Seen Comprehension - 28 Alim

Citizens and their rights     

Approximately 1,00,000 children who do not hold German citizenship are born in the Federal Republic of Germany every year. This situation will change on 1st January 2000, when a new citizenship law comes into force. From that day on, children born in Germany to non-German parents will receive German citizenship at birth. 

The citizenship reform consists of the following points. The children of non-German parents will receive German citizenship at birth in Germany if the father or mother has been legally resident in Germany for eight years. The parents must hold a permanent residence certificate or have held an unlimited residence permit for three years. If these children  also acquire the citizenship of another country at birth they must choose between their German and non-German citizenship within a period of five years following their German passport, they must prove that they have given up or withdrawn the citizenship of another country. If they do not do so, their German citizenship will be taken away.
Foreigners will thus be able to apply for naturalization after only eight tears rather than the present period of fifteen years. Those seeking naturalization must be able to support themselves and their families without the help of social security payments, must not have committed crimes and must also prove to possess adequate knowledge of German. 
The Federal Government considers the reform an important contribution towards the integration of the foreign population. The acquisition of German citizenship entails not only rights, but also duties, for example the obligation to do military service for a short period, which is compulsory in Germany.