnews.com/article/germany-citizenship-naturalization-reform-3039a42bf6985d2caafe62546e558c37 |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=AP News |language=en}} aligning German policy with that of Western peers like Canada and France. Opposition leaders argue that the changes devalue German citizenship and introduce the potential for introducing domestically political conflict from abroad.

The AfD's political rise in Germany is credited to the political saliency of immigration.{{Cite web |last=Zhou |first=Li |date=12 March 2024 |title=The dangerous resurgence of Germany's far right, explained |url=https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2024/3/12/24080074/germany-afd-far-right |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=Vox |language=en-US}} The party strongly opposes the citizenship reforms. In 2024, party members were caught meeting with neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists to discuss the forcible "remigration"{{Cite news |last=Mannheim |first=Linda |date=23 January 2024 |title=The AfD's Secret Plan to Deport Millions From Germany |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/world/germany-afd-secret-meeting-deportation/ |access-date=27 July 2024 |language=en-US |issn=0027-8378}} of German citizens they deemed insufficiently assimilated. News of the meeting triggered massive public backlash as tens of thousands of Germans gathered in major cities like Stuttgart, Berlin and Munich to protest the plan.{{Cite web |last=Tanno |first=Sophie |date=20 January 2024 |title=Germany's far-right AfD face mounting protests over plan to deport migrants |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/20/europe/germany-protests-far-right-afd-migrant-deportation-plan-intl/index.html |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}} The AfD distanced itself from the event and insisted that it was not sponsored by the party.

A deal signed by both countries in September 2024 opened German labour market for up to a quarter of a million skilled and semi skilled workers from Kenya. It also included an agreement on readmission and return of unwanted individuals. The arrangement came in the face of AfD approaching victory in the next elections.{{Cite web |title=German opens door for thousands of Kenyan workers in labour deal|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gegkkg14ko |website=BBC |date=14 September 2024|access-date=14 September 2024 |language=en}}

{{See also|European migrant crisis}}

German asylum law is based on the 1993 amendment of article 16a of the Basic Law as well as on the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees.

In accordance with the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Germany grants refugee status to persons that are facing prosecution because of their race, religion, nationality or belonging to a special group. Since 2005, recognized refugees enjoy the same rights as people who were granted asylum.Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF): [http://www.bamf.de/EN/Migration/AsylFluechtlinge/Fluechtlingsschutz/fluechtlingsschutz-node.html Protecting refugees] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927080555/http://www.bamf.de/EN/Migration/AsylFluechtlinge/Fluechtlingsschutz/fluechtlingsschutz-node.html |date=27 September 2013 }} Germany's national ban on deportation doesn't permit returning refugees to their home country should doing so place them in imminent danger or that doing so would break EU human rights laws. This policy is a major catalyst to the large influx of Syrian refugees following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War.{{cite web |title=National ban on deportation |url=https://www.bamf.de/EN/Themen/AsylFluechtlingsschutz/AblaufAsylverfahrens/Schutzformen/Abschiebeverbote/abschiebeverbote-node.html |website=www.bamf.de |publisher=BAMF |access-date=6 May 2021 |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506230807/https://www.bamf.de/EN/Themen/AsylFluechtlingsschutz/AblaufAsylverfahrens/Schutzformen/Abschiebeverbote/abschiebeverbote-node.html |url-status=live }}

The distribution of refugees among the federal states is calculated using the "Königsteiner Schlüssel", which is recalculated annually.{{cite news|title=Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz – Büro – Bekanntmachung des Königsteiner Schlüssels für das Jahr 2014|url=https://www.bundesanzeiger.de/ebanzwww/wexsservlet?session.sessionid=7fc63a68a2740c1c578b4f195f89de8a&page.navid=detailsearchlisttodetailsearchdetail&fts_search_list.selected=48a5c7d4897f7161&fts_search_list.destHistoryId=59275|access-date=5 January 2015|date=4 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105132724/https://www.bundesanzeiger.de/ebanzwww/wexsservlet?session.sessionid=7fc63a68a2740c1c578b4f195f89de8a&page.navid=detailsearchlisttodetailsearchdetail&fts_search_list.selected=48a5c7d4897f7161&fts_search_list.destHistoryId=59275|archive-date=5 January 2015|url-status=dead}}

Germany hosts one of the largest populations of Turkish people outside Turkey. Kurds make up 80 to 90 percent of all Turkish refugees in Germany while the rest of the refugees are former Turkish military officers, teachers, and other types of public servants who fled the authoritarian government following the coup attempt in July 2016.{{cite news |url=http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/asyl-in-deutschland-auffallend-viele-kurdische-fluechtlinge/14446010.html |title=Auffallend viele kurdische Flüchtlinge |newspaper=Der Tagesspiegel Online |date=23 August 2016 |last1=Jansen |first1=Frank |access-date=4 December 2016 |archive-date=29 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129082720/http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/asyl-in-deutschland-auffallend-viele-kurdische-fluechtlinge/14446010.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://www.bmi.bund.de/nn_334158/Internet/Content/Nachrichten/Pressemitteilungen/2006/01/Asylzahlen2005.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626131005/http://www.bmi.bund.de/nn_334158/Internet/Content/Nachrichten/Pressemitteilungen/2006/01/Asylzahlen2005.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 June 2008 |title=BMI Bundesinnenminister Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble: Asylbewerberzugang im Jahr 2005 auf niedrigsten Stand seit 20 Jahren |access-date=13 June 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://www.swr.de/landesschau-aktuell/bw/asylantraege-von-tuerken-in-bw-fast-90-prozent-sind-kurden/-/id=1622/did=17928552/nid=1622/1e01sgq/|title=Asylanträge von Türken in BW: "Fast 90 Prozent sind Kurden" - Baden-Württemberg - Nachrichten|access-date=4 December 2016|archive-date=2 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102210028/http://www.swr.de/landesschau-aktuell/bw/asylantraege-von-tuerken-in-bw-fast-90-prozent-sind-kurden/-/id=1622/did=17928552/nid=1622/1e01sgq/|url-status=dead}}{{cite news |author=Politik |url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/zahl-der-tuerkischen-asylbewerber-verdreifacht-a-1127485.html |title=Zahl der türkischen Asylbewerber verdreifacht |work=Spiegel.de |date=25 December 2016 |access-date=27 September 2018 |archive-date=24 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324091948/http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/zahl-der-tuerkischen-asylbewerber-verdreifacht-a-1127485.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.welt.de/politik/article160588348/Immer-mehr-Tuerken-beantragen-Asyl-in-Deutschland.html |title=Nach Putschversuch: Immer mehr Türken beantragen Asyl in Deutschland |work=Welt.de |date=25 December 2016 |access-date=27 September 2018 |archive-date=7 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507110540/https://www.welt.de/politik/article160588348/Immer-mehr-Tuerken-beantragen-Asyl-in-Deutschland.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-turkey-asylum/turkish-asylum-applications-in-germany-jump-55-percent-this-year-idUSKCN1BT240|title=Turkish asylum applications in Germany jump 55 percent this year|date=19 September 2017|work=U.S.|publisher=Reuters|access-date=11 September 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=12 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912022321/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-turkey-asylum/turkish-asylum-applications-in-germany-jump-55-percent-this-year-idUSKCN1BT240|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://turkeypurge.com/report-least-1400-turkish-nationals-claimed-asylum-germany-jan-feb-alone|title=Report: At least 1,400 Turkish nationals claimed asylum in Germany in Jan-Feb alone - Turkey Purge|date=2 April 2018|work=Turkey Purge|access-date=11 September 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=12 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912022407/https://turkeypurge.com/report-least-1400-turkish-nationals-claimed-asylum-germany-jan-feb-alone|url-status=live}} Among Iraqi refugees in Germany, about 50 percent are Kurds.{{cite web |url=http://www.bmi.bund.de/nn_334158/Internet/Content/Nachrichten/Pressemitteilungen/2006/01/Asylzahlen2005.html |title=BMI Bundesinnenminister Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble: Asylbewerberzugang im Jahr 2005 auf niedrigsten Stand seit 20 Jahren |access-date=26 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626131005/http://www.bmi.bund.de/nn_334158/Internet/Content/Nachrichten/Pressemitteilungen/2006/01/Asylzahlen2005.html |archive-date=26 June 2008 |url-status=dead }} There are approximately 1.2 million Kurds in Germany.{{cite web | url = http://www.rudaw.net/english/world/251120152 | title = Kurds in Germany stress on own identity in... {{!}} Rudaw.net | access-date = 27 September 2018 | archive-date = 28 September 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180928044304/http://www.rudaw.net/english/world/251120152 | url-status = live }}

An institute of forensic medicine in Münster determined the age of 594 of unaccompanied minors in 2019 and found that 234 (40%) were likely 18 years or older and would therefore be processed as adults by authorities. The sample was predominantly males from Afghanistan and Guinea.{{Cite web|url=https://www.focus.de/politik/gerichte-in-deutschland/studie-zur-altersbestimmung-minderjaehrige-fluechtlinge-40-prozent-geben-bei-einreise-nach-deutschland-falsches-alter-an_id_11146393.html|title=Zweifel an Minderjährigkeit: 40 Prozent der überprüften Flüchtlinge gaben Alter falsch an|website=FOCUS Online|language=de|access-date=22 September 2019|archive-date=21 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921145612/https://www.focus.de/politik/gerichte-in-deutschland/studie-zur-altersbestimmung-minderjaehrige-fluechtlinge-40-prozent-geben-bei-einreise-nach-deutschland-falsches-alter-an_id_11146393.html|url-status=live}}

In 2015, responding to relatively high numbers of unsuccessful asylum applications from several Balkan countries (Serbia, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro), the German government formally declared these countries "generally safe" to speed up their processing.{{Cite news|date=28 December 2015|title=Berlin plant Sammelunterkunft für Balkan-Flüchtlinge|url=https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2015-12/sichere-herkunftslaender-abschiebung-fluechtlinge-berlin-gruenau|access-date=1 July 2021|newspaper=Die Zeit|language=de|archive-date=7 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407091027/https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2015-12/sichere-herkunftslaender-abschiebung-fluechtlinge-berlin-gruenau|url-status=live}}

{{main|German nationality law}}

A person who has immigrated to Germany may choose to become a German citizen. The standard pathway to citizenship is known as Anspruchseinbürgerung (roughly, naturalization by entitlement). In this process, when the applicant fulfills certain criteria they are entitled to become German citizens; the decision is not generally subject to the judgment of a government official. The applicant must:Federal Government Commissioner for Migrants, Refugees and Integration. [http://www.bundesregierung.de/Content/DE/Publikation/IB/wege-zur-einbuergerung.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=9 Wege zur Einbürgerung. Wie werde ich Deutsche? – Wie werde ich Deutscher?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111224454/http://www.bundesregierung.de/Content/DE/Publikation/IB/wege-zur-einbuergerung.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=9 |date=11 January 2016}} 2008.{{Rp|19}}

• be a permanent resident of Germany
• have lived in Germany legally for at least five years, or three years if they have contributed special achievements to Germany
• not live on welfare as the main source of income unless unable to work (for example, if the applicant is a single mother)
• be able to speak German at a 'B1' level in the CEFR standard
• pass a citizenship test. The examination tests a person's knowledge of the German constitution, the Rule of Law and the basic democratic concepts behind modern German society. It also includes a section on the constitution of the Federal State in which the applicant resides. The citizenship test is obligatory unless the applicant can claim an exemption such as illness, disability, or old age.
• not have been convicted of a serious criminal offense
• be prepared to swear an oath of loyalty to democracy and the German constitution

A person who does not fulfill all of these criteria may still apply for German citizenship by discretionary naturalisation (Ermessenseinbürgerung) as long as certain minimum requirements are met.{{Rp|38}}

Spouses and same-sex civil partners of German citizens can be naturalised after only 3 years of residence (and two years of marriage).{{rp|42}}

Under certain conditions children born on German soil after the year 1990 are automatically granted German citizenship and, in most cases, also hold the citizenship of their parent's home country.

Applications for naturalisation made outside Germany are possible under certain circumstances, but are relatively rare.

{{Further|Demographics of Germany}}

According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany in 2012, 92% of residents (73.9 million) in Germany had German citizenship,Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis).sicker and golden family [https://www.destatis.de/EN/FactsFigures/SocietyState/Population/CurrentPopulation/Tables/Census_SexAndCitizenship.html Population based on the 2011 Census. Population by sex and citizenship] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160628112855/https://www.destatis.de/EN/FactsFigures/SocietyState/Population/CurrentPopulation/Tables/Census_SexAndCitizenship.html |date=28 June 2016 }} with 80% of the population being Germans (64.7 million) having no immigrant background. Of the 20% (16.3 million) people with immigrant background, 3.0 million (3.7%) had Turkish, 1.5 million (1.9%) Polish, 1.2 million (1.5%) Russian and 0.85 million (0.9%) Italian background.Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). [http://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/DE/Publikationen/Migrationsberichte/migrationsbericht-2012.pdf?__blob=publicationFile Migrationsbericht des Bundesamtes für Migration und Flüchtlinge im Auftrag der Bundesregierung. Migrationsbericht 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025011622/http://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/DE/Publikationen/Migrationsberichte/migrationsbericht-2012.pdf?__blob=publicationFile |date=25 October 2017 }}. 2014.

In 2014, most people without German citizenship were Turkish (1.52 million), followed by Polish (0.67 million), Italian (0.57 million), Romanians (0.36 million) and Greek citizens (0.32 million).Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis). [https://www.destatis.de/EN/FactsFigures/SocietyState/Population/MigrationIntegration/ForeignPopulation/Tables/CitizenshipTimeSerie.html Foreign population, 2007 to 2013 by selected citizenships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102141812/https://www.destatis.de/EN/FactsFigures/SocietyState/Population/MigrationIntegration/ForeignPopulation/Tables/CitizenshipTimeSerie.html |date=2 January 2015 }}.

{{As of|2023}}, the most common groups of resident foreign nationals in Germany were as follows:{{cite web |url=https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Migration-Integration/_inhalt.html#_3bqfd1zm0 |title=Statistischer Bericht - Ausländische Bevölkerung 2022 |access-date=22 September 2023 |archive-date=6 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210406211101/https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Migration-Integration/_inhalt.html#_3bqfd1zm0 |url-status=live }}

According to Eurostat 59.9 million people lived in the European Union in 2023 who were born outside their resident country. This corresponds to 13.35% of the total EU population. Of these, 31.4 million (9.44%) were born outside the EU and 17.5 million (3.91%) were born in another EU member state.{{Cite web |title=Population on 1 January by age group, sex and country of birth |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop3ctb__custom_12073365/default/table?lang=en |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=ec.europa.eu}}{{Cite web |title=Population on 1 January by age, sex and group of country of birth |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop4ctb__custom_12073348/default/table?lang=en |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=ec.europa.eu}}

{{Main|Immigration and crime in Germany}}

{{Bar box

|float=right

|title=Share of foreign nationals among 2017 crime suspects

|caption=Source: Wall Street Journal

|width=250px

|bars={{bar percent|Pickpocketing|blue|74.4}}

{{bar percent|Forgery of official documents|blue|55.4}}

{{bar percent|Burglaries|blue|41.3}}

{{bar percent|Rapes and sexual assaults|blue|37}}

{{bar percent|All types|teal|34.7}}

{{bar percent|Social benefit fraud|blue|34.1}}

{{bar percent|Murder and manslaughter|blue|29.7}}

{{bar percent|Share of population|green|12.8}}}}

In 2006, in Bavaria, 4% of the foreign population were criminal suspects. The corresponding figure for the non-foreign population was 2%.{{Cite web|last=Walburg|first=Christian|title=Migration und Kriminalität – Erfahrungen und neuere Entwicklungen {{!}} bpb|url=https://www.bpb.de/politik/innenpolitik/innere-sicherheit/301624/migration-und-kriminalitaet|access-date=29 April 2021|website=bpb.de|date=25 September 2020|language=de|archive-date=29 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429043535/https://www.bpb.de/politik/innenpolitik/innere-sicherheit/301624/migration-und-kriminalitaet|url-status=live}} Non-German citizens are, in general, over-represented among suspects in criminal investigations (see horizontal bar chart).{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/ethnic-crime-families-provoke-german-crackdown-1539604801|title=An Ice-Cream Truck Slaying, Party Drugs and Real-Estate Kings: Ethnic Clans Clash in Berlin's Underworld|last=Pancevski|first=Bojan|date=15 October 2018|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=16 October 2018|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=20 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020110450/https://www.wsj.com/articles/ethnic-crime-families-provoke-german-crackdown-1539604801|url-status=live}} However, the complex nature of the data means it is not straightforward to make observations about the crime rates among immigrants. One factor is that crimes committed by foreign nationals are twice as likely to be reported as those committed by German citizens.{{Cite web|last=Knight|first=Ben|date=3 January 2018|title=Study: Only better integration will reduce migrant crime rate|url=https://www.dw.com/en/study-only-better-integration-will-reduce-migrant-crime-rate/a-42013143|access-date=29 April 2021|website=Deutsche Welle|language=en|archive-date=29 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429040142/https://www.dw.com/en/study-only-better-integration-will-reduce-migrant-crime-rate/a-42013143|url-status=live}} In addition, the clearance rate (the percentage of crimes that are solved successfully) is extremely low in some categories, such as pickpocketing (5% solved) and burglaries (17% solved). When considering solved crimes only, non-German nationals make up around 8% of all suspects.{{Cite book|url=https://www.bka.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Publikationen/JahresberichteUndLagebilder/KriminalitaetImKontextVonZuwanderung/KriminalitaetImKontextVonZuwanderung_2019.html|title=Kriminalität im Kontext von Zuwanderung: Bundeslagebild 2019|publisher=Bundeskriminalamt|year=2019|pages=54, 60|access-date=29 April 2021|archive-date=29 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429040153/https://www.bka.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Publikationen/JahresberichteUndLagebilder/KriminalitaetImKontextVonZuwanderung/KriminalitaetImKontextVonZuwanderung_2019.html|url-status=live}}

A disproportionate number of organized crime families in Germany are run by immigrants or their children. One-fifth of investigations into organized crime involve one or more non-German suspects. This has been attributed to the lack of effort made to integrate newly arrived immigrants in the 1960s and 1970s, who at the time were seen as "temporary" guest workers.{{Cite news|last=Ghadban|first=Ralph|date=28 September 2018|title=Die Macht der Clans|language=de|work=sueddeutsche.de|url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/aussenansicht-die-macht-der-clans-1.4147228|access-date=29 September 2018|issn=0174-4917|archive-date=29 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929161209/https://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/aussenansicht-die-macht-der-clans-1.4147228|url-status=live}}{{clear}}

{{main|Poverty in Germany}}

Working-class immigrant families—particularly those with multiple children—experience poverty rates higher than the national average.Olaf Groh-Samberg: Armut verfestigt sich Wochenbericht der DIW Nr. 12/2007, 74. Jahrgang/21. März 2007 Minorities are the most likely to rely on welfare as the main source of income.{{in lang|de}} Focus, 1 December 2008, "Alleinerziehende: 43 Prozent bekommen Hartz IV"

• Remigration

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• Czymara, Christian S., and Alexander W. Schmidt-Catran. "Refugees unwelcome? Changes in the public acceptance of immigrants and refugees in Germany in the course of Europe's ‘immigration crisis’." European Sociological Review 33.6 (2017): 735-751. [https://czymara.com/files/Czymara_2017_Refugees-Unwelcome.pdf online]
• Ellermann, Antje. The Comparative Politics of Immigration: Policy Choices in Germany, Canada, Switzerland, and the United States (Cambridge University Press, 2021).
• Green, Simon. "Germany: A changing country of immigration." German Politics 22.3 (2013): 333–351. [https://publications.aston.ac.uk/id/eprint/20007/1/Germany_a_changing_country_of_immigration.pdf online]
• Hertner, Isabelle. "Germany as ‘a country of integration’? The CDU/CSU's policies and discourses on immigration during Angela Merkel's Chancellorship." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (2021): 1-21.
• Joppke, Christian. Immigration and the nation-state: the United States, Germany, and Great Britain (Clarendon Press, 1999), compartative responses.
• Kurthen, Hermann. "Germany at the crossroads: national identity and the challenges of immigration." International Migration Review 29.4 (1995): 914–938. [http://www.gvsu.edu/cms4/asset/2EF13597-D42F-119E-4BC17F1486F70448/kurthen_-_germany_at_the_crossroads._national_identity_and_the_challenges_of_immigration_1995.pdf online]
• Mushaben, Joyce Marie. "A Spectre Haunting Europe: Angela Merkel and the Challenges of Far-Right Populism." German Politics and Society 38.1 (2020): 7-29.
• Piatkowska, Sylwia J., Andreas Hövermann, and Tse-Chuan Yang. "Immigration Influx as a Trigger for Right-Wing Crime: A Temporal Analysis of Hate Crimes in Germany in the Light of the ‘Refugee Crisis’." The British Journal of Criminology 60.3 (2020): 620-641.
• Schmidt-Catran, Alexander W., and Dennis C. Spies. "Immigration and welfare support in Germany." American Sociological Review 81.2 (2016): 242–261. [https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9b6b/9b09a40277903d90a3c689d292d0466f824f.pdf online]
• Thrädhardt, Dietrich. "Germany's immigration policies and politics." in Mechanisms of Immigration control: a comparative analysis of European regulation policies (Routledge, 2020) pp. 29–57.
• Vierra, Sarah Thomsen. Turkish Germans in the Federal Republic of Germany: Immigration, Space, and Belonging, 1961–1990 (Cambridge University Press, 2018).

{{Commons category|Immigration in Germany}}

• [https://www.destatis.de/DE/ZahlenFakten/GesellschaftStaat/Bevoelkerung/MigrationIntegration/AuslaendischeBevolkerung/Tabellen/AuslaendischeBevoelkerungStaatsangehoerigkeit_pdf.pdf?__blob=publicationFile "6.180,013" Ausländer in Deutschland]
• [http://www.bundespraesident.de/SharedDocs/Reden/DE/Joachim-Gauck/Reden/2015/09/150927-Interkulturelle-Woche-Mainz.html "Unsere Aufnahmekapazität ist begrenzt, ..."]
• [http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de German Foreign Office]
• [https://mediendienst-integration.de/english/facts-figures.html Facts & Figures in English] Mediendienst Integration
• [http://www.bamf.de/EN/Startseite/startseite-node.html Federal Office for Migration and Refugees]
• [https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/ Make it in Germany] The Federal Government

{{Immigration to Germany}}

{{Germany topics}}

{{Immigration to Europe}}

Category:Foreign relations of Germany

Category:Migration policy of Germany

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