Syrian refugees in the German state of Saarland breathed a sigh of relief after the abolition of the requirement to have a valid Syrian passport when applying for permanent residence or German citizenship for those who fulfilled the other conditions. From now on, any proof of Syrian nationality suffices.
The Ministry of Interior of the state of “Saarland” announced its intention to facilitate the process of granting German citizenship to foreigners, which is more stringent than the rest of the German states.
The Association of Free Syrians in Europe announced a signature campaign against the renewal of passports of Syrian refugees in Germany at the Syrian regime’s embassy. The association issued a statement directed to the German Foreign Ministry, which mentioned the suffering Syrian refugees face from this measure.
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The association also called on the German authorities to assess the conditions experienced by the Syrian refugee during his visit to the embassies of the Syrian regime, which incurred the blood of the Syrians and caused them to emigrate to their country.
Security concerns
Similar to other states, the authorities in the southwestern German state of Saarland required a passport for an applicant to be approved for naturalization, a strict procedure compared to other federal states.
The Social Democratic-led Interior Ministry has justified the measures since the state elections with security concerns, among other things, according to Radio SR.
After protests by refugees, the Ministry of Interior announced that it is studying facilitating the procedures, including accepting other documents as an alternative to the passport, such as personal identification, driver’s certificate, or even school documents.
According to the same source, the ministry announced that these simplification measures come in the context of the welcoming culture followed by the Saarland state government.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
