Nearly 300,000 foreigners were naturalized in Germany in 2024 alone, a shockingly large number. But apparently quite a few applicants obtained the desired German citizenship by resorting to fraud. According to reports by RTL and Stern, the head of a southern German immigration office found around 340 “manipulated” language certificates submitted by applicants (who are supposed to prove their fluency in German) in just one week, and over 1,000 cases are currently being examined by the police. In Berlin, naturalizations often occur with a “click of the mouse” instead of personal interviews, which could detect insufficient German skills. The reason? CDU Mayor Kai Wegner instructed his office to process 40,000 naturalizations this year “without red tape.” Fake language certificates are also being marketed online, with prices ranging from €750 to €2,700, sometimes including discounts for friends and family.
