The chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany, Gökay Sofuoglu, expects a sharp increase in applications after the new citizenship law comes into force on Thursday.
“People have now internalized that there will be dual citizenship,” he told RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND). “And many are now applying as quickly as possible. I expect 50,000 applications per year. That seems realistic to me.” However, the processing will take time. In many cities it is difficult to even get an appointment at the immigration office.
Sofuoglu added that many applicants have in mind that they will be able to take part in the federal election next year after they have been naturalized. “I therefore appeal to the parties to realize that the applicants are potential voters,” he said. “If you want to win them over, you have to implement appropriate policies. This includes creating more opportunities for participation in the parties – and seriously combating racism.”
