Fewer appointments at the Foreigners' office?
One of the most important changes concerns the electronic Residence permit eAT). Anyone who has a Residence permit , they previously had to Foreigners' office to Foreigners' office in person. There, among other things, fingerprints are taken, a photo is taken, and a signature is recorded.
The new law provides that exactly this data can be stored and reused in the future. For adults, this will be possible for up to seven years. For children, the data may be stored for up to five years.
This means that anyone who needs to renew their temporary Residence permit or have a new eAT issued may no longer need to make a new appointment to provide fingerprints. Instead, the Foreigners' office access data that has already been stored. This is intended to reduce the workload on the authorities, speed up procedures, and spare those affected from unnecessary appointments.
Verifying identity is set to become easier
Another important change concerns the Clarification of identity. For many procedures under immigration law, asylum law, or even in the case of Naturalization , it is important that a person’s identity be verified. This involves verifying information regarding the name, date of birth, place of birth, and nationality of foreign nationals.
In the future, this information will be stored in the Central Register of Foreign Nationals (AZR). This includes, for example, information about which documents a person has already submitted and whether those documents have been verified. It will also be possible to store official and certain non-official documents that can be used for identification purposes in the AZR.
This is intended to prevent government agencies from having to verify identities multiple times. If one agency has already verified a person's identity, other relevant agencies will be able to access that information in the future.
Criminal justice information should reach the authorities more quickly
In the future, it should also be possible to forward information from criminal proceedings to the relevant immigration authorities more quickly. Until now, such notifications were often still sent by mail.
According to the new law, relevant information from criminal proceedings will also be stored in the Central Register of Foreign Nationals (AZR) in the future. Immigration authorities would then be able to access this data directly or receive it automatically.
The goal: The Foreigners' office be able to access criminal records more quickly when making decisions regarding Residence permit, deportation, or other immigration-related measures.
New Rules for the Recognition of Paternity
The proposed law also includes a new rule regarding the acknowledgment of paternity. This stems from a law that the Bundestag passed a few weeks ago. Under this law, immigration authorities must give their approval in certain cases before paternity can be acknowledged.
In the future, data on the mother, father, and child will be stored in the Central Register of Foreign Nationals (AZR) and, if necessary, transmitted to the relevant immigration authorities. This data includes, among other things, name, date of birth, place of birth, nationality, and address.
The federal government aims to enable authorities to determine more quickly whether their approval is required for the recognition of paternity.
Faster Data Exchange in the Visa Process
The visa application process is also expected to be faster in the future. According to the federal government’s plans, embassies, immigration authorities, and other relevant agencies will have easier access to important documents. These include, for example, documents required for the issuance of a national visa.
This is particularly important, for example, for people who enter Germany on a visa and later Residence permit a Residence permit . When the relevant authorities have access to existing documents, this should also make the process easier and faster.
Experts See Opportunities and Risks
The proposed bill was not only debated in political circles but also evaluated by experts. At a hearing before the Committee on Internal Affairs, opinions varied.
Several experts welcomed the goal of speeding up proceedings and easing the burden on immigration authorities. Immigration authorities in particular have been under significant pressure for years in many cities and counties.
At the same time, they warned of risks related to data protection. The more data is stored centrally, the more important it is to have clear rules: Who is allowed to access the data? For what purpose may it be used? And when must it be deleted?
The Bundestag plans to debate the bill again tomorrow and then vote on it. If the law is passed, it could significantly change the work of immigration authorities. For many of those affected, the most important aspect is likely to be that procedures will move more quickly and fewer appointments with government agencies will be necessary.
Conclusion: No new Residence permit, but faster processing
It is important to note that the law does not create any new Residence permit does not change the requirements for the right of residence. Nevertheless, the law could have noticeable consequences for foreign nationals. In certain cases, those Residence permit their Residence permit would have to visit the authorities in person less often. Procedures could be expedited because documents and information are already available digitally.
At the same time, however, the law also means that more personal data will be stored centrally. This includes sensitive data, such as fingerprints, identity information, information on social benefits, and records from criminal proceedings.
