Happy Sunday everyone! This week's video touches on subjects that are bound to bring up a lot of emotions and strong feelings. Those on both sides of the political spectrum can be rightfully passionate about their positions on the expansion of citizenship. However, there is a line between constructive discourse and hateful aggression that I won't tolerate in this comments section. One is free to express, but not to hate by expression. Any comments that cross that line will be deleted. ✌
Greetings from a fellow "furriner" who just passed the first year mark and thanks for clarifying the dual nationality topic: as an Italian I was not affected by the issue before yet I welcome the change, for exactly the same reasons you mentioned, namely it is the modern and reasonable thing to do. More than once in the video I thought I could hear your voice cracking up a bit, I can imagine what huge positive impact this law can have on your family. All the best aus Franken :)
Small correction: At approx. 1:19 it is not Bärbel Bas speaking but Yvonne Magwas, Vice Speaker of the Bundestag for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. (Source "Plenarprotokoll 20/148")
You don't what to be a German just like the Germans, you want the special privilege of a German citizenship on top of being American. Why should people allow you to vote on the future of their country while you are not committed to it but want to keep the right to return to the USA. The entitlement is strong in this one, no wonder people are getting tired of 'expats'.
As a Dutch citizen I congratulate you all with the opportunity of becoming German citizens. Mind you, if you are German citizens you are automatically EU citizens which means you can settle and work in any EU country if you should wish so.
Former US citizen here. I have lived in Germany for 43 years. Nearly twice as long as I ever lived in the US. There were repeated attempts to pass dual citizenship but hopes were always dashed. 13 years ago I gave up and renounced my US citizenship and acquired German. At that point it was only pragmatic and, honestly, considering the state of society in the US, it was clear I would never go back. As to family in the US, there are not many left (I am 66) as a matter of natural attrition and my children and grandchildren are here. But I am very glad for you that this may become a possibility for your family. We shall see. Good luck!!!!🙂🙂🙂
wow I'm the Austrian version of you. I've been in Vienna since 1979 and had to renounce my US citizenship in 1998 to become an Austrian citizen. The Austrian laws are even more restrictive than the German ones and getting citizenship is very expensive. But I wanted to vote and end the burocratic hurdles for changing jobs
All is well providing the USA doesn't suddenly have a fascist ideology controlling all three branches (actually four) of the federal government. That is completely possible with our strange way of interpenetrating who wins elections. i. e. your vote may not count. If Trump gets elected and the GOP controls the other two legislative branches because of human stupidity, then he may 'enact' probably by 'executive' order, that all Americans with dual citizenship either renounce their foreign citizenship or have their American citizenship revoked. Hitler also ordered all Germans back home, as I remember. The real global issues now are so far beyond ideas about immigration and concepts of nationalism these arguments are like pissing in the wind compared to environmental caused disasters of the future. Excuse me for thinking the enlightenment is over and the dark ages are upon us.
Thank you for another great video, Ashton! I'm a 34 year old American who has been living in Berlin for 13 years. I have been waiting for this law for a long time, and I am so excited that it is finally here. Like you, I feel deep inside of me that I am neither fully American nor fully German/European. Possessing only one of these passports does not feel like a true indication of my identity. I will always be an American in my heart, but when I'm back in the States visiting, I also feel deep inside of me that that country is no longer fully "home" for me. Spending essentially my entire adult life in Germany has changed me on a fundamental level, and I am ready to give back by participating in the democratic process. I am ready to be a German and a European officially, because I already feel that way and have for a long time.
I just want to say you are one of the smartest, most eloquent and balanced TH-camrs I've ever seen. And it's clear you put a lot of work into explaining things clearly and calmly. It's appreciated.
I’m in the process of getting German citizenship through my Oma so prior to this new law, I wouldn’t have to renounce. But I’m so glad that now everyone can keep their first citizenship if they want. The world is much more global than it was in the past and countries need to progress forward if they want to be competitive and bring in (and keep) workers!
Congratulations Ashton! I'm happy for you and your family! And your statement: "That's just not the way the world works anymore" applies to so many things. And needs to be shouted from the rooftops at those that want to move the world backward instead of forward!
Gday Ashton and family. I loved seeing your excitement of finally being able to apply German citizenship for your entire family. I send my congratulations and best wishes for your future in Germany ❤️
I fully understand how exciting this is for you, as I have dual U.S.-Italian citizenships. Having an E.U. passport is a treasure, and not just for a slate of "benefits," but for being able to participate in the governance and well being of our community. Thank you for sharing this good news.
In the UK I have noticed that politicians promoting the idea the of "British values" don't seem to exhibit those values themselves when it comes to policies and actions that they take in government.
This is exciting for you and your family and it’s nice to see your exuberance! I’ll have to speak to my brother to get his thoughts. He has lived in Freiburg for ~40 years and my nephew, born in Germany in the early ‘90s, holds a dual citizenship. My brother never wanted to give up his U.S. citizenship so this may be a welcome change for him.
very much following this as well. we have lived in Germany for, well, a long time. military then govie then jumped into private sector. wife and I are 'muricans and are now deep into our B1 certification courses. We are now really excited about the possibilities and the future of staying here. good stuff! great analysis, report style - spot on.
@@nicktankard1244 not really … you get it easily only from other EU countries … any country outside the EU you can not easily get there citizenship. U must apply to German government to hold your German citizenship too … so it’s not so easy in general. It looks for me that German when u are living outside the EU you still can’t have a dual citizenship? If so then It’s just benefits “ only “ for this group of people who immigrate to Germany. This people will now have the opportunity to get the German citizenship too. If so it’s BAD for me
@@wolfgangselle4307 Germans living in America have been entitled to be dual citizens, but require a so called Retention Permit to keep German citizenship (“Beibehaltungsgenehmigung”) in order not to lose their German citizenship through naturalization abroad (Sect. 17, 25 German citizenship law).
@@OchNe926 I know that! That is not the question. To get permit is not so easy! The application is not complicated but to have the right reason to get this permit is the “ problem “. I was thought with the new law it’s also possible to get the 2nd passport without this application. That’s what I mean. Just have to the same with countries in EU. In this cases u must not apply. U can have both citizenships from Germany and the other EU country!
My mom is a German citizen (I was born in the US) and I couldn't even be considered - Patrilineage only! Poor migrants/asylum seekers have been a big load on German society, cultural identity and norms though.
I had taken it for granted that I would never qualify for dual citizenship and I learned about this entire debate through your channel. Congratulations to you (and me!), and thanks for the very helpful historical overview!
Thank you so much for sharing! You and I have very similar circumstances (age, kids, education, etc.), so your videos have been very helpful. I am American, my SO is American and an EU citizen, but not German. I’ve been living in Germany for seven years, my SO has been here for nine years. I birthed both of our children here, and we plan to stay here. It means so much to our family that we now can become German citizens without having to give up our American citizenship. Germany is our children’s home, and it will become a huge part of their identity. It makes sense to give them German citizenship, even though they already have EU citizenship, but this wasn’t possible before, because they would’ve had to give up their American citizenship otherwise. I know we are not the only ones who feel this way. Thank you, Germany 🫶
I was one of those who took to the streets to stand up for our democracy. I am very happy for you that politicians have made a wise decision. We are one world. I'm looking forward to seeing your German ID!!! Welcome 😘
Wow, what a well-timed video and turn of events for me. I've had my German consulate's web page tab open for months in my browser already. Need to proceed with my passport application, regardless of what transpires in the near term. Thank you!
Gruesse aus Montana. Ich hoffe, dein Antrag geht schnell durch und ein Konsulat ist in deiner Naehe. Mein Reisepass ist seit 2021 ungueltig und wenn du wie ich im Staat Montana wohnst, musst du nach San Francisco fliegen, um einen neuen zu bekommen.
thank you Ashton - enjoying your eloquent videos! Extending citizenship to everybody who is here long-term should be normal. I find it shameful when politicians suggest that people born elsewhere are somehow representatives of another country, their political leadership and policies, and that there is only one right way of being German (for whatever that means). Also implies, that all Germans are to be uniform and if you don't agree, you can't be properly German.
And yet the national football team of germany gets booed in their own capital city 😂😂😂 And yet thousands in germany vote for erdogan in germany. And yet the turkish AKP sends their politicians here and opens mosques and give speeches and interfere with politics in germany And yet the Ditib does spionage for Erdogan. And yet Erdogan tells turks to reproduce more in germany Oh boy, i wonder how somebody can be so naive^^
You don't even need to go to another continent. I live in the UK and work as a town councillor beside my regular job. I have been here for 5 years now and would really like to vote in the general elections, but this would only be possible with a British passport. On top of that I still have family in Germany (parents in their late 70's), and therefore I need to be able to get there quickly and easily without having to think about paperwork. Dual citizenship will make my life so much easier. I'd be able to be a full member in society plus being able to keep doing whatever I need to do in Germany for the next 10-20 years.
Congratulations to you and your family! I'm a German who has been living in the Pacific Northwestern US for 50 years. I have been wanting to become a US citizen but was not willing to give up my German citizenship for a number of reasons. Now I may revisit getting the US citizenship. Thank you for the outstanding presentation! Cheers from Oregon!
Me too! Living in the US since 20 years and would feel much better being also an American citizen. But I wasn't willing to give up my German citizenship either. Finally!! Thanks for letting us all know!! ❤
Congratulations to you and your family. Your videos are well researched, structured, and thought through. Your content is balanced and profound. You are a gain for Germany. I'm glad you're here.
My wife and I were as young children born in Germany. We are Canadian and the fact the we are of the same ethnic background is by chance...the cute girl working in the room next to me 50 years ago. I have never given dual citizenship a second thought, but my wife thought it might be nice for our kids to have. We do visit Germany on occasion. I myself never cared for it until we took over a month in 2005 to tour all parts of Germany and visit family there. I can see why you like living there. I live in a small city at the border of the US and the advantage is the ethnic communities are small and everyone goes to the same high schools and there are many happy marriages across religious and ethnic lines. The problem is in a large city's like Toronto you have very high concentrations of different ethnic groups in certain areas giving silo effects and you get ... My son would never dishonor me by marrying some one like that (a white person..or other race). The slaves who used the underground railroad to get to Halifax still encounter racism. We have a relative in Germany who just married someone of Turkish origin that had the wedding delayed years because of issues with the Turkish parents. A tour guide in Rome told us that he had no issue with the refugees/ immigrants if the wanted to become Italian, just that many do not want to, the just want to live there as there own people. Look at issues in Sweden. There are a lot if legitimate concerns and i could go on and on. I hope Germany does not loose a lot of its history and traditions since I suspect a lot of new citizens will not care. I am happy for you and your new life in Germany. All the best and your family.
Hi Arno, I agree to 100% to both statements! People like Ashton and her family who are really having the desire to integrate, sharing our democratic values and doing their best to be a valuable asset to our society along with being a happy and successful family are more than just welcomed. I also don't care about her then still holding an US passport - it's just a piece of paper. She doesn't know yet but we won't send or allow her to go back anyways. I'm just not sure she can have a successful and at the same time self-satisfying career as a German politician. She IMHO just works too hard on in-depth research and facts compared to the politicians in our society who are often only concerned with their own reputation and influence. But she would definitely have my vote.
Dual nationality should be MANDATORY. After all, It leaves the possibility of revoking the "new" nationality and extradite people who commit a crime instantly without causing them to become stateless. As a country you can give but also take away.
One aspect with dual citizenship that needs to be considered is the prevalence of applicable law. In your case that would mean: While you are in Germany, German law would have preference and precedence over the laws of the USA. And when you are in Kansas, the laws of the USA would have preference and precedence over German law. If you travel in the Schengen area of Europe with your German citizenship you enjoy full freedom of movement and stay, but if you travel with your USA citizenship you are restricted to a maximum of 90 days stay for every 180 days (unless you have a visa with different restrictions). But for international travel it is still recommended to use only one OR the other of your passports, and to keep the other one well out of sight. And in many countries, if you are a natural born citizen it is generally a bad idea to use a “secondary” passport to enter or leave that country. Equally, if you entered a third country on one passport, do not use your other passport mid-stay, as that could get you on the wrong side of the law for undocumented or illegal entry. (These are some of the lessons learned during almost 30 years of international travel with dual passports.)
It's actually pretty basic, and in most cases the law. When entering/leaving a country (or area like Schengen) that you are a citizen of you must use your local passport to enter/leave and if requested by official governmental representatives. In any other non related county you can choose which passport to use. As for the applicable law, regardless of your citizenship, local/state/federal laws always apply.
@@AL5520 I agree with your basic premise that local laws apply. Though I probably should have clarified it explicitly that the precedence of law applies when there is a “conflict of jurisdiction”. That is, for example when multiple jurisdictions try to subpoena you. When you are in Germany, then German procedural law applies even if USA laws would be more favorable. When you are in USA, then USA procedural law applies even if German laws would be more favorable. But when you are in a third country, you select (to some extent) the more favorable law to apply. I know, this delves into the realm of international law. But having dual citizenship myself, and being accused of foreign allegiance in the country of my birth while embroiled in contempt of custody and [parental] kidnapping, pushed me to educate myself for a law degree to better defend myself. And the embassy of my secondary citizenship told me that they could not assist me in any shape or form while I am in the country of my birth citizenship, unless I had renounced that citizenship.
I entered the country I'm a natural born citizen of with one Passport and left with the other, do I have to fear consequences if I travel to that country again?
@@MisterPyOne It depends on that law of that country but usually it is a violation of the law. The consequences also depends on the law and governmental system. In general if they have a good immigration registration system you won't be able to do it as your entry will be registered on one passport so the officer will not see an entry on your other passport. If it is illegal, you've managed to do it and therefore you are still registered as being in the country it can, depending on the laws, cause financial problems. Most countries do not tax citizens that live out of that country under certain conditions, usually ones that shows that your main residency is in the other country. One of the ways is how long you've been staying so if your exit won't be registered they might start taxing you after a certain time period.
@@AL5520 Well said: It depends on many different factors. Some countries could ban you from ever entering again because of a visa violation. In others they could confiscate your passport and/or identification documents. And de facto detain you, resulting in a legal struggle lasting years that might even prevent you from leaving the country. This can be especially tricky when the exit and entry is handled at a common checkpoint. And with the globalized digital data exchange and sharing that transportation companies are forced to do with government agencies, it pays to be very careful. Then there is also the different ways that names are handled for example on marriage. In some countries the marriage act is at the same time a legal name change for at least one spouse. In other countries the marriage act is *NEVER* a legal name change, but appending the [first] surname of your spouse to your own name is considered a customary courtesy. So that your names could be different in your passports. And that could cause issues, since the name on the ticket is not the same as in the passport you are trying to use.
I had contemplated once about getting the German Passport as I would have qualified for it since my great grandfather was German, and his family immigrated to America. I also knew him personally. There was a provision in the immigration law under which I would qualify even though I wasn't living in Germany. I had a meeting at the Counsulate in Wien, many documents translated, needed to get the ship info, etc. The refuge situation came into play, then no applications were being accepted, to be followed later by Covid. One delay after the other. After living in Austria for 30 years, I applied for citizenship here, got through the process, gave up my US citizenship, finally became a citizen this past August. No regrets. I feel very much at home in southern Austria in the Alps. Wishing you all the best! LG aus Villach-Warmbad.
Dear Ashton and family just wanted to say a very worm welcome to your becoming Dual citizenship 🎉 I will get my dual citizenship As well thx to you 👍 Greetings from Berlin 👍😀
Dual citizenship is just a first step. In 2004 I got my Swiss citizensehip - no problem here to keep my US citizenship. But then in 2013, when I was informed, that US IRS would consider my pension "income" not as income, per se, but rather as "Capital gains", which would be taxed at 25% without possibility of any US tax credit, it became the last straw (well, actually 2nd to last straw) and made the decision to renounce my US citizenship. That and the FACTA laws which provoked Swiss banks to separating themselves from US citizens OR even spouses of US citizens, I renounced in 2013. Never actually regretted this, never looked back and enjoy the freedom to particpate in Switzerland's political Landschaft. So when you do get your German citizenship, then your introspection should begin, as to whether you take the next step - renouncing your US citizenship. It "only" costs $2250 now - when I did it it cost me $450. What will it cost in another 10 years.
Ashton... You said some wise words here. I love this channel so much for its great research and the cosmopolitan image it projects. I am very happy that we were finally able to get this law passed. Thanks for this video!
Dear Ashton, I was expecting you to make this video, and you never disappoint! I went to the demonstration against the rise of fascism in Köln with my German colleagues from work, after that journalistic investigation report was published. Me being Ukrainian and fresh from the integration course, I was very much surprised, that that news report about secret AfD plans was even brought up in the work chats - I was told in the integration courses that you are not supposed to discuss politics or religion at a workplace. But maybe my Kölner colleagues were just different. 1000 protesters were expected by organisers, 30 000 came that day. I was astonished and very much relieved to be in this crowd. And when in a few days later there was another demo with 70 000 attendees - wow, that really moved me. I might soon be eligible for the double citizenship as well, because I want to pass my C1 exam this year. I never even thought about this possibility for me, because I want to stay a Ukrainian citizen even if I now live in Germany. I stopped having plans for the future on February 24th 2022, but now I feel like maybe there could be stability in my life again.
welcome and thanks for your engagement =) on the topics of political discussion at work - its depends... not necessarily a good idea to do it without knowing the environment and collegues, as you dont want to sour the professional relationship...these are people you likely have to interact with on a daily basis for the foreseeable future but: from my experience we tend to be pretty open about talking politics and discussing current events in general, including the workplace - i know some of my collegues for example are actively working for the local support group of the green party and they happily discuss their efforts and the overal political situation in town hall so its probably best not to necessarily lead with politics when youre new, but its not really a taboo topic best of luck with your exams and hope you get your double citizenship soon =)
@@SharienGaming oh, thanks for explaining! Yes, I follow that strategy too, I don't start those conversations, but when my colleagues do, I do engage in them. It's also a sort of an ice breaker, I do feel more included to the team when people open up like that, sharing their beliefs. But yes, I wouldn't want to complicate my communication with somebody at work, even if we wouldn't necessarily attend the same rally. It's challenging for me to get my point across in German as it is🤣 But I do my best.
Demonstrate all you want. In the next 50 years 15-22 Million muslim arabs will enter germany and become the majority. You can talk about tolerance with them. I heard the Taliban have a thing for women rights haha😂😂😂
This is great news, thanks for the clear and balanced explanation. I’m Canadian and have lived in Germany since 1995 but don’t want to renounce my first citizenship. Now it looks like I won’t have to and I can be an active participant in this democracy, and also take the EU lane when flying into Germany!
I left Germany 2 years ago after living there for 3 years. Should’ve stayed. I could’ve been eligible for citizenship this spring. Instead I will have to wait for 2+ years in Canada. Bummer. One of the main reasons why I left was the long wait for permanent residency and citizenship. It was much faster in Canada. But now Germany is almost on par.
Why did you want citizenship so badly? I'm currently a student in de intending to stay and eventually get citizenship, and yeah the Ausländerbehörde is a real PITA at times, but I personally wouldn't base my decision on the land in which I feel most at home on their respective burocratic experiences.
@@guy1524because I’m tired of living with a useless passport. I need a visa to visit any country. So it’s not easy and cheap to travel. Also having a passport from my country now is one of the worst things. Lots of sanctions and always in danger of being deported to my country of citizenship and end up in jail or sent to war. Because it’s a dictatorship. That’s stressful. I want to renounce it as soon as I get another citizenship.
@ThuglifeNYC im suspecting originally russian citizen, based on the threat of being sent to war and genuinely... i can understand their worries - those are some very realistic fears best of luck nick, stay safe
Congratulations 🎉 Thank you for that concise and professional explanation of recent events in Germany. I’m dual-citizen American-German by birth (German parents), and very thankful that it now is easier for all. My parents have lived in the US 50+ years, and had to give up their German citizenship when they accepted the US one. Not that they’d move back (my dad doesn’t fly anymore, he’s 93), but at least they have the option. Had lived in Germany 17 years myself, the last 20 years living back in the States. Living in L.A. is like living in a melting pot of nationalities, it’s like a global village. Nationalism sadly becoming more pronounced in the US too, fueled in part by climate refugees. Was following the news in Germany & EU with the problems of integration- this new law will hopefully help. Hopefully the people of the world will become more tolerant as they learn to accept other people’s cultures and traditions, for the benefit of future generations.
You are automatically German if your mother is German, nomatter where you are born. So a child born to a German mother in the USA will be dual citizen. Also like my daughter who had a US father when she was born in Germany. She did get an US birthcertificate of a citizen born abroad at the consulate in Frankfurt. And she is German, because me, her mother is. Her sons are dual citizen because one was born in Germany to a german mother and an US father, and the other born in the USA to a german mother and US father and automatically a US citizen since he was born in the USA. It is very complicated. LOL@@erichamilton3373
Thanks, Ashton, for your great video, which explains the issue in a very thoughtful way. And a warm welcome to you and your family as German citizens very soon.
I am Dutch, and thank God my country (nearly) forbids dual citizenship. What if a war breaks out? What if you have conflict between countries of which you have both passports? Who's side are you on? I do not understand that you won't renounce US citizenship. Yes, it is a bit difficult and expensive, but life's choices are choices, it is not getting everything at the same time. That is not how life works. I do deplore that US citizens in the Netherlands are granted dual citizenship because it is too difficult to get rid of the US citizenship. What the heck? Lastly, having dual citizenship is kind of discriminatory. These people have two fall back options, and two voting rights whilst normal people only have one. I am generally left leaning, but I do think that (Dutch) citizenship is something that can only be awarded to people who speak Dutch at home. No idea how you could check that, but that is what I feel.
A few things to keep in mind: 1) Many countries ask that voting citizens also hold residence in the country. If you want to make sure that your fellow countrymen aren't voting when they don't live there anymore, you can pass laws that restrict this without compromising dual citizenship. In my case, I would continue to vote in US elections simply because the US government continues to ask that I file tax returns and comply with banking disclosures even though I don't live there anymore. As long as my government wants to keep tabs on me overseas, then I think its my right as a citizen to influence who speaks on my behalf in that government. But it also isn't Germany's job to tell the US who gets to participate in US elections. 2) Many countries also ask that those who are dual citizens renounce their duality if they want to be a member of the military. The US for example, disallows any dual national from holding a position with security clearance. Again, this is not new.
I totally understand how you feel. I know a buddy who has lived in Canada for 30 years who is a Dutch citizen and won’t give it up to become Canadian citizen. His daughter can get duel because he is Dutch. How do you feel about birthright citizenship? I am duel citizen through birthright citizenship from a EU country that doesn’t allow duel citizenship. My EU country has probably the most strictest citizenship laws.
So now you will be not just a German citizen, but also a European citizen: welcome in our big community Ashton, from an Italian viewer strong believer of EU
A problem in the discussion is that no distinction is made between asylum seekers and migration. In order to be able to enter and work legally as a foreigner, there are very high requirements, which is why too few people come to Germany legally to work here. Immigrating illegally and applying for asylum, on the other hand, is very easy. As a result, the proportion of people with a migrant background has increased from 10 to over 20% in the last 10 years, while at the same time more than half of social assistance recipients are people with a migrant background. This leads to the argument being often made either with: "Germany needs immigrants to keep the economy going" or "immigrants only live on welfare." The fact that the topic is a bit more complicated is often overlooked.
@@invarietateconcordia9541 The wording is a bit unfortunate, according to the Geneva Convention it is currently impossible for someone to legally apply for asylum in Germany (the flight ends at the place where there is no longer a risk to life, every further journey is migration). But illegal asylum seekers are even more confusing than illegal immigrants.
Most of what u wrote i right out wrong. 2013 we hat 16 mio ppl with an immigration background from 80.6mio population. 16/80.6 = 20% Today we have 24mio from 83mio with a migration background which is 28%. That metric is very misleading though, as u can have 3 german grandparents and still be counted as a person with migration background. So even with 0 immigration the percentage of ppl with migration backgrounds can increase just by Germans having kids with an immigrant. Its a rather silly statistic if u understand it. Next u claimed ppl migrated illegally and then applied for asylum. That isn't true by definition as u are allowed to cross multiple borders "illegally" to apply for asylum. And no the Geneva protocol does not say anything about u haveing to apply for asylum in the first safe country. That is a common lie by the far right. Just read the damn text urself before spreading nazi propaganda. I could go on, but I find it tiring to deal with nazi propaganda which seem to never end. Please inform urself instead of blindly spreading nazi propaganda.
@@jonawolf8023 That isn't true. I would also suggest to do some background reading on the drafting of the text if ur englisch or legal understanding isn't on par. How can ppl spread this nonsense so willingly, without doing proper research. It's a delicate topic so maybe do inform urself in a proper way before spreading far right conspiracies.
@@invarietateconcordia9541 Thanks that is a very important information. It is a common myth based on far right propaganda that asylum seekers aren't allowed to cross multiple borders or have to settle in the first safe place they find, which is quite an absurd notion if u think about it more than one minute, but it seems as if some fist decide that migrants are criminals and then come up with a reason why after the fact.
I'm British living in Germany with dual nationality. Since Brexit, even though I'm still a British citizen, because I am married to a German I have effectively lost my right to live in Britain. I can live in 27 different countries but not my home land because the UK immigration laws mean that less well off people cannot immigrate with their spouses. People just don't realise that tougher immigration will also mean a weakening of pension rights, health care and a poorer society in general. This is an important message that is not getting through to enough people.
It's just the typical, i have it bad so somebody has to be at fault. And what's easier than pointing the finger at refugees and migrants? They get free money and i get nothing, even though i'm German?!! Easy solution to complex questions rarely get you the right answers.
Brexit was a total f*ck up for us as a family but now my daughter can apply for dual German/British citizenship. She lives and works in Berlin, speaks German and has a German partner. The day I lost my EU citizenship because of BREXIT was the day I decided to become a Welsh nationalist supporting an independent Wales in the EU. Yes Cymru.
It's just a matter of time until the UK will reapply for EU member status. How long it will take, I don't know...but considering how Brexit turned out economically and socially and what brits in general think about it after a few years (a solid majority thinks it was a huge mistake) I'd be very surprised if the UK wouldn't rejoin the EU sooner or later Edit: By economically and socially, I meant the whole infrastructure with agreements with the EU member states, including pension rights, health care, immigration laws, union laws, travel restrictions etc. I just used it as an umbrella term, or I would write a book😅
@@welshskies That's a whole different topic, but let's just say I agree with you(about Trump) or I'll go on a rant and off-topic, that doesn't belong here...I'm pretty sure Rishi Sunak won't be the Prime minister after the next elections. And while it may take a while (the UK can't have it both ways) but ultimately there will be concessions made on both sides (EU and UK), take this with a grain of salt, that's just my opinion
Heyyyy, congrats with great news for you and your family! It's also great news for me and all my international friends who studied and now work in Germany, so we're celebrating all together! :>>>
I’ve had dual citizenship between Germany and the USA since I was born. My dad is American my mom German it always felt strange to me that this was not normal. Congratulations to you this is wonderful
@@erichamilton3373 Interesting, I didn't know that. I too hold dual citizenship, because even though, my family lived outside of germany and the EU for 2 generations, they held the german citizenship throughout that, so I have it now too.
Hello Ashton, your reports and stories are getting better and better. The more I see, the more I look forward to more. This info topped everything I've seen from you so far. As a native German, I would just like to say: Hats off, chapeau. A really professional level. The statistics and background information are also excellently chosen and wonderfully presented. Have you ever thought about doing some things for Deutsche Welle or other broadcasters? Keep up the good work. Best regards
greetings from belgium, welcome to you and all others from any place around the world. so nice you find our way of living and our way to organize goverment the best or at least as good as your country of birth
Thank you for a very informative and needed video. A thought or maybe a suggestion. How about a video about being an expat and dealing with the tax system in the United States. It is one thing that keeps us anchored because of the 3 ring circus I've heard it can be to be an expat and still having to file US taxes. Again thank you. Your videos are a Sunday morning staple and I look forward to them.
I feel your joy, as a British national who procrastinated so long that I failed to acquire dual nationality before Brexit fully came into force. I have moved from having no voting rights a year ago, to potentially having full voting rights in Germany, in Britain (the law changed 16th (?) January) and having full voting rights in Europe. For information, One does not need to take the nationality test if one has completed an apprenticeship Germany, one does not need to take the language test if one has studied (successfully passed?) at a German university or equivalent institution. I learned this too late after giving out over €300 ...
I'm not Ashton, but I do know the answer: the US has no problem with dual citizenship. As a US citizen, one is required to file an income tax return regardless of where one lives. Additionally, if one decides to serve in the armed forces of another country then US citizenship is forfeited. Cheers, Alan Tomlinson
@@diegorhoenisch62 About the armed forces, I believe you get a pass as long as you did not volunteer (I have US / Austrian / Italian citizenships) and Austria has conscription. Since that is not voluntary, I'm ok as long as I leave as soon as my conscription term is fulfilled (6 months).
Wow! Thank you! What about those not living in Germany right now? I lived in Germany for 18 years. As a uS citizen, I’ve always wanted both. German mom, German grandparents…
Dual citizenship here in the Netherlands has been a debate for a long time. Mainly the right wing parties are against it. But in general what those parties want is no dual citizenship of people from non western countries. It is for a big part a way to show their anti-Islam policy. Usually they are against dual citizenship with the immigrants from Turkey and Morocco. An interesting point is the laws from Morocco. If you are a person born in Morocco or born from Moroccon parents abroad, you will have the Moroccon citizenship automatically. And Moroicco refuses to cancel that citizenship, so the only possibility is a dual citizenship.
But Morocca allows dual citizenship? If you are born in Argentine you have a major problem, because this country does not allow dual citizenship and refuses to cancel the Argentinian citizenship.
@@barbarossarotbart Argentina does have ways around that, like suspending the Argentinian citizenship (Argentina did have to find a way as the wife of the current Dutch king was born with Argentinian citizenship and she was granted Dutch citizenship because of her marriage with the (at that time) Crown Prince of the Netherlands).
Honestly I lived and live among a lot of Muslims and I had a few muslim friends and I do see Islam as a problem. I fear allowing immigration and dual citizenship from Islamic countries will have long term negative effects on Western countries, especially in democratic rights and to stability, maybe even some economic consequences. I hope I'm wrong of course, but what is happening in Sweden makes me think I'm not wrong.
That new citizenship law is not quite what people think it is. Germany is trying to attract more immigrants because they want more people to contribute to economy and pay taxes here and they also have to compete with other countries that attract immigrants. The problem is however that even if you speak fluent German (which lots of immigrants find challenging) it's still very hard to integrate here. Laws and regulations can forbid people talk crap about foreigners but you can't regulate day-to-day relationships among people and you can't force people to like each other, get along, be friends and so on. No matter how many new laws Germany passes, there are tons of other problems that discourage immigrants to come and stay here, such as sky-high taxes, housing, bureaucracy, rules and regulations about literally everything, etc.
As someone who is politically interested it often (still, despite experience) surprises me when things that have been warned against again and again and again for years and nothing happens in "the population", when suddenly a really minor thing happens and there is an outburst. Like this meeting. The persons are not new, the things they say are not new, the plans are not new...
You handled that discussion so well, not an easy topic to discuss I’m sure. We are moving to Germany this spring from the U.S. and feel like every month something new happens that tells us we are on the right path forward, either happening here in the U.S. or in Deutschland. This was a big one for us. Wir haben Deutsch vor zwei Jahren gelernt und wollen uns in Deutschland niederlassen!
Thank you so much for the Video and for joining us, Ashton. We need you and your family. At the end of the video I got emotional, crying a little bit...
Congratulations. You will have triple citizenship when becoming your German passport. That will be USA, Germany and of course also an EU citizen with all the rights that are attached. So welcome my fellow EU citizens!🎉🎉
I get what you mean, but there is no such thing as "EU citizenship", that's just an informal way of speaking, a short for "Citizenship from an EU member state". If your country stops being an EU country (I'm looking at you, UK), you immediately cease to be an "EU citizen". Your citizenship is attached to the *country* (or countries) of which you are a citizen.
@@GazilionPT but you will get the right to vote on EU elections and have all the perks for being a citizen of an EU country. Like free unlimited travel within the entire EU, for example. And well,,, the UK has proven to be stupid by voting for brexit.
Loved your video..respekt! Am Indonesian 5 years here in Bayern, happy to hear this good news, but sadly Indonesia doesnt allow dual citizenship..hope this can be changed sometimes.
In 2021 I applied for German citizenship after living more than half my life here. This was a big step for me but I knew it was right.The process is slow and I hope it is resolved soon. I suppose the new law will apply in retro concerning renunciation of citizenship.
@@GuillermoArellano Did not renounce yet. Still waiting for the German authorities to get working. The process has become painfully slow because of staffing problems etc...
German lawmakers generally think in foreigners that want to have the German citizenship but forget about Germans who live abroad and are also limited by the restrictions of this legislation. As a German living already for more than 11 years in Chile I would wellcome to be able to have a dual nationality here and fully integrate in the society as right now I am restricted from several functions, even from a permanent position at a public university,
I know your situation. You need to have your degree recognized by U Chile. I've lived in Chile 24 years with permanent residence and even vote. I would become a Chilean citizen but have just put it off due to things that come up. I'd love to be a dual national with Germany too, but, alas,.my mother was German not my father,.so that door was closed to me.
You are not restricted at all. You live in Chile? You pay taxes in Chile? Then become citizen of chile. It‘s simple as that. Why you seek benefits from germany if you left the country and don‘t give anything back? 😂
@@erichamilton3373 Oh oh, suddenly we are back to birthrights and DNA? How hypocrit of you 😂😂🤡🤡🤡 This man turned his back on his country and does not fulfill the duties of a citizen. He sits at the other end of the world but thinks he should be able to vote? Screw that. And who is he gonna fight for? Oh right, the coward will fight for no country and run away whenever he can 😂 I claim he is neither german nor chilean
The paradox of tolerance by Karl Popper the philosopher comes to mind a lot in these days. (Edit: correcting my error, Popper was born Austrian). It describes that a society that is TOO tolerant of other people trying to remove said tolerance makes it easier for those intolerant people to achieve their goals. As such a certain level of intolerance TOWARDS intolerance has to be engrained in a society to make it a strong society that will keep and protect its values of tolerance. That's the paradox of tolerance that we have to be intolerant to intolerance. Or in another way in German "Null Toleranz für Intoleranz" = "Zero tolerance for intolerance." That's what so many Germans are doing today. Standing up and voicing their opinion that no matter if they are center, left, Christian, Islam, Jewish, worker or CEO, conservative or progressive, that no, we will never allow the right extremists to win again. I do hope that the AfD royally f'd up when they held that Potsdam conference and used the euphemism 'remigration' for 'deportation'. I hope dearly that in the next elections the AfD will be harshly slapped down. That no one wants to be associated with a party that clearly uses Nazi demagoguery and terminology in their political program. Quote from Wikipedia: Karl Popper: „Damit möchte ich nicht sagen, dass wir z. B. intolerante Philosophien auf jeden Fall gewaltsam unterdrücken sollten; solange wir ihnen durch rationale Argumente beikommen können und solange wir sie durch die öffentliche Meinung in Schranken halten können, wäre ihre Unterdrückung sicher höchst unvernünftig. Aber wir sollten für uns das Recht in Anspruch nehmen, sie, wenn nötig, mit Gewalt zu unterdrücken, denn es kann sich leicht herausstellen, dass ihre Vertreter nicht bereit sind, mit uns auf der Ebene rationaler Diskussion zusammenzutreffen, und beginnen, das Argumentieren als solches zu verwerfen; sie können ihren Anhängern verbieten, auf rationale Argumente - die sie ein Täuschungsmanöver nennen - zu hören, und sie werden ihnen vielleicht den Rat geben, Argumente mit Fäusten und Pistolen zu beantworten. Wir sollten daher im Namen der Toleranz das Recht für uns in Anspruch nehmen, die Unduldsamen nicht zu dulden. Wir sollten geltend machen, dass sich jede Bewegung, die die Intoleranz predigt, außerhalb des Gesetzes stellt, und wir sollten eine Aufforderung zur Intoleranz und Verfolgung als ebenso verbrecherisch behandeln wie eine Aufforderung zum Mord, zum Raub oder zur Wiedereinführung des Sklavenhandels.“ auto translate “I don’t mean to say that for example intolerant philosophies should definitely be suppressed by force. As long as we can overcome them through rational arguments and as long as we can keep them in check through public opinion, their suppression would certainly be highly unreasonable. But we should claim the right to suppress them by force if necessary, because it can easily turn out that their representatives are not ready to meet with us at the level of rational discussion and begin to argue as to reject such things. They may forbid their followers from listening to rational arguments - which they call a fallacy - and they may advise them to answer arguments with fists and guns. We should therefore, in the name of tolerance, claim the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should assert that any movement that preaches intolerance places itself outside the law, and we should treat a call for intolerance and persecution as just as criminal as a call for murder, robbery, or the reintroduction of the slave trade.” This is what we have to defend: our right to defend against the intolerants.
Yes, well quoted. Only, Sir Karl Popper was born Austrian and emigrated first to Australia and then Britain, where he became (dual?) citizen and gained knighthood.
It will only increase the AFD support. You can’t shut down action against the immigration crisis and Ukraine issue forever, parties like that are a natural and inevitable reaction to the disaster Europe has faced. They will silence the AFD and the issues Germans clearly care about will simply continue and worsen, until something even more radical, right wing or left wing(IE fascist or communist) takes its place.
You don‘t even realise how paradox you are. You fight against the rightwing, but invite 350.000 muslim arab males from highly intolerant, homophobic, antisemitic cultures every year into your country and believe you protect democracy and tolerance hahaha So tell me: how is it working out for you? When Israel got attacked by hamas, thousands of muslim migrants went to the streets with antisemitic paroles, synagogues in germany are all under police protection and jews don‘t even dare to wear their kippa in berlin and other cities. Israel flags got stolen and burned down in public and in Essen even 3000 muslims demanded the erection of an caliphate in germany. Oh yes, you will remember this quote. Since you invited the intolerance into your house 😂
Dear Ashton you describe very well the old continent in understanding the challenges of boomers retiring. Same issues are felt in Switzerland where I was born from Italian immigrant parent arriving in the late fifties. It makes me wonder why the US do not have the same approach being open minded to the fact that other than natives the all country is build on immigrants. Keep it up I truly enjoy the clarity and wisdom of your videos.🙏
Congratulations on your upcoming dual citizenship! I always wonder why politicians do not emphasize how much Germany needs immigration. There is no way around it. I was glad about the graphics you showed initially, which proved the point. It's also more than just experts and academics we need. Unfortunately, at the same time they voted on dual citizenship, they also restricted access and rights for refugees. In view of more and more right-wing attitudes throughout the world, I am proud that in Germany, so many people took to the streets against right-wing views and politicians.
Just because Germany needs immigration (do we at all? what is so bad about a shrinking population?), doesn't mean that we should not debate this topic. Considering that only 50% of those syrian refugees who came to Germany in 2015 (9 years ago!) are in the job market now is pretty impressive imo (in a negative way). Also only 20% of the refugees from the Ukraine are in the job market. So 1M more immigrants doesn't mean 1M more labourer. Putting the fact on top that after the 7th october a lot of people went on street to demonstrate against Israel (after pretending to demonstrate for Palestine) requires to weighten up decisions very carefully.
Well spoken KupoxChan. Those are part of the problems that push people to the right wing parties all over Europe. Even AFD accepts everyone who is working and taxpayer in Germany. By the way AFD would be left of American Democrats If they would act in American policies.
That is really sad for all those hard working people, that had to give everything up and jump through all the hoops for 8 years previously. So you could have worked all your life, migrated, had to give up their old citizenship - and then didn’t get any form of meaningful pension since all your work was nullified.
thanks for the very good wrap-up on the situation, and I'm looking forward to seeing you and all of your family members with german + US passports! Welcome to germany
This was a fabulous diplomatic summary .. well done👏. Also, great you and your lovely family can now get joint citizenship. I have lived in Germany 28yrs, ie longer than the UK (24yrs) and was offered joint citizenship when Brexit occurred. I was so grateful. I have always been integrated, speak German, worked, pay taxes, accept and respect German culture, have 1/2 German children and have just celebrated 25yrs working in German Public Service etc.. It does worry me a little how things have escalated here the last months. I feel uncomfortable, nervous and insecure due to the political situation. I think each immigration case should be examined individually... if people want German citizenship they should be a full part of German society ie. they should speak German fluently, have a trade/qualification/job that is needed/useful, accept and respect German culture and religious origin (but be able to keep their own to) and be full integrated. As a foreigner, I do not have a problem with strickt immigration laws if they are there to make sure the immigrant respects their new country and wants to become a fully immersed, useful and integrated part of society. Other countries eg New Zealand, Australia etc also have strickt immigration laws.
Hello Ashton, as a German, I am very proud of everyone who feels comfortable living and working in Germany and chooses German citizenship or the dual one. We are all human beings and we have all experienced that a community is stronger than the individual. Why many people now seek salvation in remembering bad experiences from the past is completely incomprehensible to me. The fact that this segregation has led to much suffering and even more deaths is denied against their better knowledge. It is a shame that many people cultivate their hatred instead of contributing to the development of society. We Germans have actually learned very clearly and lastingly at school what can result from something like this. Thank you very much and I look forward to every further video from you.
I grew up in a small town in Germany, with a bit less than 6000 residents. In 2006 ro so, there were people of 52 different nationalities living together. While there was a sizable turkish minority, they rarely stirred up trouble. Most trouble came from my fellow Aussiedler (germans coming from the former USSR). And even then, the vast majority of every day life was spent in peacefull coexistence. I grew up playing with friends from dirrerent countries like Spain, Italy, Türkiye, Portugal, Albania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Arabia, the Philippines, Germany of course, and many more. Crime rates were, and still are, pretty low. I think one of the major reasons for this is the fact, that everybody had a chance to participate in the community. There was no reason to withdraw and stay among "their own". Most people staying among their own, were the other Aussiedler and I think that was why they caused the most trouble of all the groups. If you welcome people and give them an opportunity to build a peacefull life, most will take take it gladly and try their best to contribute to the community. If on the other hand, you push them to the edges of society, you set thing up to fail. Then chances for integration are slim at best, but some people want exactly this scenario to point their finger and say "Look! This does not work! Don't let them in and get rid of those already here." I am glad and happy there is still a majority willing to stand up to people like that. A majority that is willing to try to build a better future for everyone.
How moving. I hope you will integrate yourself well in the muslim arab society of germany too^^ 15-22 Million immigrants in the next 50 years plus higher birth rates.
Nice to hear someone who is actually affected by this, i hope those who become citizens will start voting.. i really don't like where surveys are heading with CDU and AFD over 50%
Great video! As a German living in the USA for over 25 years with parents living in Germany, having many strong ties to my home country, but also wanting to fully participate over here, I completely agree with your statements. Making dual citizenship possible aligns with a more globalized world, the lives of people like your family or mine, and how we likely feel about our nationalities: well integrated with the country we have been living in for a long time, contributing to society, year also with strong ties to our home countries and families. I think this is way over due and I am glad that Germany is finally moving forward on this. Best wishes to you and your family! As someone who went “the other direction” across the Atlantic I have been very much enjoying your content.
Thank you, Ashton, for every video you and your husband filmed, for they bring cultures together in a positive, heartwarming way. There is a hope in the world as long as there are people like you - opposite to all those, whose way of life became hatred and exclusion and things I thought we had defeated a long time ago. As for the dual citinzeship - it's not just about this legal formality - in a broader sense, it's about the right of every person to have MULTIPLE IDENTITIES as well. The regressive forces that are on the rise (again) in the world want to limit and squeeze the human being to only one identity, more often in an "OR-EITHER" manner. But, as you said, and despite all their efforts and protests, the world simply doesn't work like that anymore - and more and more souls just don't want to be defined with a single identity anymore. They - we - want to enjoy all of our identities equally, without coercion to give up any part of ourselves or our origin in favor of another part. And laws like this are just the first step to a freeer and more inclusive world. Again, thank you for this video and keep up the good work (and continue to spread messages like this)!
Being natural born German, I took a shot at the German naturalization test, taking a great chunk of the 300+ questions. After somewhere past 100 I got tired, without getting a single one wrong. Very easy. But I realized, that's quite some learning to do for people who're not naturally born German. Do you even know what "Bundesrat" is, for instance, or could you quickly name all 16 states by heart? With their respective capitals? What's the body called that elects the Bundespräsident, and how is it constituted?
Could you still pass the theoretical drivers exam? Probably not without learning a few weeks….doesn‘t mean you are a bad driver. Anyone can learn for a test and then go on and reboot the system… Language skills are way harder to learn
@@lynnm6413 In fact that's what I'm bothered with. My soon to be 18 yo child needs to pass the drivers exam I'm trying to teach him. Huge difference is: Naturalization test requires mere > 50 % to pass. Drivers exam requires all questions to be answered correctly, with very few wrong answers. In fact I failed my first attempt in 1996.
The most absurd thing about the absolutely stupid prohibition on dual citizenship was, that it always existed: For children and descendents of binational couples. My children hold three citizenships (German, Spanish and Argentinean), and so do many people. But the CDU/CSU was never known to use common sense when setting their political agenda.
I went through the old procedure (10 years ago), and I am realy glad for the next genereations, that they have easier way to be full members of the german society.
As a Fijian Islander with a German father, the rules have changed in 2021 to give me a pathway to citizenship. something i could only dream of before. Opportunity isnt something that is common in my country and i look forward to becomming part of my fathers homeland
I personally don’t like to have multiple citizenships. To many potential obligations. I don’t think it should be forbidden by law to have multiple citizenships because it is an individual decision.
A hopefully theoretical question is: what would happen in case of a war ? If somebody has a German passport and that of the opponent ? Would we send these people to detainment camps (as the US had done with citizens with Japanese (and German?) origin in WW2) ? What with military service ? In some countries you must do that. So if there is somebody having serviced in country A could or must he do that in country B, too ? Then he would need to swear oaths to both countries ? On the other hand with some countries it is practically or legally impossible to get rid of citizenship. Without dual citizenship they never would have the opportunity to really integrate in their new home.
As a German i think this is a good reform. There is one i thing i don't like: apparently it will be possible for men to refuse to shake hands with women for religious reasons and still get German citizenship. I really don't believe that this reflects behavior according to our constitution, hopefully this will be corrected or clarified (for instance by courts). But i guess that is a minority. I wish you and your family all the best and keep us posted on your way to German citizenship.
You can forget that. Freedom of religion is the holy cow of fundamental rights in Germany. If evert two clash, and one is religious freedom, it will allways win. Bodily autonomy and circumcision was a good example.
After Corona a lot of people ha fond other ways to greet each other… I wouldn‘t mind that issue so much if it wasn‘t an indicator of how much misogyny will be imported into the workplace by men living after their holy scriptures…any religion is basically anti women, if one takes those old books seriously.
@@Hosenbisla when freedom of religion entails stripping the rights of a protected class, the protected class will prevail. Otherwise people could claim their "religion" gives them the right to own women or slaves. That said, humanity would be VERY well served if it could evolve past its medieval superstitions.
@@dudeonbike800 i do not think the concept of a protected class exists in german law. And even if it would exist, i am pretty sure we would put every religion in the catageory of protected class.
I am ever so happy for you. I lived in a other country if my parents would have stayed there I always thougt of becoming a south African . That was my home. But I can imagine and quite know how you may feel I think I would also take the chance of the dual citizinship. I realy hope that you are happy here. Many greetings from Christiane 😊😊❤ But we ca
Maybe now I can convince my US husband to get German citizenship. He’s been living (and working) here since 1991, never wanted to give up his US citizenship. Because he turned 67 a few weeks ago, it would also mean that he wouldn’t be required to pass Language and Naturalization Tests, which he doesn’t feel up to, basically going to school at his age. And his German is “special” 😂 with great vocabulary but miserable grammar …
Ok, just to clarify: Your husband moved to Germany at the age of 34, has been living here for 33 years, is married to a german wife, but his language skills are so "special" that he is afraid to fail the language test?
@@chrish.5911 Yes. He never had in depth formal German language instructions, started working 11 days after arrival (in Germany) as a carpenter, surrounded by coworkers who mostly spoke Swabian dialect. For over 20 years. Later he worked as a truck driver, surrounded by many non German drivers, pretty much only his bosses and the customers spoke German, but there wasn’t much talking done during his workday. At home I spoke English to our children, wanting to make sure they wouldn’t lose it resp learn it. (At work I also spoke and wrote mainly English. After nearly 12 years in the USA I’m quite proficient.) And we watched English news channels, BBC and movies in English language whenever it was possible. In those 3 decades he aquired a very large vocabulary, understands nearly everything, learned the German “R” sound (he can even roll the R like a Frankonian or Bavarian) but when he speaks more than a few simple sentences one can tell he’s not German. (He was often taken to be Dutch or Swedish, no idea why.) He never left the warpath with German grammar, German declinations, declensions, the cases, the tenses, and the many prefixes and suffixes and such confuse him. As a simple example, after he signed something, he’d say: “Ich habe untergeschrieben” instead of “Ich habe unterschrieben”. Just can’t get it into his head that the “ge” in “geschrieben” (from verb “schreiben”) is dropped when the verb is the past tense of “unterschreiben” … Lastly, he’s not eager to apply for German citizenship (he has a permanent Aufenthaltstitel) and even less eager to take any tests.
just as a side-note: this law also affects german ex-pats that up to now had to renounce german citizenship when applying for citizenship in a non-eu country
I am a german (citizen), living in Quebec, Canada, for over thirty years as a permanent resident, but without canadian citizenship, as I never want to loose my right to return home. Both my adult children (born here to a canadian mother) hold dual citizenship, but I was never eligible. In the very worrisome state our western world finds itself in, the recent demonstrations in Germany, and the passed naturalisation law give me some hope and strengthen my resolve to return. I thank for your thoughtful, informative, and balanced Videos, which I enjoy for some time already.
German here living in Montana, USA. 37 years. Let's wait and let us all apply for the citizenship in the country we reside! Wir schaffen dass. Wird aber nicht billig. LOL Petra
Happy Sunday everyone! This week's video touches on subjects that are bound to bring up a lot of emotions and strong feelings. Those on both sides of the political spectrum can be rightfully passionate about their positions on the expansion of citizenship. However, there is a line between constructive discourse and hateful aggression that I won't tolerate in this comments section. One is free to express, but not to hate by expression. Any comments that cross that line will be deleted. ✌
Really glad that you are both an US Citizen and European Citizen! Welcome!
Greetings from a fellow "furriner" who just passed the first year mark and thanks for clarifying the dual nationality topic: as an Italian I was not affected by the issue before yet I welcome the change, for exactly the same reasons you mentioned, namely it is the modern and reasonable thing to do.
More than once in the video I thought I could hear your voice cracking up a bit, I can imagine what huge positive impact this law can have on your family. All the best aus Franken :)
Small correction: At approx. 1:19 it is not Bärbel Bas speaking but Yvonne Magwas, Vice Speaker of the Bundestag for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. (Source "Plenarprotokoll 20/148")
Fake seit you dort Nottingham from the german Politik 🤮
You don't what to be a German just like the Germans, you want the special privilege of a German citizenship on top of being American. Why should people allow you to vote on the future of their country while you are not committed to it but want to keep the right to return to the USA. The entitlement is strong in this one, no wonder people are getting tired of 'expats'.
As a Dutch citizen I congratulate you all with the opportunity of becoming German citizens. Mind you, if you are German citizens you are automatically EU citizens which means you can settle and work in any EU country if you should wish so.
Brexit was a total f*ck up for us as a family but now my daughter can apply for dual German/British citizenship.
❤Wilders❤
Plus the rest of EEA+CH
@@welshskiesShe should’ve been able to get it while Britain was still in the EU. I got it in 2018.
@@MalikWashington-o6yfuckkkk nexit
Former US citizen here.
I have lived in Germany for 43 years. Nearly twice as long as I ever lived in the US. There were repeated attempts to pass dual citizenship but hopes were always dashed. 13 years ago I gave up and renounced my US citizenship and acquired German. At that point it was only pragmatic and, honestly, considering the state of society in the US, it was clear I would never go back. As to family in the US, there are not many left (I am 66) as a matter of natural attrition and my children and grandchildren are here.
But I am very glad for you that this may become a possibility for your family. We shall see. Good luck!!!!🙂🙂🙂
wow I'm the Austrian version of you. I've been in Vienna since 1979 and had to renounce my US citizenship in 1998 to become an Austrian citizen. The Austrian laws are even more restrictive than the German ones and getting citizenship is very expensive. But I wanted to vote and end the burocratic hurdles for changing jobs
Don't you have to pay taxes to the US if you don't renounce your US citizenship Or does that top when you aquire your second citizenship?
Afaik, giving up US citizenship is quite expensive, like 2000 Dollars plus...
Was it the same back then?
It should maybe also be noted, that there are countries on planet earth, where giving up citizenship isn't possible at all!
All is well providing the USA doesn't suddenly have a fascist ideology controlling all three branches (actually four) of the federal government. That is completely possible with our strange way of interpenetrating who wins elections. i. e. your vote may not count.
If Trump gets elected and the GOP controls the other two legislative branches because of human stupidity, then he may 'enact' probably by 'executive' order, that all Americans with dual citizenship either renounce their foreign citizenship or have their American citizenship revoked. Hitler also ordered all Germans back home, as I remember.
The real global issues now are so far beyond ideas about immigration and concepts of nationalism these arguments are like pissing in the wind compared to environmental caused disasters of the future.
Excuse me for thinking the enlightenment is over and the dark ages are upon us.
Herzlich willkommen. Deutschland kann froh sein, einen so klugen und ausgewogenen Menschen in seiner Mitte zu haben.
Thank you for another great video, Ashton! I'm a 34 year old American who has been living in Berlin for 13 years. I have been waiting for this law for a long time, and I am so excited that it is finally here. Like you, I feel deep inside of me that I am neither fully American nor fully German/European. Possessing only one of these passports does not feel like a true indication of my identity. I will always be an American in my heart, but when I'm back in the States visiting, I also feel deep inside of me that that country is no longer fully "home" for me. Spending essentially my entire adult life in Germany has changed me on a fundamental level, and I am ready to give back by participating in the democratic process. I am ready to be a German and a European officially, because I already feel that way and have for a long time.
Basically you are not since you won‘t give up your US citizenship.
The second shit hits the fan you are off to good old US 😂🤡
I just want to say you are one of the smartest, most eloquent and balanced TH-camrs I've ever seen. And it's clear you put a lot of work into explaining things clearly and calmly. It's appreciated.
Thank you!
Well said 👍👍👍
Very balanced, just left out rape and murder statistics that went through the roof since 2015
@@AmadeusMozart-yk5uk Schon mal in Ruhe darüber nachgedacht was so alles in Deiner Jugend schief gelaufen sein muss?
@@camiro66 Schon mal darüber nachgedacht, dass seit 2015 Delikte wie Vergewaltigung und Körperverletzung unproportional oft vorkommen?
I’m in the process of getting German citizenship through my Oma so prior to this new law, I wouldn’t have to renounce. But I’m so glad that now everyone can keep their first citizenship if they want. The world is much more global than it was in the past and countries need to progress forward if they want to be competitive and bring in (and keep) workers!
Congratulations Ashton! I'm happy for you and your family! And your statement: "That's just not the way the world works anymore" applies to so many things. And needs to be shouted from the rooftops at those that want to move the world backward instead of forward!
Thank you for not giving up hope in us, welcome to Germany! 🤗
Ich freue mich für Eure Familie, dass Euch die Gelegenheit gegeben wird, vollständig am Leben unserer und Eurer Gemeinschaft teilzuhaben.
Die Zukunft heißt Afrika, auch in Hamburg und Düsseldorf. 😂
Tschüss Nordstream! Danke Amerika. Hahaha...
Irgendjemand muss ja Mutubus Bürgergeld erwirtschaften
@@sweden_is_xxxxOk dann geh halt weg aus de . Niemanden juckts
Gday Ashton and family.
I loved seeing your excitement of finally being able to apply German citizenship for your entire family. I send my congratulations and best wishes for your future in Germany ❤️
I fully understand how exciting this is for you, as I have dual U.S.-Italian citizenships. Having an E.U. passport is a treasure, and not just for a slate of "benefits," but for being able to participate in the governance and well being of our community. Thank you for sharing this good news.
In the UK I have noticed that politicians promoting the idea the of "British values" don't seem to exhibit those values themselves when it comes to policies and actions that they take in government.
This is exciting for you and your family and it’s nice to see your exuberance! I’ll have to speak to my brother to get his thoughts. He has lived in Freiburg for ~40 years and my nephew, born in Germany in the early ‘90s, holds a dual citizenship. My brother never wanted to give up his U.S. citizenship so this may be a welcome change for him.
Sehr geehrte Black Forest Family, viel Erfolg auf dem Weg in die deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft!
very much following this as well. we have lived in Germany for, well, a long time. military then govie then jumped into private sector. wife and I are 'muricans and are now deep into our B1 certification courses. We are now really excited about the possibilities and the future of staying here. good stuff! great analysis, report style - spot on.
Thank you Ashton for the video. We are an American German family looking forward to this change.
Great news, also for my German friends in Canada who have hesitated to apply for citizenship here. Good luck yourselves.
Hm I thought it didn’t work the other way. If you’re a German citizen already you could become a dual citizen with another country.
@@nicktankard1244 not really … you get it easily only from other EU countries … any country outside the EU you can not easily get there citizenship. U must apply to German government to hold your German citizenship too … so it’s not so easy in general. It looks for me that German when u are living outside the EU you still can’t have a dual citizenship? If so then It’s just benefits “ only “ for this group of people who immigrate to Germany. This people will now have the opportunity to get the German citizenship too. If so it’s BAD for me
I can clarify. You had to apply for „Beibehaltung“ before you applied for the citizenship in order to not lose your German citizenship.
@@wolfgangselle4307 Germans living in America have been entitled to be dual citizens, but require a so called Retention Permit to keep German citizenship (“Beibehaltungsgenehmigung”) in order not to lose their German citizenship through naturalization abroad (Sect. 17, 25 German citizenship law).
@@OchNe926 I know that! That is not the question. To get permit is not so easy! The application is not complicated but to have the right reason to get this permit is the “ problem “. I was thought with the new law it’s also possible to get the 2nd passport without this application. That’s what I mean. Just have to the same with countries in EU. In this cases u must not apply. U can have both citizenships from Germany and the other EU country!
My mom is a German citizen (I was born in the US) and I couldn't even be considered - Patrilineage only! Poor migrants/asylum seekers have been a big load on German society, cultural identity and norms though.
I had taken it for granted that I would never qualify for dual citizenship and I learned about this entire debate through your channel. Congratulations to you (and me!), and thanks for the very helpful historical overview!
Thank you so much for sharing! You and I have very similar circumstances (age, kids, education, etc.), so your videos have been very helpful. I am American, my SO is American and an EU citizen, but not German. I’ve been living in Germany for seven years, my SO has been here for nine years. I birthed both of our children here, and we plan to stay here. It means so much to our family that we now can become German citizens without having to give up our American citizenship. Germany is our children’s home, and it will become a huge part of their identity. It makes sense to give them German citizenship, even though they already have EU citizenship, but this wasn’t possible before, because they would’ve had to give up their American citizenship otherwise. I know we are not the only ones who feel this way. Thank you, Germany 🫶
All I can say is Willkommen und schön das ihr da seid und bleiben wollt!
I was one of those who took to the streets to stand up for our democracy. I am very happy for you that politicians have made a wise decision. We are one world. I'm looking forward to seeing your German ID!!! Welcome 😘
Wow, what a well-timed video and turn of events for me. I've had my German consulate's web page tab open for months in my browser already. Need to proceed with my passport application, regardless of what transpires in the near term.
Thank you!
Gruesse aus Montana. Ich hoffe, dein Antrag geht schnell durch und ein Konsulat ist in deiner Naehe. Mein Reisepass ist seit 2021 ungueltig und wenn du wie ich im Staat Montana wohnst, musst du nach San Francisco fliegen, um einen neuen zu bekommen.
@@moellerborn Really? Never heard that before.
Well reported. Thanks, I’m an American also living in Germany since 10 years now. You covered this well.
thank you Ashton - enjoying your eloquent videos!
Extending citizenship to everybody who is here long-term should be normal. I find it shameful when politicians suggest that people born elsewhere are somehow representatives of another country, their political leadership and policies, and that there is only one right way of being German (for whatever that means). Also implies, that all Germans are to be uniform and if you don't agree, you can't be properly German.
And yet the national football team of germany gets booed in their own capital city 😂😂😂
And yet thousands in germany vote for erdogan in germany.
And yet the turkish AKP sends their politicians here and opens mosques and give speeches and interfere with politics in germany
And yet the Ditib does spionage for Erdogan.
And yet Erdogan tells turks to reproduce more in germany
Oh boy, i wonder how somebody can be so naive^^
" ... physical manifestation of what I feel..."
Thanks for the perfect words on this topic.
You don't even need to go to another continent. I live in the UK and work as a town councillor beside my regular job. I have been here for 5 years now and would really like to vote in the general elections, but this would only be possible with a British passport. On top of that I still have family in Germany (parents in their late 70's), and therefore I need to be able to get there quickly and easily without having to think about paperwork. Dual citizenship will make my life so much easier. I'd be able to be a full member in society plus being able to keep doing whatever I need to do in Germany for the next 10-20 years.
Congratulations to you and your family! I'm a German who has been living in the Pacific Northwestern US for 50 years. I have been wanting to become a US citizen but was not willing to give up my German citizenship for a number of reasons. Now I may revisit getting the US citizenship.
Thank you for the outstanding presentation! Cheers from Oregon!
Same here! 37 years in Montana! Will apply as soon as the law is signed!
@@moellerborn Good luck to you!
Me too! Living in the US since 20 years and would feel much better being also an American citizen. But I wasn't willing to give up my German citizenship either. Finally!! Thanks for letting us all know!! ❤
Congratulations to you and your family. Your videos are well researched, structured, and thought through. Your content is balanced and profound. You are a gain for Germany. I'm glad you're here.
Thank you so much!
My wife and I were as young children born in Germany. We are Canadian and the fact the we are of the same ethnic background is by chance...the cute girl working in the room next to me 50 years ago. I have never given dual citizenship a second thought, but my wife thought it might be nice for our kids to have. We do visit Germany on occasion. I myself never cared for it until we took over a month in 2005 to tour all parts of Germany and visit family there. I can see why you like living there.
I live in a small city at the border of the US and the advantage is the ethnic communities are small and everyone goes to the same high schools and there are many happy marriages across religious and ethnic lines.
The problem is in a large city's like Toronto you have very high concentrations of different ethnic groups in certain areas giving silo effects and you get ... My son would never dishonor me by marrying some one like that (a white person..or other race). The slaves who used the underground railroad to get to Halifax still encounter racism. We have a relative in Germany who just married someone of Turkish origin that had the wedding delayed years because of issues with the Turkish parents. A tour guide in Rome told us that he had no issue with the refugees/ immigrants if the wanted to become Italian, just that many do not want to, the just want to live there as there own people. Look at issues in Sweden. There are a lot if legitimate concerns and i could go on and on.
I hope Germany does not loose a lot of its history and traditions since I suspect a lot of new citizens will not care.
I am happy for you and your new life in Germany. All the best and your family.
Ashton into (German) politics! I would be very happy if the Black Forest Family also had German citizenship! You belong to us.❤
Thank you Arno. We are really excited.
Hi Arno, I agree to 100% to both statements! People like Ashton and her family who are really having the desire to integrate, sharing our democratic values and doing their best to be a valuable asset to our society along with being a happy and successful family are more than just welcomed. I also don't care about her then still holding an US passport - it's just a piece of paper. She doesn't know yet but we won't send or allow her to go back anyways. I'm just not sure she can have a successful and at the same time self-satisfying career as a German politician. She IMHO just works too hard on in-depth research and facts compared to the politicians in our society who are often only concerned with their own reputation and influence. But she would definitely have my vote.
@@Opa_Andre Hi Andre, ja absolut
Dual nationality should be MANDATORY. After all, It leaves the possibility of revoking the "new" nationality and extradite people who commit a crime instantly without causing them to become stateless. As a country you can give but also take away.
One aspect with dual citizenship that needs to be considered is the prevalence of applicable law. In your case that would mean: While you are in Germany, German law would have preference and precedence over the laws of the USA. And when you are in Kansas, the laws of the USA would have preference and precedence over German law. If you travel in the Schengen area of Europe with your German citizenship you enjoy full freedom of movement and stay, but if you travel with your USA citizenship you are restricted to a maximum of 90 days stay for every 180 days (unless you have a visa with different restrictions).
But for international travel it is still recommended to use only one OR the other of your passports, and to keep the other one well out of sight. And in many countries, if you are a natural born citizen it is generally a bad idea to use a “secondary” passport to enter or leave that country. Equally, if you entered a third country on one passport, do not use your other passport mid-stay, as that could get you on the wrong side of the law for undocumented or illegal entry. (These are some of the lessons learned during almost 30 years of international travel with dual passports.)
It's actually pretty basic, and in most cases the law. When entering/leaving a country (or area like Schengen) that you are a citizen of you must use your local passport to enter/leave and if requested by official governmental representatives. In any other non related county you can choose which passport to use.
As for the applicable law, regardless of your citizenship, local/state/federal laws always apply.
@@AL5520 I agree with your basic premise that local laws apply. Though I probably should have clarified it explicitly that the precedence of law applies when there is a “conflict of jurisdiction”. That is, for example when multiple jurisdictions try to subpoena you. When you are in Germany, then German procedural law applies even if USA laws would be more favorable. When you are in USA, then USA procedural law applies even if German laws would be more favorable. But when you are in a third country, you select (to some extent) the more favorable law to apply.
I know, this delves into the realm of international law. But having dual citizenship myself, and being accused of foreign allegiance in the country of my birth while embroiled in contempt of custody and [parental] kidnapping, pushed me to educate myself for a law degree to better defend myself. And the embassy of my secondary citizenship told me that they could not assist me in any shape or form while I am in the country of my birth citizenship, unless I had renounced that citizenship.
I entered the country I'm a natural born citizen of with one Passport and left with the other, do I have to fear consequences if I travel to that country again?
@@MisterPyOne It depends on that law of that country but usually it is a violation of the law. The consequences also depends on the law and governmental system.
In general if they have a good immigration registration system you won't be able to do it as your entry will be registered on one passport so the officer will not see an entry on your other passport.
If it is illegal, you've managed to do it and therefore you are still registered as being in the country it can, depending on the laws, cause financial problems. Most countries do not tax citizens that live out of that country under certain conditions, usually ones that shows that your main residency is in the other country. One of the ways is how long you've been staying so if your exit won't be registered they might start taxing you after a certain time period.
@@AL5520 Well said: It depends on many different factors.
Some countries could ban you from ever entering again because of a visa violation.
In others they could confiscate your passport and/or identification documents. And de facto detain you, resulting in a legal struggle lasting years that might even prevent you from leaving the country.
This can be especially tricky when the exit and entry is handled at a common checkpoint. And with the globalized digital data exchange and sharing that transportation companies are forced to do with government agencies, it pays to be very careful.
Then there is also the different ways that names are handled for example on marriage. In some countries the marriage act is at the same time a legal name change for at least one spouse. In other countries the marriage act is *NEVER* a legal name change, but appending the [first] surname of your spouse to your own name is considered a customary courtesy. So that your names could be different in your passports. And that could cause issues, since the name on the ticket is not the same as in the passport you are trying to use.
Dual citizenship should not be a thing. You can only have loyalty to one country.
🤣🤣 I’m a dual citizen of Ireland just because my mom was born there in 1930. She came to the US as a baby!
I had contemplated once about getting the German Passport as I would have qualified for it since my great grandfather was German, and his family immigrated to America. I also knew him personally. There was a provision in the immigration law under which I would qualify even though I wasn't living in Germany. I had a meeting at the Counsulate in Wien, many documents translated, needed to get the ship info, etc. The refuge situation came into play, then no applications were being accepted, to be followed later by Covid. One delay after the other. After living in Austria for 30 years, I applied for citizenship here, got through the process, gave up my US citizenship, finally became a citizen this past August. No regrets. I feel very much at home in southern Austria in the Alps. Wishing you all the best! LG aus Villach-Warmbad.
Dear Ashton and family
just wanted to say a very worm welcome to your becoming
Dual citizenship 🎉
I will get my dual citizenship
As well thx to you 👍
Greetings from Berlin 👍😀
Dual citizenship is just a first step. In 2004 I got my Swiss citizensehip - no problem here to keep my US citizenship. But then in 2013, when I was informed, that US IRS would consider my pension "income" not as income, per se, but rather as "Capital gains", which would be taxed at 25% without possibility of any US tax credit, it became the last straw (well, actually 2nd to last straw) and made the decision to renounce my US citizenship. That and the FACTA laws which provoked Swiss banks to separating themselves from US citizens OR even spouses of US citizens, I renounced in 2013. Never actually regretted this, never looked back and enjoy the freedom to particpate in Switzerland's political Landschaft.
So when you do get your German citizenship, then your introspection should begin, as to whether you take the next step - renouncing your US citizenship. It "only" costs $2250 now - when I did it it cost me $450. What will it cost in another 10 years.
Ashton... You said some wise words here. I love this channel so much for its great research and the cosmopolitan image it projects. I am very happy that we were finally able to get this law passed. Thanks for this video!
Dear Ashton, I was expecting you to make this video, and you never disappoint!
I went to the demonstration against the rise of fascism in Köln with my German colleagues from work, after that journalistic investigation report was published. Me being Ukrainian and fresh from the integration course, I was very much surprised, that that news report about secret AfD plans was even brought up in the work chats - I was told in the integration courses that you are not supposed to discuss politics or religion at a workplace. But maybe my Kölner colleagues were just different.
1000 protesters were expected by organisers, 30 000 came that day. I was astonished and very much relieved to be in this crowd. And when in a few days later there was another demo with 70 000 attendees - wow, that really moved me.
I might soon be eligible for the double citizenship as well, because I want to pass my C1 exam this year. I never even thought about this possibility for me, because I want to stay a Ukrainian citizen even if I now live in Germany.
I stopped having plans for the future on February 24th 2022, but now I feel like maybe there could be stability in my life again.
welcome and thanks for your engagement =)
on the topics of political discussion at work - its depends... not necessarily a good idea to do it without knowing the environment and collegues, as you dont want to sour the professional relationship...these are people you likely have to interact with on a daily basis for the foreseeable future
but: from my experience we tend to be pretty open about talking politics and discussing current events in general, including the workplace - i know some of my collegues for example are actively working for the local support group of the green party and they happily discuss their efforts and the overal political situation in town hall
so its probably best not to necessarily lead with politics when youre new, but its not really a taboo topic
best of luck with your exams and hope you get your double citizenship soon =)
@@SharienGaming oh, thanks for explaining! Yes, I follow that strategy too, I don't start those conversations, but when my colleagues do, I do engage in them. It's also a sort of an ice breaker, I do feel more included to the team when people open up like that, sharing their beliefs. But yes, I wouldn't want to complicate my communication with somebody at work, even if we wouldn't necessarily attend the same rally. It's challenging for me to get my point across in German as it is🤣 But I do my best.
Demonstrate all you want.
In the next 50 years 15-22 Million muslim arabs will enter germany and become the majority.
You can talk about tolerance with them.
I heard the Taliban have a thing for women rights haha😂😂😂
love your content - I barely pay attention to german news, so this channel actually is great to give me a high level overview of what's going on
This is great news, thanks for the clear and balanced explanation. I’m Canadian and have lived in Germany since 1995 but don’t want to renounce my first citizenship. Now it looks like I won’t have to and I can be an active participant in this democracy, and also take the EU lane when flying into Germany!
Congratulations and best wishes for the remaining path to your German citizenship. Great having you here!
I left Germany 2 years ago after living there for 3 years. Should’ve stayed. I could’ve been eligible for citizenship this spring. Instead I will have to wait for 2+ years in Canada. Bummer.
One of the main reasons why I left was the long wait for permanent residency and citizenship. It was much faster in Canada. But now Germany is almost on par.
You left Germany to enjoy Canadian LGBTQIA+++ driven totalitarians…hope you an enjoy living under Trudeau
Why did you want citizenship so badly? I'm currently a student in de intending to stay and eventually get citizenship, and yeah the Ausländerbehörde is a real PITA at times, but I personally wouldn't base my decision on the land in which I feel most at home on their respective burocratic experiences.
@@guy1524because I’m tired of living with a useless passport. I need a visa to visit any country. So it’s not easy and cheap to travel. Also having a passport from my country now is one of the worst things. Lots of sanctions and always in danger of being deported to my country of citizenship and end up in jail or sent to war. Because it’s a dictatorship. That’s stressful. I want to renounce it as soon as I get another citizenship.
@ThuglifeNYC I’m from Russia. One of the worst places to be from these days :)
@ThuglifeNYC im suspecting originally russian citizen, based on the threat of being sent to war
and genuinely... i can understand their worries - those are some very realistic fears
best of luck nick, stay safe
You have a gift for taking complex concepts and making it them easy to understand ❤. Great work
Congratulations 🎉 Thank you for that concise and professional explanation of recent events in Germany. I’m dual-citizen American-German by birth (German parents), and very thankful that it now is easier for all. My parents have lived in the US 50+ years, and had to give up their German citizenship when they accepted the US one. Not that they’d move back (my dad doesn’t fly anymore, he’s 93), but at least they have the option. Had lived in Germany 17 years myself, the last 20 years living back in the States. Living in L.A. is like living in a melting pot of nationalities, it’s like a global village. Nationalism sadly becoming more pronounced in the US too, fueled in part by climate refugees. Was following the news in Germany & EU with the problems of integration- this new law will hopefully help. Hopefully the people of the world will become more tolerant as they learn to accept other people’s cultures and traditions, for the benefit of future generations.
You're lucky the Germans recognized you as German. It's because of the father: you're officially German through the father.
You are automatically German if your mother is German, nomatter where you are born. So a child born to a German mother in the USA will be dual citizen. Also like my daughter who had a US father when she was born in Germany. She did get an US birthcertificate of a citizen born abroad at the consulate in Frankfurt. And she is German, because me, her mother is. Her sons are dual citizen because one was born in Germany to a german mother and an US father, and the other born in the USA to a german mother and US father and automatically a US citizen since he was born in the USA. It is very complicated. LOL@@erichamilton3373
Thanks, Ashton, for your great video, which explains the issue in a very thoughtful way. And a warm welcome to you and your family as German citizens very soon.
I am Dutch, and thank God my country (nearly) forbids dual citizenship. What if a war breaks out? What if you have conflict between countries of which you have both passports? Who's side are you on? I do not understand that you won't renounce US citizenship. Yes, it is a bit difficult and expensive, but life's choices are choices, it is not getting everything at the same time. That is not how life works. I do deplore that US citizens in the Netherlands are granted dual citizenship because it is too difficult to get rid of the US citizenship. What the heck? Lastly, having dual citizenship is kind of discriminatory. These people have two fall back options, and two voting rights whilst normal people only have one. I am generally left leaning, but I do think that (Dutch) citizenship is something that can only be awarded to people who speak Dutch at home. No idea how you could check that, but that is what I feel.
A few things to keep in mind:
1) Many countries ask that voting citizens also hold residence in the country. If you want to make sure that your fellow countrymen aren't voting when they don't live there anymore, you can pass laws that restrict this without compromising dual citizenship. In my case, I would continue to vote in US elections simply because the US government continues to ask that I file tax returns and comply with banking disclosures even though I don't live there anymore. As long as my government wants to keep tabs on me overseas, then I think its my right as a citizen to influence who speaks on my behalf in that government. But it also isn't Germany's job to tell the US who gets to participate in US elections.
2) Many countries also ask that those who are dual citizens renounce their duality if they want to be a member of the military. The US for example, disallows any dual national from holding a position with security clearance. Again, this is not new.
I totally understand how you feel. I know a buddy who has lived in Canada for 30 years who is a Dutch citizen and won’t give it up to become Canadian citizen. His daughter can get duel because he is Dutch. How do you feel about birthright citizenship? I am duel citizen through birthright citizenship from a EU country that doesn’t allow duel citizenship. My EU country has probably the most strictest citizenship laws.
So now you will be not just a German citizen, but also a European citizen: welcome in our big community Ashton, from an Italian viewer strong believer of EU
A problem in the discussion is that no distinction is made between asylum seekers and migration. In order to be able to enter and work legally as a foreigner, there are very high requirements, which is why too few people come to Germany legally to work here. Immigrating illegally and applying for asylum, on the other hand, is very easy. As a result, the proportion of people with a migrant background has increased from 10 to over 20% in the last 10 years, while at the same time more than half of social assistance recipients are people with a migrant background. This leads to the argument being often made either with: "Germany needs immigrants to keep the economy going" or "immigrants only live on welfare." The fact that the topic is a bit more complicated is often overlooked.
Just a short notice: if you enter Germany to seek asylum you are not "Immigrating illegally". That holds even if you are not granted asylum later.
@@invarietateconcordia9541 The wording is a bit unfortunate, according to the Geneva Convention it is currently impossible for someone to legally apply for asylum in Germany (the flight ends at the place where there is no longer a risk to life, every further journey is migration). But illegal asylum seekers are even more confusing than illegal immigrants.
Most of what u wrote i right out wrong.
2013 we hat 16 mio ppl with an immigration background from 80.6mio population.
16/80.6 = 20%
Today we have 24mio from 83mio with a migration background which is 28%.
That metric is very misleading though, as u can have 3 german grandparents and still be counted as a person with migration background.
So even with 0 immigration the percentage of ppl with migration backgrounds can increase just by Germans having kids with an immigrant.
Its a rather silly statistic if u understand it.
Next u claimed ppl migrated illegally and then applied for asylum. That isn't true by definition as u are allowed to cross multiple borders "illegally" to apply for asylum.
And no the Geneva protocol does not say anything about u haveing to apply for asylum in the first safe country. That is a common lie by the far right. Just read the damn text urself before spreading nazi propaganda.
I could go on, but I find it tiring to deal with nazi propaganda which seem to never end.
Please inform urself instead of blindly spreading nazi propaganda.
@@jonawolf8023
That isn't true.
I would also suggest to do some background reading on the drafting of the text if ur englisch or legal understanding isn't on par.
How can ppl spread this nonsense so willingly, without doing proper research.
It's a delicate topic so maybe do inform urself in a proper way before spreading far right conspiracies.
@@invarietateconcordia9541
Thanks that is a very important information.
It is a common myth based on far right propaganda that asylum seekers aren't allowed to cross multiple borders or have to settle in the first safe place they find, which is quite an absurd notion if u think about it more than one minute, but it seems as if some fist decide that migrants are criminals and then come up with a reason why after the fact.
I hope you guys made it. As a German I love to see that and wish you all the best.
Enjoy life here it is worth to stay 😊
I'm British living in Germany with dual nationality. Since Brexit, even though I'm still a British citizen, because I am married to a German I have effectively lost my right to live in Britain. I can live in 27 different countries but not my home land because the UK immigration laws mean that less well off people cannot immigrate with their spouses. People just don't realise that tougher immigration will also mean a weakening of pension rights, health care and a poorer society in general. This is an important message that is not getting through to enough people.
It's just the typical, i have it bad so somebody has to be at fault. And what's easier than pointing the finger at refugees and migrants? They get free money and i get nothing, even though i'm German?!! Easy solution to complex questions rarely get you the right answers.
Brexit was a total f*ck up for us as a family but now my daughter can apply for dual German/British citizenship. She lives and works in Berlin, speaks German and has a German partner. The day I lost my EU citizenship because of BREXIT was the day I decided to become a Welsh nationalist supporting an independent Wales in the EU. Yes Cymru.
It's just a matter of time until the UK will reapply for EU member status. How long it will take, I don't know...but considering how Brexit turned out economically and socially and what brits in general think about it after a few years (a solid majority thinks it was a huge mistake) I'd be very surprised if the UK wouldn't rejoin the EU sooner or later
Edit: By economically and socially, I meant the whole infrastructure with agreements with the EU member states, including pension rights, health care, immigration laws, union laws, travel restrictions etc. I just used it as an umbrella term, or I would write a book😅
@@charlyfritz6690I really do hope so. If Donald Trump gets re-elected in the US the stupidity of Brexit will become even more obvious.
@@welshskies That's a whole different topic, but let's just say I agree with you(about Trump) or I'll go on a rant and off-topic, that doesn't belong here...I'm pretty sure Rishi Sunak won't be the Prime minister after the next elections. And while it may take a while (the UK can't have it both ways) but ultimately there will be concessions made on both sides (EU and UK), take this with a grain of salt, that's just my opinion
Heyyyy, congrats with great news for you and your family! It's also great news for me and all my international friends who studied and now work in Germany, so we're celebrating all together! :>>>
I’ve had dual citizenship between Germany and the USA since I was born. My dad is American my mom German it always felt strange to me that this was not normal. Congratulations to you this is wonderful
I imagine you were born after 1977. I was born pre-1977: you were only German through the father.
@@erichamilton3373 Interesting, I didn't know that. I too hold dual citizenship, because even though, my family lived outside of germany and the EU for 2 generations, they held the german citizenship throughout that, so I have it now too.
Hello Ashton,
your reports and stories are getting better and better. The more I see, the more I look forward to more.
This info topped everything I've seen from you so far. As a native German, I would just like to say: Hats off, chapeau. A really professional level. The statistics and background information are also excellently chosen and wonderfully presented.
Have you ever thought about doing some things for Deutsche Welle or other broadcasters?
Keep up the good work.
Best regards
greetings from belgium, welcome to you and all others from any place around the world. so nice you find our way of living and our way to organize goverment the best or at least as good as your country of birth
Thank you for a very informative and needed video. A thought or maybe a suggestion. How about a video about being an expat and dealing with the tax system in the United States. It is one thing that keeps us anchored because of the 3 ring circus I've heard it can be to be an expat and still having to file US taxes.
Again thank you. Your videos are a Sunday morning staple and I look forward to them.
I feel your joy, as a British national who procrastinated so long that I failed to acquire dual nationality before Brexit fully came into force. I have moved from having no voting rights a year ago, to potentially having full voting rights in Germany, in Britain (the law changed 16th (?) January) and having full voting rights in Europe.
For information,
One does not need to take the nationality test if one has completed an apprenticeship Germany, one does not need to take the language test if one has studied (successfully passed?) at a German university or equivalent institution.
I learned this too late after giving out over €300 ...
@TypeAshton: What does US law say about holding both US and in your case German citizenship?
I'm not Ashton, but I do know the answer: the US has no problem with dual citizenship. As a US citizen, one is required to file an income tax return regardless of where one lives. Additionally, if one decides to serve in the armed forces of another country then US citizenship is forfeited.
Cheers,
Alan Tomlinson
@@diegorhoenisch62 About the armed forces, I believe you get a pass as long as you did not volunteer (I have US / Austrian / Italian citizenships) and Austria has conscription. Since that is not voluntary, I'm ok as long as I leave as soon as my conscription term is fulfilled (6 months).
Congratulations and happy to have you with us. I wish you all the best.
Thank you so much!
I know this helps your situation a lot. However, would you do a video on citizenship rules by descent as per Stag 5 law in 2021?
Wow! Thank you! What about those not living in Germany right now? I lived in Germany for 18 years. As a uS citizen, I’ve always wanted both. German mom, German grandparents…
Dual citizenship here in the Netherlands has been a debate for a long time. Mainly the right wing parties are against it. But in general what those parties want is no dual citizenship of people from non western countries. It is for a big part a way to show their anti-Islam policy. Usually they are against dual citizenship with the immigrants from Turkey and Morocco. An interesting point is the laws from Morocco. If you are a person born in Morocco or born from Moroccon parents abroad, you will have the Moroccon citizenship automatically. And Moroicco refuses to cancel that citizenship, so the only possibility is a dual citizenship.
But Morocca allows dual citizenship? If you are born in Argentine you have a major problem, because this country does not allow dual citizenship and refuses to cancel the Argentinian citizenship.
@@barbarossarotbart Argentina does have ways around that, like suspending the Argentinian citizenship (Argentina did have to find a way as the wife of the current Dutch king was born with Argentinian citizenship and she was granted Dutch citizenship because of her marriage with the (at that time) Crown Prince of the Netherlands).
@@apveening It is just a way around that prohibition of renouncing Argentinian citizenship. Argentine could still lift the syspension.
@@barbarossarotbart More like a way around the prohibition of double nationality.
Honestly I lived and live among a lot of Muslims and I had a few muslim friends and I do see Islam as a problem. I fear allowing immigration and dual citizenship from Islamic countries will have long term negative effects on Western countries, especially in democratic rights and to stability, maybe even some economic consequences. I hope I'm wrong of course, but what is happening in Sweden makes me think I'm not wrong.
That new citizenship law is not quite what people think it is.
Germany is trying to attract more immigrants because they want more people to contribute to economy and pay taxes here and they also have to compete with other countries that attract immigrants.
The problem is however that even if you speak fluent German (which lots of immigrants find challenging) it's still very hard to integrate here.
Laws and regulations can forbid people talk crap about foreigners but you can't regulate day-to-day relationships among people and you can't force people to like each other, get along, be friends and so on.
No matter how many new laws Germany passes, there are tons of other problems that discourage immigrants to come and stay here, such as sky-high taxes, housing, bureaucracy, rules and regulations about literally everything, etc.
You did a good job explaining!
As someone who is politically interested it often (still, despite experience) surprises me when things that have been warned against again and again and again for years and nothing happens in "the population", when suddenly a really minor thing happens and there is an outburst. Like this meeting. The persons are not new, the things they say are not new, the plans are not new...
You handled that discussion so well, not an easy topic to discuss I’m sure. We are moving to Germany this spring from the U.S. and feel like every month something new happens that tells us we are on the right path forward, either happening here in the U.S. or in Deutschland. This was a big one for us. Wir haben Deutsch vor zwei Jahren gelernt und wollen uns in Deutschland niederlassen!
Thank you so much for the Video and for joining us, Ashton. We need you and your family. At the end of the video I got emotional, crying a little bit...
Congratulations.
You will have triple citizenship when becoming your German passport.
That will be USA, Germany and of course also an EU citizen with all the rights that are attached.
So welcome my fellow EU citizens!🎉🎉
I get what you mean, but there is no such thing as "EU citizenship", that's just an informal way of speaking, a short for "Citizenship from an EU member state". If your country stops being an EU country (I'm looking at you, UK), you immediately cease to be an "EU citizen". Your citizenship is attached to the *country* (or countries) of which you are a citizen.
Bekommen heißt nicht become
@@GazilionPT but you will get the right to vote on EU elections and have all the perks for being a citizen of an EU country. Like free unlimited travel within the entire EU, for example.
And well,,, the UK has proven to be stupid by voting for brexit.
@@flopunkt3665Last Christmas we became a dog 😅👍😉
@@remizeeland3505 Yes, but that does not make the cut for "a third citizenship".
Loved your video..respekt! Am Indonesian 5 years here in Bayern, happy to hear this good news, but sadly Indonesia doesnt allow dual citizenship..hope this can be changed sometimes.
That shouldn't be a problem for you to apply for german citizenship. Just make sure to have the right passport at hand in the right country.
In 2021 I applied for German citizenship after living more than half my life here. This was a big step for me but I knew it was right.The process is slow and I hope it is resolved soon. I suppose the new law will apply in retro concerning renunciation of citizenship.
I don’t think you get your old citizenship back. You renounced it , so you need to go through all of the applications again.
@@GuillermoArellano Did not renounce yet. Still waiting for the German authorities to get working. The process has become painfully slow because of staffing problems etc...
German lawmakers generally think in foreigners that want to have the German citizenship but forget about Germans who live abroad and are also limited by the restrictions of this legislation. As a German living already for more than 11 years in Chile I would wellcome to be able to have a dual nationality here and fully integrate in the society as right now I am restricted from several functions, even from a permanent position at a public university,
I know your situation. You need to have your degree recognized by U Chile. I've lived in Chile 24 years with permanent residence and even vote. I would become a Chilean citizen but have just put it off due to things that come up. I'd love to be a dual national with Germany too, but, alas,.my mother was German not my father,.so that door was closed to me.
You are not restricted at all.
You live in Chile? You pay taxes in Chile? Then become citizen of chile. It‘s simple as that.
Why you seek benefits from germany if you left the country and don‘t give anything back? 😂
@@and.me_7390
It is a matter of birth right. He is German. He doesn't have to "give" anything..
@@erichamilton3373
Oh oh, suddenly we are back to birthrights and DNA? How hypocrit of you 😂😂🤡🤡🤡
This man turned his back on his country and does not fulfill the duties of a citizen. He sits at the other end of the world but thinks he should be able to vote? Screw that.
And who is he gonna fight for? Oh right, the coward will fight for no country and run away whenever he can 😂
I claim he is neither german nor chilean
Dear Ashton, so very welcome you and your family are... we're fellow citizens now 👍🏾🤸🏽♂️
The paradox of tolerance by Karl Popper the philosopher comes to mind a lot in these days. (Edit: correcting my error, Popper was born Austrian).
It describes that a society that is TOO tolerant of other people trying to remove said tolerance makes it easier for those intolerant people to achieve their goals.
As such a certain level of intolerance TOWARDS intolerance has to be engrained in a society to make it a strong society that will keep and protect its values of tolerance.
That's the paradox of tolerance that we have to be intolerant to intolerance. Or in another way in German "Null Toleranz für Intoleranz" = "Zero tolerance for intolerance."
That's what so many Germans are doing today. Standing up and voicing their opinion that no matter if they are center, left, Christian, Islam, Jewish, worker or CEO, conservative or progressive, that no, we will never allow the right extremists to win again.
I do hope that the AfD royally f'd up when they held that Potsdam conference and used the euphemism 'remigration' for 'deportation'.
I hope dearly that in the next elections the AfD will be harshly slapped down.
That no one wants to be associated with a party that clearly uses Nazi demagoguery and terminology in their political program.
Quote from Wikipedia:
Karl Popper:
„Damit möchte ich nicht sagen, dass wir z. B. intolerante Philosophien auf jeden Fall gewaltsam unterdrücken sollten; solange wir ihnen durch rationale Argumente beikommen können und solange wir sie durch die öffentliche Meinung in Schranken halten können, wäre ihre Unterdrückung sicher höchst unvernünftig. Aber wir sollten für uns das Recht in Anspruch nehmen, sie, wenn nötig, mit Gewalt zu unterdrücken, denn es kann sich leicht herausstellen, dass ihre Vertreter nicht bereit sind, mit uns auf der Ebene rationaler Diskussion zusammenzutreffen, und beginnen, das Argumentieren als solches zu verwerfen; sie können ihren Anhängern verbieten, auf rationale Argumente - die sie ein Täuschungsmanöver nennen - zu hören, und sie werden ihnen vielleicht den Rat geben, Argumente mit Fäusten und Pistolen zu beantworten.
Wir sollten daher im Namen der Toleranz das Recht für uns in Anspruch nehmen, die Unduldsamen nicht zu dulden. Wir sollten geltend machen, dass sich jede Bewegung, die die Intoleranz predigt, außerhalb des Gesetzes stellt, und wir sollten eine Aufforderung zur Intoleranz und Verfolgung als ebenso verbrecherisch behandeln wie eine Aufforderung zum Mord, zum Raub oder zur Wiedereinführung des Sklavenhandels.“
auto translate
“I don’t mean to say that for example intolerant philosophies should definitely be suppressed by force. As long as we can overcome them through rational arguments and as long as we can keep them in check through public opinion, their suppression would certainly be highly unreasonable. But we should claim the right to suppress them by force if necessary, because it can easily turn out that their representatives are not ready to meet with us at the level of rational discussion and begin to argue as to reject such things. They may forbid their followers from listening to rational arguments - which they call a fallacy - and they may advise them to answer arguments with fists and guns.
We should therefore, in the name of tolerance, claim the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should assert that any movement that preaches intolerance places itself outside the law, and we should treat a call for intolerance and persecution as just as criminal as a call for murder, robbery, or the reintroduction of the slave trade.”
This is what we have to defend: our right to defend against the intolerants.
Yes, well quoted. Only, Sir Karl Popper was born Austrian and emigrated first to Australia and then Britain, where he became (dual?) citizen and gained knighthood.
@@erlenken Sorry, I must have been mistaken. Thank you for correcting my error. I appreciate it.
It will only increase the AFD support. You can’t shut down action against the immigration crisis and Ukraine issue forever, parties like that are a natural and inevitable reaction to the disaster Europe has faced. They will silence the AFD and the issues Germans clearly care about will simply continue and worsen, until something even more radical, right wing or left wing(IE fascist or communist) takes its place.
no problem! @@RustyDust101
You don‘t even realise how paradox you are.
You fight against the rightwing, but invite 350.000 muslim arab males from highly intolerant, homophobic, antisemitic cultures every year into your country and believe you protect democracy and tolerance hahaha
So tell me: how is it working out for you? When Israel got attacked by hamas, thousands of muslim migrants went to the streets with antisemitic paroles, synagogues in germany are all under police protection and jews don‘t even dare to wear their kippa in berlin and other cities. Israel flags got stolen and burned down in public and in Essen even 3000 muslims demanded the erection of an caliphate in germany.
Oh yes, you will remember this quote. Since you invited the intolerance into your house 😂
Dear Ashton you describe very well the old continent in understanding the challenges of boomers retiring. Same issues are felt in Switzerland where I was born from Italian immigrant parent arriving in the late fifties. It makes me wonder why the US do not have the same approach being open minded to the fact that other than natives the all country is build on immigrants. Keep it up I truly enjoy the clarity and wisdom of your videos.🙏
Congratulations on your upcoming dual citizenship! I always wonder why politicians do not emphasize how much Germany needs immigration. There is no way around it. I was glad about the graphics you showed initially, which proved the point. It's also more than just experts and academics we need. Unfortunately, at the same time they voted on dual citizenship, they also restricted access and rights for refugees. In view of more and more right-wing attitudes throughout the world, I am proud that in Germany, so many people took to the streets against right-wing views and politicians.
Just because Germany needs immigration (do we at all? what is so bad about a shrinking population?), doesn't mean that we should not debate this topic. Considering that only 50% of those syrian refugees who came to Germany in 2015 (9 years ago!) are in the job market now is pretty impressive imo (in a negative way). Also only 20% of the refugees from the Ukraine are in the job market. So 1M more immigrants doesn't mean 1M more labourer. Putting the fact on top that after the 7th october a lot of people went on street to demonstrate against Israel (after pretending to demonstrate for Palestine) requires to weighten up decisions very carefully.
Congratulations on gathering so much misinformation!@@KupoxChan
Congratulations to this constructive feedback @@lysan1445
Well spoken KupoxChan. Those are part of the problems that push people to the right wing parties all over Europe. Even AFD accepts everyone who is working and taxpayer in Germany. By the way AFD would be left of American Democrats If they would act in American policies.
Literally crying… I am a tender heart and by some standards of others way tooo sensitive… BUT I AM SO SOOO HAPPY FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ❤️❣️❤️
That is really sad for all those hard working people, that had to give everything up and jump through all the hoops for 8 years previously.
So you could have worked all your life, migrated, had to give up their old citizenship - and then didn’t get any form of meaningful pension since all your work was nullified.
So the improvement is wrong? Because it used to be harder? That’s a glass half empty perspective on life.
thanks for the very good wrap-up on the situation, and I'm looking forward to seeing you and all of your family members with german + US passports! Welcome to germany
This was a fabulous diplomatic summary .. well done👏. Also, great you and your lovely family can now get joint citizenship.
I have lived in Germany 28yrs, ie longer than the UK (24yrs) and was offered joint citizenship when Brexit occurred. I was so grateful. I have always been integrated, speak German, worked, pay taxes, accept and respect German culture, have 1/2 German children and have just celebrated 25yrs working in German Public Service etc.. It does worry me a little how things have escalated here the last months. I feel uncomfortable, nervous and insecure due to the political situation.
I think each immigration case should be examined individually... if people want German citizenship they should be a full part of German society ie. they should speak German fluently, have a trade/qualification/job that is needed/useful, accept and respect German culture and religious origin (but be able to keep their own to) and be full integrated. As a foreigner, I do not have a problem with strickt immigration laws if they are there to make sure the immigrant respects their new country and wants to become a fully immersed, useful and integrated part of society. Other countries eg New Zealand, Australia etc also have strickt immigration laws.
Thanks for this post. Exactly thats the core of the problem we have in germany. If everyone would see it like you, everyone would be happy.
Hello Ashton, as a German, I am very proud of everyone who feels comfortable living and working in Germany and chooses German citizenship or the dual one. We are all human beings and we have all experienced that a community is stronger than the individual. Why many people now seek salvation in remembering bad experiences from the past is completely incomprehensible to me. The fact that this segregation has led to much suffering and even more deaths is denied against their better knowledge. It is a shame that many people cultivate their hatred instead of contributing to the development of society. We Germans have actually learned very clearly and lastingly at school what can result from something like this. Thank you very much and I look forward to every further video from you.
I grew up in a small town in Germany, with a bit less than 6000 residents. In 2006 ro so, there were people of 52 different nationalities living together.
While there was a sizable turkish minority, they rarely stirred up trouble. Most trouble came from my fellow Aussiedler (germans coming from the former USSR).
And even then, the vast majority of every day life was spent in peacefull coexistence.
I grew up playing with friends from dirrerent countries like Spain, Italy, Türkiye, Portugal, Albania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Arabia, the Philippines, Germany of course, and many more. Crime rates were, and still are, pretty low.
I think one of the major reasons for this is the fact, that everybody had a chance to participate in the community. There was no reason to withdraw and stay among "their own". Most people staying among their own, were the other Aussiedler and I think that was why they caused the most trouble of all the groups.
If you welcome people and give them an opportunity to build a peacefull life, most will take take it gladly and try their best to contribute to the community. If on the other hand, you push them to the edges of society, you set thing up to fail. Then chances for integration are slim at best, but some people want exactly this scenario to point their finger and say "Look! This does not work! Don't let them in and get rid of those already here."
I am glad and happy there is still a majority willing to stand up to people like that. A majority that is willing to try to build a better future for everyone.
How moving. I hope you will integrate yourself well in the muslim arab society of germany too^^
15-22 Million immigrants in the next 50 years plus higher birth rates.
Nice to hear someone who is actually affected by this, i hope those who become citizens will start voting.. i really don't like where surveys are heading with CDU and AFD over 50%
Great video! As a German living in the USA for over 25 years with parents living in Germany, having many strong ties to my home country, but also wanting to fully participate over here, I completely agree with your statements. Making dual citizenship possible aligns with a more globalized world, the lives of people like your family or mine, and how we likely feel about our nationalities: well integrated with the country we have been living in for a long time, contributing to society, year also with strong ties to our home countries and families. I think this is way over due and I am glad that Germany is finally moving forward on this.
Best wishes to you and your family! As someone who went “the other direction” across the Atlantic I have been very much enjoying your content.
aww thanks for someone saying something nice about our country. I mostly heard something negative or stupid cliché..
Dankö 💜
Happy that you and Jonathan are Germans now as well. Welcome ! 😀🍀
Thank you, Ashton, for every video you and your husband filmed, for they bring cultures together in a positive, heartwarming way. There is a hope in the world as long as there are people like you - opposite to all those, whose way of life became hatred and exclusion and things I thought we had defeated a long time ago.
As for the dual citinzeship - it's not just about this legal formality - in a broader sense, it's about the right of every person to have MULTIPLE IDENTITIES as well. The regressive forces that are on the rise (again) in the world want to limit and squeeze the human being to only one identity, more often in an "OR-EITHER" manner. But, as you said, and despite all their efforts and protests, the world simply doesn't work like that anymore - and more and more souls just don't want to be defined with a single identity anymore. They - we - want to enjoy all of our identities equally, without coercion to give up any part of ourselves or our origin in favor of another part. And laws like this are just the first step to a freeer and more inclusive world. Again, thank you for this video and keep up the good work (and continue to spread messages like this)!
Being natural born German, I took a shot at the German naturalization test, taking a great chunk of the 300+ questions. After somewhere past 100 I got tired, without getting a single one wrong. Very easy. But I realized, that's quite some learning to do for people who're not naturally born German. Do you even know what "Bundesrat" is, for instance, or could you quickly name all 16 states by heart? With their respective capitals? What's the body called that elects the Bundespräsident, and how is it constituted?
Could you still pass the theoretical drivers exam? Probably not without learning a few weeks….doesn‘t mean you are a bad driver.
Anyone can learn for a test and then go on and reboot the system…
Language skills are way harder to learn
@@lynnm6413 In fact that's what I'm bothered with. My soon to be 18 yo child needs to pass the drivers exam I'm trying to teach him. Huge difference is: Naturalization test requires mere > 50 % to pass. Drivers exam requires all questions to be answered correctly, with very few wrong answers. In fact I failed my first attempt in 1996.
The most absurd thing about the absolutely stupid prohibition on dual citizenship was, that it always existed: For children and descendents of binational couples. My children hold three citizenships (German, Spanish and Argentinean), and so do many people. But the CDU/CSU was never known to use common sense when setting their political agenda.
I went through the old procedure (10 years ago), and I am realy glad for the next genereations, that they have easier way to be full members of the german society.
Which german society are you talking about?
There is no german society left in 50 years 😂
As a Fijian Islander with a German father, the rules have changed in 2021 to give me a pathway to citizenship. something i could only dream of before. Opportunity isnt something that is common in my country and i look forward to becomming part of my fathers homeland
I personally don’t like to have multiple citizenships. To many potential obligations. I don’t think it should be forbidden by law to have multiple citizenships because it is an individual decision.
A hopefully theoretical question is: what would happen in case of a war ? If somebody has a German passport and that of the opponent ? Would we send these people to detainment camps (as the US had done with citizens with Japanese (and German?) origin in WW2) ? What with military service ? In some countries you must do that. So if there is somebody having serviced in country A could or must he do that in country B, too ? Then he would need to swear oaths to both countries ?
On the other hand with some countries it is practically or legally impossible to get rid of citizenship. Without dual citizenship they never would have the opportunity to really integrate in their new home.
Thanks for the wonderful update! 🎉
As a German i think this is a good reform. There is one i thing i don't like: apparently it will be possible for men to refuse to shake hands with women for religious reasons and still get German citizenship. I really don't believe that this reflects behavior according to our constitution, hopefully this will be corrected or clarified (for instance by courts). But i guess that is a minority. I wish you and your family all the best and keep us posted on your way to German citizenship.
You can forget that. Freedom of religion is the holy cow of fundamental rights in Germany. If evert two clash, and one is religious freedom, it will allways win. Bodily autonomy and circumcision was a good example.
After Corona a lot of people ha fond other ways to greet each other…
I wouldn‘t mind that issue so much if it wasn‘t an indicator of how much misogyny will be imported into the workplace by men living after their holy scriptures…any religion is basically anti women, if one takes those old books seriously.
@@Hosenbisla when freedom of religion entails stripping the rights of a protected class, the protected class will prevail. Otherwise people could claim their "religion" gives them the right to own women or slaves.
That said, humanity would be VERY well served if it could evolve past its medieval superstitions.
@@dudeonbike800 i do not think the concept of a protected class exists in german law. And even if it would exist, i am pretty sure we would put every religion in the catageory of protected class.
I am ever so happy for you. I lived in a other country if my parents would have stayed there I always thougt of becoming a south African . That was my home.
But I can imagine and quite know how you may feel I think I would also take the chance of the dual citizinship. I realy hope that you are happy here.
Many greetings from Christiane 😊😊❤
But we ca
Maybe now I can convince my US husband to get German citizenship.
He’s been living (and working) here since 1991, never wanted to give up his US citizenship.
Because he turned 67 a few weeks ago, it would also mean that he wouldn’t be required to pass Language and Naturalization Tests, which he doesn’t feel up to, basically going to school at his age. And his German is “special” 😂 with great vocabulary but miserable grammar …
Ok, just to clarify: Your husband moved to Germany at the age of 34, has been living here for 33 years, is married to a german wife, but his language skills are so "special" that he is afraid to fail the language test?
@@chrish.5911
Yes.
He never had in depth formal German language instructions, started working 11 days after arrival (in Germany) as a carpenter, surrounded by coworkers who mostly spoke Swabian dialect. For over 20 years. Later he worked as a truck driver, surrounded by many non German drivers, pretty much only his bosses and the customers spoke German, but there wasn’t much talking done during his workday.
At home I spoke English to our children, wanting to make sure they wouldn’t lose it resp learn it. (At work I also spoke and wrote mainly English. After nearly 12 years in the USA I’m quite proficient.) And we watched English news channels, BBC and movies in English language whenever it was possible.
In those 3 decades he aquired a very large vocabulary, understands nearly everything, learned the German “R” sound (he can even roll the R like a Frankonian or Bavarian) but when he speaks more than a few simple sentences one can tell he’s not German. (He was often taken to be Dutch or Swedish, no idea why.)
He never left the warpath with German grammar, German declinations, declensions, the cases, the tenses, and the many prefixes and suffixes and such confuse him.
As a simple example, after he signed something, he’d say: “Ich habe untergeschrieben” instead of “Ich habe unterschrieben”.
Just can’t get it into his head that the “ge” in “geschrieben” (from verb “schreiben”) is dropped when the verb is the past tense of “unterschreiben” …
Lastly, he’s not eager to apply for German citizenship (he has a permanent Aufenthaltstitel) and even less eager to take any tests.
Sadly this is very common. @@chrish.5911
just as a side-note: this law also affects german ex-pats that up to now had to renounce german citizenship when applying for citizenship in a non-eu country
I am a german (citizen), living in Quebec, Canada, for over thirty years as a permanent resident, but without canadian citizenship, as I never want to loose my right to return home.
Both my adult children (born here to a canadian mother) hold dual citizenship, but I was never eligible.
In the very worrisome state our western world finds itself in, the recent demonstrations in Germany, and the passed naturalisation law give me some hope and strengthen my resolve to return.
I thank for your thoughtful, informative, and balanced Videos, which I enjoy for some time already.
German here living in Montana, USA. 37 years. Let's wait and let us all apply for the citizenship in the country we reside! Wir schaffen dass. Wird aber nicht billig. LOL Petra
I'm so delighted for you and your family!