The German Minutes - December 16, 2025
🇩🇪 Germany Political & Government News Digest – Dec 16, 2025
Today’s roundup highlights federal politics, migration and citizenship rules, fiscal and economic policy, and structural issues in housing and healthcare that shape everyday life for internationals in Germany.
Again a Glimpse on Coalition Agreement 2025: Plans Work‑and‑Stay Agency and Opportunity Right to Stay
The new coalition agreement proposes a central “Work‑and‑Stay Agency” designed to streamline and strengthen skilled‑worker immigration, with the explicit goal of encouraging qualified foreigners to settle long‑term in Germany. It also refines the Chancen‑Aufenthaltsrecht (“opportunity right to stay”), under which tolerated migrants who have lived in Germany for at least four years, work, speak German, and have no criminal record may receive a temporary residence permit if their identity is clarified.
Impact: The Work‑and‑Stay Agency could shorten processing times and reduce bureaucratic friction for work visas, residence renewals, and job changes for international professionals. For those with precarious or “tolerated” status, clearer criteria for a pathway to regular residence will affect decisions around employment, language learning, and integration investments such as long‑term housing.
Police Figures Show Significant Decline in Irregular Border Crossings into Germany
Federal police data indicate that the number of people entering Germany without authorization has fallen by more than 100,000 in the past two years, reflecting tighter border controls, EU‑level measures, and domestic policy changes. Officials link the decrease both to enforcement and to new legal migration channels, although rights groups warn that humanitarian pressures in origin countries remain unchanged.
Impact: Lower irregular arrivals may ease political pressure for sudden restrictive measures that can spill over into broader migration and integration policies affecting all foreigners. For residents with family considering coming to Germany, authorities are likely to insist even more strongly on formal visa routes and documented qualifications.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-irregular-migration-drops-sharply/a-72564439
Aid Group Warns: More People in Germany Lack Access to Healthcare
A German aid organization reports that an increasing number of people, including undocumented migrants, precariously employed workers, and some EU citizens, are not receiving proper medical care despite living in a high‑income welfare state. Structural barriers such as lack of insurance, bureaucratic hurdles, and fear of authorities are cited as key reasons for delayed or foregone treatment.
Impact: Internationals working in unstable jobs, on short‑term contracts, or between visas need to pay close attention to maintaining continuous health insurance coverage and understanding their rights in the system. Civil‑society clinics can provide last‑resort help, but policymakers’ debate over access and funding may lead to future reforms that change entitlements for foreigners and low‑income residents alike.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-news-more-people-lack-health-care-aid-group-says/live-75122677
Check back tomorrow for another edition of “The German Minutes” with the latest developments shaping life for internationals in Germany.