Rainer M

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Rainer MünzHumboldt University, Berlin
Germany A Reluctant Country of Immigration
Changes its Immigration Law The Hague, Nov.
25, 2001
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Migration to Germany in the past

• For most of its modern history, Germany was
  predominantly a sending country eventually
  attracting labor migrants, seasonal workers, and
  religious refugees from neighboring countries
• 1750-1950 7 million people emigrated and settled
  overseas

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Migration to Germany in the past

• 1939-1945 forced labour, slave labour from
  countries occupied by Nazi-Germany
  (stock 1944 8 million people)
• 1945-1948 expulsion and resettlement of ethnic
  Germans from East Central Europe
  (12 million people)
• 1961-1973 active recruitment of unskilled labour
  so called guest workers by West Germany
  (stock 1973 almost 3 million people)
• 1978-1989 active recruitment of skilled and
  unskilled labour so called contract workers
  by East Germany/GDR (stock 1988/89 200,000
  people)

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Migration to Germany in the past

• 1950-2000 admission of privileged ethnic German
  immigrants (flow 4.1 million stock 2000 3.2
  million people)
• 1973-2000 dependent family members (stock 1.5
  million people)
• 1980-2000 refugees and asylum seekers (2.5
  million applications for asylum stock 2000 1.5
  million people)

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Labour migration to Germany in the recent past

• Since 1991 active recruitment of seasonal
  workers for the agricultural sector (annual
  number 200,000 people)
• Since 1991/92 admission of so called contract
  workers and project-tied workers from East
  Central Europe, Russia
• Since 2000 recruitment of software developers
  and IT-specialists (so called German green card)

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Migration of foreigners from an to Germany,
1950-2000
Source Statistisches Bundesamt
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Ethnic German Immigrants (Aussiedler) by country
of origin, 1950-2000
Source Statistisches Bundesamt
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Germany Foreigners and ImmigrantsBasic Facts
and Figures

• 7.3 million legal foreign residents of them
• 5.8 million foreign-born
• 1.5 million German born
• 1.0 million naturalised Germans of foreign origin
• 3.2 million naturalised ethnic Germans from
  Eastern Europe

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Germanys immigrant population

• Germany has received and absorbed by far more
  immigrants than any other country in Europe
• Germany has 82 million inhabitants.
• Almost 10 million are foreign-born.
• This is 12 per cent of Germanys total
  population.
• Frequently overlooked facts
• The absolute number of immigrants is higher than
  in Canada
• The share of immigrants is higher than in the
  U.S.

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Germany Population by age and sex (male /
female)1910 1999 2050
Source Statistisches Bundesamt
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Germany Future size of total population by
annual net immigration, 1999-2050
Source BMI Modellrechnung zur
Bevölkerungsentwicklung, 2000
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Germany Share of persons over age 60 as of
total population 1999-2050
Source BMI Modellrechnung zur
Bevölkerungsentwicklung, 2000
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Principles Proposed by the Süssmuth Commission

• Germany should declare itself as a country of
  immigration
• Germany has to become more attractive for
  qualified immigrants
• Germany should differentiate more clearly between
  
• migration taking place for humanitarian reasons
• Migration promoted for economic and demographic
  reasons

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Major Changes Proposed by the Süssmuth Commission
(1)

• Active recruitement of immigrants
• New gates of entry
• Recruitment based on individual merits (Canadian
  style point system)
• Recruitment of people with special skills for job
  vacancies
• Recruitment of foreign entrepreneurs, students,
  and apprenticies
• Access to the labor market for most foreign
  immigrants above age 16 (except asylum seekers)

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Major Changes Proposed by the Süssmuth Commission
(2)

• Qicker decision of asylum claims
• Recognition of gender based persecution and
  persecution by non-state actors as reasons for
  non refoulement
• More effective extradition of people who have
  been denied asylum

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Major Changes Proposed by the Süssmuth Commission
(3)

• Active integration policy concentrating on
  language and civic education
• Creation of a federal agency responsible for
  migration, asylum and integration issues
• Annual adaptation of various aspects of federal
  immigration policy (if necessary)

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Asylum-Seekers in Germany, 1970-2000
Source Statistisches Bundesamt Since 1995
only first-time applications
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The Red-Green Immigration Law (Proposal
discussed in Parliament)

• Reduced subsidies for asylum seekers until asylum
  has been granted
• De facto-Recognition of gender based persecution
  and persecution by non-state actors
• Review of asylum status after 3 years (not on an
  individual base, but by country of origin)
• Possibility for churches to sponsor asylum
  seekers

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The Red-Green Immigration Law (Proposal
discussed in Parliament)

• Only two types of residence permit (permanent,
  temporary)
• Temporary residence permits for large groups of
  non-deportable aliens
• No residence permit required for EU citizens
• Access to the German labor market for almost all
  legal foreign residents (except asylum seekers)

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The Red-Green Immigration Law (Proposal
discussed in Parliament)

• Language training and general orientation for
  newly arriving immigrants and unemploied legal
  foreign residents (only non-EU citizens)
• Access to German citizenship after 7 years of
  residence in case of successful acquisition of
  German language
• More emphasis on school education for members of
  the second generation

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Future labour migration to Germany (1)

• Admission of high potentials immigrants
• Admission of other applicants on a competitive
  basis (Canadian style point system), immediate
  access to the labour market
• Points for
• Age
• Qualification
• Language skills
• Professional experience
• existing ties with Germany
• Citizenship of a new EU member state (during 25
  years of transition)

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Future labour migration to Germany (2)

• Recruitment of labour migrants for vacancies
  which apparently cannot easily be filled
• With permission of the local Labour Market
  Administration
• Recruitment of foreign students and apprentices
  who will get limited access to the labour market
• Broader access to the German labour market for
  foreigners coming to Germany as dependent family
  members or as university students
• Temporarily restricted access to the German
  labour market for citizens of new EU member
  states (5 2 years waiting period after EU
  enlargement)

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The Red-Green Immigration Law (Proposal
discussed in Parliament)

• Family unification
• Spouse
• Minor children until age 14 migrating to their
  parents already living in Germany
• Minor children until age 18 migrating with their
  parents
• Minor children until age 18 if they are fluent in
  German

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Foreign Population and Labour Force in Germany,
1960-98
Source Statistisches Bundesamt 2000
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Unemployment rates of foreigners in Germany,
1980-98
Source Statistisches Bundesamt 2000
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Naturalization of Foreigners and ethnic German
immigrants (Aussiedler), 1974-2000
Source Statistisches Bundesamt
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Naturalization of Foreigners by Country of
Origin, 1998
Source Statistisches Bundesamt
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For more informationProf. Rainer
MünzDemographyHumboldt University, D-10099
Berlin0049-30-2093-1918 rainer.muenz_at_sowi.hu-ber
lin.dewww.demographie.de