“High Hurdles?”

Speak a little German, have a job, pass a simple test (33 questions) and pay $275 to become a German citizen?

Hell, I could do that. Except pay the $275, of course. Are they nuts?

German citizenship: Record number of naturalizations – More people have applied for and been granted German nationality than at any time in the past 20 years. This is good news as the government wants to attract qualified professionals to the labor market.

A record 168,545 applicants with 171 different nationalities received German citizenship in 2022. That was 28% more than in the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden reported this week.

“Illegal Border Crossings?”

Into the EU? Even though nobody in the EU dares refer to illegal border crossings as illegal border crossings?

EU got to love it, Europeans. You have no choice. It’s not like anybody is asking for your approval or permission.

German cities struggling with winter influx of migrants from the Western Balkans – This winter, cities in Germany faced yet another influx of refugees but this time it was not Ukrainians fleeing war but people from Western Balkan countries seeking to escape their countries’ harsh winters and poor social living conditions.

The Western Balkan route was, in 2022, the most used for illegal border crossings into the EU, according to the bloc’s external border agency. Frontex recorded 145,600 illegal crossings through the Western Balkan, a 136% jump from the previous year and the highest number observed since 2015.

“Kinder Statt Inder” Didn’t Work

A German politician’s unfortunate slip twenty years ago, “children instead of Indians,” certainly didn’t work.

Demographics can be a bitch.

Germany aims to ease visa process for India’s IT workers – Berlin wants to encourage information technology experts from India to come and work in Germany. The plan would be to make it easier for them to come to the country with their families.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that his government wants to ease the path for information technology experts from India to obtain work visas in Germany.

While Germany faces a shortfall in skilled worker numbers, India cannot always provide jobs for its large, young population.

More American Imperialism

When will it ever end?

Turtles from America are spreading – North American freshwater turtles have arrived in Europe with the pet trade. Three species are now native to Baden-Württemberg. For local turtles, the immigrants could become a danger.

And these weren’t the first animal imperialists either. The next thing you know they’ll move up to house pet level and American German Shepards will start taking over.

German Of The Day: Flüchtlingschaos

That means refugee chaos. You know, as in “Germany threatened with new refugee chaos?”

Hey, what’s one million+ refugees and migrants (every year) for a country like Germany (80 million inhabitants – a considerable number of those also refugees)? Ain’t no big deal. Nancy Faeser (SPD) says she has everything under control.

Germany faces repeat of 2015 refugee crisis as 1mn Ukrainians seek safety – Figure exceeds number of migrants who arrived in the country in 2015-16.

Germany is facing a refugee crisis on an even greater scale than in 2015-16 when almost 1mn asylum-seekers surged into the country, officials said, as Ukrainians pour into Europe’s largest economy in search of safety.

“The problem is now bigger than it was at the peak of 2016,” said Reinhard Sager, head of the Association of German Counties, saying the huge number of Ukrainians had come on top of the many immigrants from other countries as well as those who arrived in 2015-16.

“The mood in the country threatens to tip over,” said Peter Beuth, interior minister of the western region of Hesse. He called on Berlin to do more to reduce the numbers of migrants by speeding up the deportation of failed asylum-seekers to their countries of origin.

More Engineers And Scientists Are On The Way

Thanks to Germany’s clever immigration policy.

The avalanche Angela Merkel set off back in 2015 is finally starting to pay off!

Shortage of engineers, scientists threatens German industry – Germany’s homegrown population is declining, and with it the number of science and engineering students.

German engineering is known worldwide for its quality and innovation. But that brand is under threat. The number of students beginning university degrees in STEM fields — shorthand for science, technology, engineering, and math — fell 6% in just one year, according to a recent study from the nation’s federal statistics agency.

Germany Debates

And debates, and debates. But they never deport anybody.

And everybody who comes here knows it. That’s one of the main reasons they come. It’s a little game the Germans play; pretending they are a country that deports people who have come here to break the law.

Germany debates tougher deportation rules – A deadly knife attack on a German regional train has triggered a debate on deportation laws and their application. The suspect, a Palestinian, was living in Germany despite his criminal record.

Two weeks ago, a knife attack shook Germany when a man traveling on a regional train headed for Hamburg randomly stabbed passengers, killing two of them.

The alleged perpetrator, 33-year-old Ibrahim A.*, was known to the police, as he had multiple prior convictions for assault. He had just been released from detention, although he had nowhere to go.

German Of The Day: Hybrid Identities

That means… The hell if I know.

Other than maybe meaning German citizenship will soon be selling like heiße Kuchen (hotcakes). Of course, it could also mean “lets let our own German identity roll over and die.”

Hybrid identities’: why Germany is updating its citizenship rules – The draft law would allow people to apply for citizenship after just five years of residence in Germany, rather than eight years currently. It also states that: “Those who have made a particular effort to integrate — such as becoming proficient in German, doing voluntary work or performing well in school — can apply after three years.”

“The idea that you have only one homeland is completely outdated.”

Since The Suspect Must Remain Innocent Until Proven Innocent

And since the policies which allowed the suspect to be in the country in the first place must remain above reproach…

It’s time to consider tougher knife control laws in Germany again.

Palestinian man arrested for deadly stabbing spree on German train – A knife-wielding man described as a stateless Palestinian fatally stabbed two passengers and injured seven others on a train in northern Germany before being grabbed by members of the public and arrested by police, officials say. The motive of the attack was not immediately known.

After Firing Two More Arab Employees Deutsche Welle Reports That Germans Are Less Skeptical Of Immigration

That makes five Arab journalists fired so far. The Deutsche Welle has become much less skeptical about firing them, I guess.

Germans less skeptical of immigration – People across Germany have become more accepting of refugees and migrants since the pivotal year 2015. But the latest study by the Bertelsmann Foundation shows that reservations remain.

Germans have overall become more accepting of refugees. But over one-third of respondents (36%) believe that Germany cannot take in any more of them. In 2017, that number stood at 54%. Currently, 20% consider the refugees to be “temporary guests” who do not need to be integrated into society.