Germany Is Planning To Reform Its Immigration Policies. The U.S. Should, Too.

With a low birth rate and a high number of job vacancies, Germany is preparing to reform its immigration and citizenship laws. Three statutes under consideration—a skilled labor law, a legal status law, and new citizenship law—would cause a "paradigm shift" in Germany's immigration policy, says Victoria Rietig, head of the migration program at the German Council on Foreign Relations.

The skilled labor law would implement a point-based immigration system, similar to the Canadian model, which would "expand the opportunities for skilled workers to come to Germany…by reducing bureaucracy [and] red tape," says Rietig. A point-based system allows for immigration based on criteria such as age, work experience, language skills, and qualifications, with each standard getting a point value. Once a threshold is reached, a visa is issued.

The legal status law would create pathways for asylum seekers to gain permanent residency, allowing them to work and stay in Germany. The proposed new citizenship law, meanwhile, would reduce the waiting time for naturalization from eight years of residency to five, and also allow for dual citizenship, something that Rietig says "would make the system faster and thus more attractive for prospective migrants."