Overwhelming authorities grapple with widespread citzen-ship forgery
Last year, Germany saw a record-breaking number of withdrawn naturalizations, reaching approximately 270 cases, according to official reports. These certificates were not just for naturalization, but also served as a means to obtain a residence permit under the "Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht."
The certificates in question were for the B1 certificate and the "Life in Germany" integration test. The Federal Administration Office has admitted to withdrawing 1,009 naturalizations from 2020 to 2024, upon request from various sources.
In 2024, the number of naturalizations reached a record high of almost 292,000 people, an increase of 46 percent compared to the previous year. Syrians, Turks, and Iraqis were among the nationalities that received German passports most frequently during this period.
However, concerns have been raised about the integrity of the naturalization process. An anonymous employee from a North Rhine-Westphalia immigration office warned of an "unprecedented scale" of loss of control. In many places, a thorough document check is no longer taking place due to overload.
Traders on TikTok are advertising forged language certificates for prices ranging from 750 euros to 2,700 euros. Some providers offer discounts for orders from friends and family, as well as additional fake certificates with the IHK logo.
There have been reports of pressure from above to meet a quota and naturalize as many people as possible. This pressure, coupled with the overload of documentation, has raised suspicions of a "high dark figure" of illegal naturalizations, as suggested by sources from migration and police authorities.
Individual police forces are investigating over 1,000 cases of trading in forged language certificates. However, there are no specific details in the provided search results identifying the person or organization behind the illegal sales of fake language and integration certificates in Germany.
A re-evaluation by other authorities rarely occurs, once in, it usually means in for good. This raises concerns about the potential for widespread fraud within the naturalization process.
In Germany, security authorities have discovered cases of unlawfully granted citizenship due to forged language and integration tests. The head of a southern immigration office found around 340 manipulated certificates in one week alone.
The Federal Administration Office does not record whether the withdrawal of naturalizations is due to certificate fraud. This lack of transparency adds to the concerns about the integrity of the naturalization process in Germany.
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