Suspension of family reunification for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection
One of the most important changes came into effect on July 24, 2025: Family reunification for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection is completely suspended for two years —i.e., until July 2027.
This also replaces the previous regulation, which provided for up to 1,000 visas per month for spouses, minor children, and close relatives of persons entitled to subsidiary protection. Since then, family reunification has only been possible in a few exceptional cases —for example, for urgent humanitarian reasons under Section 22 of the Residence Act or for reasons of special political interest under Section 23 of the Residence Act.
According to estimates, around 381,000 people with subsidiary protection status in Germany are affected, mainly from Syria. However, recognized refugees, persons entitled to asylum, and persons with a settlement permit are not affected. Settlement permit or a legal Residence permit for whom family reunification is still possible.
Status: Law passed and entered into force
End of turboNaturalization
The federal government has also scrapped the Naturalization that was introduced in 2024 with the reform of citizenship law. Since the end of October 2025, well-integrated people who have a C1 language certificate and can demonstrate particular integration achievements can no longer be naturalized after three years of residence in Germany.
This means that the regular requirements of nationality law apply again: Naturalization generally only possible after five years of legal residence, regardless of how well a person is integrated.
The federal government justified the move by saying that integration takes time and that German citizenship should come at the end of the process, not at the beginning.
Status: Law passed and entered into force
Deportation ban for Yazidis from Iraq
In November, the Bundestag decided on a motion submitted by the Bündnis90/Die Grünen parliamentary group. The party called for temporary residence rights for Yazidis from Iraq. The draft bill stipulated that Yazidis who had entered Germany by July 31, 2025, would be granted a residence permit until July 2028.
The aim was to provide those affected with a temporary legal framework to enable them to fulfill the requirements for long-term residence. According to estimates, around 200,000 Yazidis live in Germany, many of them with uncertain residence status.
The background to the motion was the tense security situation that had prevailed for years in the Sinjar region of Iraq, where serious crimes were committed against the Yazidi minority by the terrorist organization Islamic State in 2014. The Bundestag had already classified these acts as genocide in 2023.
Several federal states had temporarily suspended deportations for Yazidis in recent years. However, these suspensions expired and were not standardized nationwide. The Green Party's draft bill was intended to go beyond these measures. However, it did not receive a majority in the Bundestag.
Status: Application rejected
Citizen's income for refugees from Ukraine
The German government has proposed a law that would cut social benefits for refugees from Ukraine. Ukrainians who arrive in Germany after April 1, 2025, or who only receive their protection status (§ 24 AufenthG) after this date, will no longer receive citizen's income. Instead, they will receive benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act.
These benefits are around €120 per month lower and do not include any legal entitlement to integration or language courses. However, access to the labor market remains completely unchanged. For all Ukrainians who entered Germany before the cut-off date, nothing will change: they will retain their entitlement to citizen's income permanently.
The law also provides for a transitional arrangement: anyone who enters the country after the cut-off date but receives citizen's income before the reform comes into force may continue to receive it until the end of the approval period—but for a maximum of three months.
The draft bill is currently being reviewed by the Bundestag committees. A final decision is expected in the first quarter of 2026 at the earliest.
Status: Decision still pending
Stricter controls on Naturalization
Little is known so far about the motion tabled by the AfD parliamentary group, which will be debated for the first time in the Bundestag on Wednesday (December 3, 2025). It is entitled: "Stopping organized fraud in the naturalization process – redesigning the process to make it fraud-proof, uncovering existing cases of fraud, and revising favorable administrative acts based on them."
According to the announcement, the aim of the reform is Naturalization tighten up the examination procedures and controls for Naturalization . How exactly this will be done is still unclear, as the specific draft legislation has not yet been made public. As a result, there is currently little information available on the individual measures.
The motion was prompted by numerous cases of fraud that have come to light in recent months. Fake language certificates and integration tests ("Living in Germany" tests) have been discovered in several federal states. In most cases, there is suspicion that the fake certificates were sold for money via social media.
Status: Decision still pending
Stricter rules for asylum seekers in the EU (GEAS)
In September , the German cabinet decided to incorporate the new EU asylum rules into German law. The reform aims to make asylum procedures in all EU member states stricter and more uniform.
The new requirements must be in place everywhere by June 12, 2026, at the latest. Until then, EU countries—including Germany—have time to transpose the rules into their national laws.
The new EU asylum rules provide for the following, among other things:
Asylum and border procedures: In future, a large proportion of asylum applications will be examined directly at the EU's external borders – i.e. before asylum seekers enter the EU. Anyone arriving in Germany by plane or ship via an EU external border will have their asylum application processed directly at the airport or port.
If the proceedings determine that there is no protection, a return procedure should follow immediately. This procedure should take no longer than twelve weeks and enable rapid return to the country of origin or a safe third country.
Screening and EURODAC: All asylum seekers are to be screened within a few days—including identity checks, health and security checks, and the collection of biometric data. This data is stored in the EURODAC database, which all EU countries have access to.
Safe third countries: The EU Commission has proposed classifying seven countries—Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco, and Tunisia—as "safe countries of origin." Asylum seekers from these countries will then generally no longer be entitled to protection in the EU. Their asylum applications will be processed more quickly and rejected more frequently. In addition, EU member states may maintain their own lists of countries they consider safe.
Solidarity mechanism: EU countries that are heavily affected by migration should receive support from other EU countries—through the admission of refugees, financial contributions, or other measures. In addition, countries that are under severe strain can request that they not have to accept any more asylum seekers from other EU countries for a certain period of time.
Freedom of movement and detention: In the event of violations of asylum requirements or if there is a risk of absconding, the freedom of movement of asylum seekers may be more severely restricted or detention may be ordered—always on a case-by-case basis.
Benefit cuts: Anyone who violates the rules in accommodation facilities or ignores reporting requirements must expect cuts in asylum benefits.
Access to the labor market: Asylum seekers should be allowed to work after six months at the latest—usually after three. Exceptions are people from safe countries of origin, Dublin cases, and people who abuse the right to asylum.
The bill is currently being discussed in committees. It must then be approved by both the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. A majority is considered likely because the CDU/CSU and SPD jointly support the reform. A final decision is expected in early 2026.
Status: Decision still pending
Safe countries of origin and faster asylum procedures
A joint bill proposed by the CDU/CSU and SPD parties stipulates that "safe countries of origin" should no longer be defined by law, but rather by a statutory order.
This means that in future , the federal government could decide for itself which countries are considered safe. Until now, the law has stipulated that both the Bundestag and the Bundesrat must give their approval.
Explanation: The term "safe country of origin" plays an important role in German asylum law. It is regulated in Section 29a of the Asylum Act (AsylG). A country is considered safe if there is no systematic persecution and human rights are generally respected.
For asylum seekers from these countries, this means in Germany:
- Your asylum applications will be processed quickly.
- Asylum applications are generally considered "manifestly unfounded" – asylum seekers have less chance of receiving protection
- Only those who can prove that they are personally threatened or persecuted will receive a case-by-case assessment.
Currently, all EU countries as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Ghana, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Senegal, and Serbia are considered safe countries of origin. Under the new system, the German government plans to classify additional countries as safe, including Algeria, India, Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria, and Tunisia.
The draft bill is currently being debated in the Bundestag.
Status: Decision still pending
Abolition of mandatory legal representation in deportation detention
Another point in this law is the abolition of mandatory legal representation in deportation detention proceedings. This obligation was only introduced in 2024 so that people in deportation detention would automatically receive legal assistance. The new law aims to reverse this regulation.
Critics such as Pro Asyl warn against this, however. They say that mandatory legal representation is an important safeguard to ensure that no one is unjustly deprived of their liberty. The planned change would "significantly worsen" the situation for many of those affected.
Representatives of the immigration authorities see things differently: they say that mandatory legal representation slows down and complicates the enforcement of deportation in practice. The repeal of the regulation is therefore a necessary correction.
Status: Decision still pending
Conclusion
The year 2025 was marked by many important decisions in migration policy. The suspension of family reunification, the end ofNaturalization other reforms show that German migration policy is becoming stricter.
At the same time, important decisions are still pending —for example, on citizen's income regulations for Ukrainians, on the implementation of the EU asylum reform (GEAS), and on the question of which countries should be considered safe countries of origin in the future.
How the situation will develop in 2026 depends heavily on how Parliament decides on these outstanding issues.
