I Really Respect Germany For This

The dichotomy of this past week will forever be one of the more outstanding events in my time living in Germany, and one that made me really respect my fellow German friends, colleagues and community members. On January 19th, the German Bundestag passed a landmark reform of their citizenship laws - easing requirements and allowing for dual citizenship in Germany with non-EU citizens. Meanwhile, on the very same day, hundreds of thousands were marching against fascism and hatred at anti-nazi demonstrations across the country after senior members of the AfD discussed a ”master plan” for the mass deportation of German asylum-seekers and German citizens of foreign origin.
So to understand this new law, I think it is important to look back on the road that got us here… and that means that we need to first understand how this new reform compares to existing citizenship regulations in other EU nations, to dispel some myths about who this opportunity applies to, and to talk about what’s next.
Episode No. 137
📷 Follow me on Instagram: / typeashton
🤳🏻 TikTok: / typeashton
🖥 Website: www.blackforestfamily.com
📧 E-mail: [e-mail]
S𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗠𝗘
👑 Patreon: / typeashton

[@TypeAshton]

Happy Sunday everyone! This week's video touches on subjects that are bound to bring up a lot of emotions and strong feelings. Those on both sides of the political spectrum can be rightfully passionate about their positions on the expansion of citizenship. However, there is a line between constructive discourse and hateful aggression that I won't tolerate in this comments section. One is free to express, but not to hate by expression. Any comments that cross that line will be deleted. ✌

[@michalandrejmolnar3715]

Really glad that you are both an US Citizen and European Citizen! Welcome!

[@AndreaBorgia]

Greetings from a fellow "furriner" who just passed the first year mark and thanks for clarifying the dual nationality topic: as an Italian I was not affected by the issue before yet I welcome the change, for exactly the same reasons you mentioned, namely it is the modern and reasonable thing to do. More than once in the video I thought I could hear your voice cracking up a bit, I can imagine what huge positive impact this law can have on your family. All the best aus Franken :)

[@christian_w.]

Small correction: At approx. 1:19 it is not Bärbel Bas speaking but Yvonne Magwas, Vice Speaker of the Bundestag for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. (Source "Plenarprotokoll 20/148")

[@blackangel9594]

Fake seit you dort Nottingham from the german Politik 🤮

[@DenUitvreter]

You don't what to be a German just like the Germans, you want the special privilege of a German citizenship on top of being American. Why should people allow you to vote on the future of their country while you are not committed to it but want to keep the right to return to the USA. The entitlement is strong in this one, no wonder people are getting tired of 'expats'.

[@Dutch1961]

As a Dutch citizen I congratulate you all with the opportunity of becoming German citizens. Mind you, if you are German citizens you are automatically EU citizens which means you can settle and work in any EU country if you should wish so.

[@welshskies]

Brexit was a total f*ck up for us as a family but now my daughter can apply for dual German/British citizenship.

[@user-iy5mh6ff6l]

❤Wilders❤

[@GazilionPT]

Plus the rest of EEA+CH

[@patriciamillin1977]

@@welshskiesShe should’ve been able to get it while Britain was still in the EU. I got it in 2018.

[@bestgamting]

@@user-iy5mh6ff6lfuckkkk nexit

[@donko1779]

Herzlich willkommen. Deutschland kann froh sein, einen so klugen und ausgewogenen Menschen in seiner Mitte zu haben.

[@Booz2020]

Never Say NEVER 😎 Justin Bieber Justin is of German Ancestry 💯

[@andreaheinrich2576]

Former US citizen here. I have lived in Germany for 43 years. Nearly twice as long as I ever lived in the US. There were repeated attempts to pass dual citizenship but hopes were always dashed. 13 years ago I gave up and renounced my US citizenship and acquired German. At that point it was only pragmatic and, honestly, considering the state of society in the US, it was clear I would never go back. As to family in the US, there are not many left (I am 66) as a matter of natural attrition and my children and grandchildren are here. But I am very glad for you that this may become a possibility for your family. We shall see. Good luck!!!!🙂🙂🙂

[@LindaInAustria]

wow I'm the Austrian version of you. I've been in Vienna since 1979 and had to renounce my US citizenship in 1998 to become an Austrian citizen. The Austrian laws are even more restrictive than the German ones and getting citizenship is very expensive. But I wanted to vote and end the burocratic hurdles for changing jobs

[@jasperzanovich2504]

Don't you have to pay taxes to the US if you don't renounce your US citizenship Or does that top when you aquire your second citizenship?

[@DalaiDrama-hp6oj]

Afaik, giving up US citizenship is quite expensive, like 2000 Dollars plus... Was it the same back then?

[@DalaiDrama-hp6oj]

It should maybe also be noted, that there are countries on planet earth, where giving up citizenship isn't possible at all!

[@charleskroeger5735]

All is well providing the USA doesn't suddenly have a fascist ideology controlling all three branches (actually four) of the federal government. That is completely possible with our strange way of interpenetrating who wins elections. i. e. your vote may not count. If Trump gets elected and the GOP controls the other two legislative branches because of human stupidity, then he may 'enact' probably by 'executive' order, that all Americans with dual citizenship either renounce their foreign citizenship or have their American citizenship revoked. Hitler also ordered all Germans back home, as I remember. The real global issues now are so far beyond ideas about immigration and concepts of nationalism these arguments are like pissing in the wind compared to environmental caused disasters of the future. Excuse me for thinking the enlightenment is over and the dark ages are upon us.

[@RyanLevicksVideos]

Thank you for another great video, Ashton! I'm a 34 year old American who has been living in Berlin for 13 years. I have been waiting for this law for a long time, and I am so excited that it is finally here. Like you, I feel deep inside of me that I am neither fully American nor fully German/European. Possessing only one of these passports does not feel like a true indication of my identity. I will always be an American in my heart, but when I'm back in the States visiting, I also feel deep inside of me that that country is no longer fully "home" for me. Spending essentially my entire adult life in Germany has changed me on a fundamental level, and I am ready to give back by participating in the democratic process. I am ready to be a German and a European officially, because I already feel that way and have for a long time.

[@and.me_7390]

Basically you are not since you won‘t give up your US citizenship. The second shit hits the fan you are off to good old US 😂🤡

[@domramsey]

I just want to say you are one of the smartest, most eloquent and balanced KZbinrs I've ever seen. And it's clear you put a lot of work into explaining things clearly and calmly. It's appreciated.

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you!

[@r.michaels.9970]

Well said 👍👍👍

[@AmadeusMozart-yk5uk]

Very balanced, just left out rape and murder statistics that went through the roof since 2015

[@camiro66]

​@@AmadeusMozart-yk5uk Schon mal in Ruhe darüber nachgedacht was so alles in Deiner Jugend schief gelaufen sein muss?

[@AmadeusMozart-yk5uk]

@@camiro66 Schon mal darüber nachgedacht, dass seit 2015 Delikte wie Vergewaltigung und Körperverletzung unproportional oft vorkommen?

[@wokeaf1337]

Thank you for not giving up hope in us, welcome to Germany! 🤗

[@rudolfp.3537]

Ich freue mich für Eure Familie, dass Euch die Gelegenheit gegeben wird, vollständig am Leben unserer und Eurer Gemeinschaft teilzuhaben.

[@sweden_is_xxxx]

Die Zukunft heißt Afrika, auch in Hamburg und Düsseldorf. 😂 Tschüss Nordstream! Danke Amerika. Hahaha...

[@AmadeusMozart-yk5uk]

Irgendjemand muss ja Mutubus Bürgergeld erwirtschaften

[@bestgamting]

@@sweden_is_xxxxOk dann geh halt weg aus de . Niemanden juckts

[@gilliantracy7991]

Congratulations Ashton! I'm happy for you and your family! And your statement: "That's just not the way the world works anymore" applies to so many things. And needs to be shouted from the rooftops at those that want to move the world backward instead of forward!

[@michaelputman9832]

Great news, also for my German friends in Canada who have hesitated to apply for citizenship here. Good luck yourselves.

[@nicktankard1244]

Hm I thought it didn’t work the other way. If you’re a German citizen already you could become a dual citizen with another country.

[@wolfgangselle4307]

@@nicktankard1244 not really … you get it easily only from other EU countries … any country outside the EU you can not easily get there citizenship. U must apply to German government to hold your German citizenship too … so it’s not so easy in general. It looks for me that German when u are living outside the EU you still can’t have a dual citizenship? If so then It’s just benefits “ only “ for this group of people who immigrate to Germany. This people will now have the opportunity to get the German citizenship too. If so it’s BAD for me

[@maxbarko8717]

I can clarify. You had to apply for „Beibehaltung“ before you applied for the citizenship in order to not lose your German citizenship.

[@OchNe926]

@@wolfgangselle4307 Germans living in America have been entitled to be dual citizens, but require a so called Retention Permit to keep German citizenship (“Beibehaltungsgenehmigung”) in order not to lose their German citizenship through naturalization abroad (Sect. 17, 25 German citizenship law).

[@wolfgangselle4307]

@@OchNe926 I know that! That is not the question. To get permit is not so easy! The application is not complicated but to have the right reason to get this permit is the “ problem “. I was thought with the new law it’s also possible to get the 2nd passport without this application. That’s what I mean. Just have to the same with countries in EU. In this cases u must not apply. U can have both citizenships from Germany and the other EU country!

[@mummamarsh1180]

Gday Ashton and family. I loved seeing your excitement of finally being able to apply German citizenship for your entire family. I send my congratulations and best wishes for your future in Germany ❤️

[@remizeeland3505]

Congratulations. You will have triple citizenship when becoming your German passport. That will be USA, Germany and of course also an EU citizen with all the rights that are attached. So welcome my fellow EU citizens!🎉🎉

[@GazilionPT]

I get what you mean, but there is no such thing as "EU citizenship", that's just an informal way of speaking, a short for "Citizenship from an EU member state". If your country stops being an EU country (I'm looking at you, UK), you immediately cease to be an "EU citizen". Your citizenship is attached to the *country* (or countries) of which you are a citizen.

[@flopunkt3665]

Bekommen heißt nicht become

[@remizeeland3505]

@@GazilionPT but you will get the right to vote on EU elections and have all the perks for being a citizen of an EU country. Like free unlimited travel within the entire EU, for example. And well,,, the UK has proven to be stupid by voting for brexit.

[@TheKatoffen]

​@@flopunkt3665Last Christmas we became a dog 😅👍😉

[@GazilionPT]

@@remizeeland3505 Yes, but that does not make the cut for "a third citizenship".

[@andrewwatson5324]

In the UK I have noticed that politicians promoting the idea the of "British values" don't seem to exhibit those values themselves when it comes to policies and actions that they take in government.

[@arnodobler1096]

Ashton into (German) politics! I would be very happy if the Black Forest Family also had German citizenship! You belong to us.❤

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you Arno. We are really excited.

[@Opa_Andre]

Hi Arno, I agree to 100% to both statements! People like Ashton and her family who are really having the desire to integrate, sharing our democratic values and doing their best to be a valuable asset to our society along with being a happy and successful family are more than just welcomed. I also don't care about her then still holding an US passport - it's just a piece of paper. She doesn't know yet but we won't send or allow her to go back anyways. I'm just not sure she can have a successful and at the same time self-satisfying career as a German politician. She IMHO just works too hard on in-depth research and facts compared to the politicians in our society who are often only concerned with their own reputation and influence. But she would definitely have my vote.

[@arnodobler1096]

@@Opa_Andre Hi Andre, ja absolut

[@brianrenate-zd6ym]

I'm British living in Germany with dual nationality. Since Brexit, even though I'm still a British citizen, because I am married to a German I have effectively lost my right to live in Britain. I can live in 27 different countries but not my home land because the UK immigration laws mean that less well off people cannot immigrate with their spouses. People just don't realise that tougher immigration will also mean a weakening of pension rights, health care and a poorer society in general. This is an important message that is not getting through to enough people.

[@xxJOKeR75xx]

It's just the typical, i have it bad so somebody has to be at fault. And what's easier than pointing the finger at refugees and migrants? They get free money and i get nothing, even though i'm German?!! Easy solution to complex questions rarely get you the right answers.

[@welshskies]

Brexit was a total f*ck up for us as a family but now my daughter can apply for dual German/British citizenship. She lives and works in Berlin, speaks German and has a German partner. The day I lost my EU citizenship because of BREXIT was the day I decided to become a Welsh nationalist supporting an independent Wales in the EU. Yes Cymru.

[@charlyfritz6690]

It's just a matter of time until the UK will reapply for EU member status. How long it will take, I don't know...but considering how Brexit turned out economically and socially and what brits in general think about it after a few years (a solid majority thinks it was a huge mistake) I'd be very surprised if the UK wouldn't rejoin the EU sooner or later Edit: By economically and socially, I meant the whole infrastructure with agreements with the EU member states, including pension rights, health care, immigration laws, union laws, travel restrictions etc. I just used it as an umbrella term, or I would write a book😅

[@welshskies]

​@@charlyfritz6690I really do hope so. If Donald Trump gets re-elected in the US the stupidity of Brexit will become even more obvious.

[@charlyfritz6690]

@@welshskies That's a whole different topic, but let's just say I agree with you(about Trump) or I'll go on a rant and off-topic, that doesn't belong here...I'm pretty sure Rishi Sunak won't be the Prime minister after the next elections. And while it may take a while (the UK can't have it both ways) but ultimately there will be concessions made on both sides (EU and UK), take this with a grain of salt, that's just my opinion

[@peter_meyer]

Sehr geehrte Black Forest Family, viel Erfolg auf dem Weg in die deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft!

[@MikeS29]

I fully understand how exciting this is for you, as I have dual U.S.-Italian citizenships. Having an E.U. passport is a treasure, and not just for a slate of "benefits," but for being able to participate in the governance and well being of our community. Thank you for sharing this good news.

[@egit2427]

very much following this as well. we have lived in Germany for, well, a long time. military then govie then jumped into private sector. wife and I are 'muricans and are now deep into our B1 certification courses. We are now really excited about the possibilities and the future of staying here. good stuff! great analysis, report style - spot on.

[@pgoessnitzer]

Congratulations to you and your family! I'm a German who has been living in the Pacific Northwestern US for 50 years. I have been wanting to become a US citizen but was not willing to give up my German citizenship for a number of reasons. Now I may revisit getting the US citizenship. Thank you for the outstanding presentation! Cheers from Oregon!

[@moellerborn]

Same here! 37 years in Montana! Will apply as soon as the law is signed!

[@pgoessnitzer]

@@moellerborn Good luck to you!

[@margritjones7934]

Me too! Living in the US since 20 years and would feel much better being also an American citizen. But I wasn't willing to give up my German citizenship either. Finally!! Thanks for letting us all know!! ❤

[@nicktankard1244]

I left Germany 2 years ago after living there for 3 years. Should’ve stayed. I could’ve been eligible for citizenship this spring. Instead I will have to wait for 2+ years in Canada. Bummer. One of the main reasons why I left was the long wait for permanent residency and citizenship. It was much faster in Canada. But now Germany is almost on par.

[@lynnm6413]

You left Germany to enjoy Canadian LGBTQIA+++ driven totalitarians…hope you an enjoy living under Trudeau

[@guy1524]

Why did you want citizenship so badly? I'm currently a student in de intending to stay and eventually get citizenship, and yeah the Ausländerbehörde is a real PITA at times, but I personally wouldn't base my decision on the land in which I feel most at home on their respective burocratic experiences.

[@nicktankard1244]

@@guy1524because I’m tired of living with a useless passport. I need a visa to visit any country. So it’s not easy and cheap to travel. Also having a passport from my country now is one of the worst things. Lots of sanctions and always in danger of being deported to my country of citizenship and end up in jail or sent to war. Because it’s a dictatorship. That’s stressful. I want to renounce it as soon as I get another citizenship.

[@nicktankard1244]

@@ThuglifeNYC I’m from Russia. One of the worst places to be from these days :)

[@SharienGaming]

@@ThuglifeNYC im suspecting originally russian citizen, based on the threat of being sent to war and genuinely... i can understand their worries - those are some very realistic fears best of luck nick, stay safe

[@cosycoffeee]

I’m in the process of getting German citizenship through my Oma so prior to this new law, I wouldn’t have to renounce. But I’m so glad that now everyone can keep their first citizenship if they want. The world is much more global than it was in the past and countries need to progress forward if they want to be competitive and bring in (and keep) workers!

[@johnhendriks4085]

Dual citizenship here in the Netherlands has been a debate for a long time. Mainly the right wing parties are against it. But in general what those parties want is no dual citizenship of people from non western countries. It is for a big part a way to show their anti-Islam policy. Usually they are against dual citizenship with the immigrants from Turkey and Morocco. An interesting point is the laws from Morocco. If you are a person born in Morocco or born from Moroccon parents abroad, you will have the Moroccon citizenship automatically. And Moroicco refuses to cancel that citizenship, so the only possibility is a dual citizenship.

[@barbarossarotbart]

But Morocca allows dual citizenship? If you are born in Argentine you have a major problem, because this country does not allow dual citizenship and refuses to cancel the Argentinian citizenship.

[@apveening]

@@barbarossarotbart Argentina does have ways around that, like suspending the Argentinian citizenship (Argentina did have to find a way as the wife of the current Dutch king was born with Argentinian citizenship and she was granted Dutch citizenship because of her marriage with the (at that time) Crown Prince of the Netherlands).

[@barbarossarotbart]

@@apveening It is just a way around that prohibition of renouncing Argentinian citizenship. Argentine could still lift the syspension.

[@apveening]

@@barbarossarotbart More like a way around the prohibition of double nationality.

[@MisterPyOne]

Honestly I lived and live among a lot of Muslims and I had a few muslim friends and I do see Islam as a problem. I fear allowing immigration and dual citizenship from Islamic countries will have long term negative effects on Western countries, especially in democratic rights and to stability, maybe even some economic consequences. I hope I'm wrong of course, but what is happening in Sweden makes me think I'm not wrong.

[@Earthshakes]

Thank you so much for sharing! You and I have very similar circumstances (age, kids, education, etc.), so your videos have been very helpful. I am American, my SO is American and an EU citizen, but not German. I’ve been living in Germany for seven years, my SO has been here for nine years. I birthed both of our children here, and we plan to stay here. It means so much to our family that we now can become German citizens without having to give up our American citizenship. Germany is our children’s home, and it will become a huge part of their identity. It makes sense to give them German citizenship, even though they already have EU citizenship, but this wasn’t possible before, because they would’ve had to give up their American citizenship otherwise. I know we are not the only ones who feel this way. Thank you, Germany 🫶

[@SarimDeLaurec]

I grew up in a small town in Germany, with a bit less than 6000 residents. In 2006 ro so, there were people of 52 different nationalities living together. While there was a sizable turkish minority, they rarely stirred up trouble. Most trouble came from my fellow Aussiedler (germans coming from the former USSR). And even then, the vast majority of every day life was spent in peacefull coexistence. I grew up playing with friends from dirrerent countries like Spain, Italy, Türkiye, Portugal, Albania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Arabia, the Philippines, Germany of course, and many more. Crime rates were, and still are, pretty low. I think one of the major reasons for this is the fact, that everybody had a chance to participate in the community. There was no reason to withdraw and stay among "their own". Most people staying among their own, were the other Aussiedler and I think that was why they caused the most trouble of all the groups. If you welcome people and give them an opportunity to build a peacefull life, most will take take it gladly and try their best to contribute to the community. If on the other hand, you push them to the edges of society, you set thing up to fail. Then chances for integration are slim at best, but some people want exactly this scenario to point their finger and say "Look! This does not work! Don't let them in and get rid of those already here." I am glad and happy there is still a majority willing to stand up to people like that. A majority that is willing to try to build a better future for everyone.

[@and.me_7390]

How moving. I hope you will integrate yourself well in the muslim arab society of germany too^^ 15-22 Million immigrants in the next 50 years plus higher birth rates.

[@grumpy7724]

This is exciting for you and your family and it’s nice to see your exuberance! I’ll have to speak to my brother to get his thoughts. He has lived in Freiburg for ~40 years and my nephew, born in Germany in the early ‘90s, holds a dual citizenship. My brother never wanted to give up his U.S. citizenship so this may be a welcome change for him.

[@jonawolf8023]

A problem in the discussion is that no distinction is made between asylum seekers and migration. In order to be able to enter and work legally as a foreigner, there are very high requirements, which is why too few people come to Germany legally to work here. Immigrating illegally and applying for asylum, on the other hand, is very easy. As a result, the proportion of people with a migrant background has increased from 10 to over 20% in the last 10 years, while at the same time more than half of social assistance recipients are people with a migrant background. This leads to the argument being often made either with: "Germany needs immigrants to keep the economy going" or "immigrants only live on welfare." The fact that the topic is a bit more complicated is often overlooked.

[@invarietateconcordia9541]

Just a short notice: if you enter Germany to seek asylum you are not "Immigrating illegally". That holds even if you are not granted asylum later.

[@jonawolf8023]

@@invarietateconcordia9541 The wording is a bit unfortunate, according to the Geneva Convention it is currently impossible for someone to legally apply for asylum in Germany (the flight ends at the place where there is no longer a risk to life, every further journey is migration). But illegal asylum seekers are even more confusing than illegal immigrants.

[@TBFSJjunior]

Most of what u wrote i right out wrong. 2013 we hat 16 mio ppl with an immigration background from 80.6mio population. 16/80.6 = 20% Today we have 24mio from 83mio with a migration background which is 28%. That metric is very misleading though, as u can have 3 german grandparents and still be counted as a person with migration background. So even with 0 immigration the percentage of ppl with migration backgrounds can increase just by Germans having kids with an immigrant. Its a rather silly statistic if u understand it. Next u claimed ppl migrated illegally and then applied for asylum. That isn't true by definition as u are allowed to cross multiple borders "illegally" to apply for asylum. And no the Geneva protocol does not say anything about u haveing to apply for asylum in the first safe country. That is a common lie by the far right. Just read the damn text urself before spreading nazi propaganda. I could go on, but I find it tiring to deal with nazi propaganda which seem to never end. Please inform urself instead of blindly spreading nazi propaganda.

[@TBFSJjunior]

​@@jonawolf8023 That isn't true. I would also suggest to do some background reading on the drafting of the text if ur englisch or legal understanding isn't on par. How can ppl spread this nonsense so willingly, without doing proper research. It's a delicate topic so maybe do inform urself in a proper way before spreading far right conspiracies.

[@TBFSJjunior]

​@@invarietateconcordia9541 Thanks that is a very important information. It is a common myth based on far right propaganda that asylum seekers aren't allowed to cross multiple borders or have to settle in the first safe place they find, which is quite an absurd notion if u think about it more than one minute, but it seems as if some fist decide that migrants are criminals and then come up with a reason why after the fact.

[@jensseelbach6715]

All I can say is Willkommen und schön das ihr da seid und bleiben wollt!

[@jessicanicolebelmonte6252]

One aspect with dual citizenship that needs to be considered is the prevalence of applicable law. In your case that would mean: While you are in Germany, German law would have preference and precedence over the laws of the USA. And when you are in Kansas, the laws of the USA would have preference and precedence over German law. If you travel in the Schengen area of Europe with your German citizenship you enjoy full freedom of movement and stay, but if you travel with your USA citizenship you are restricted to a maximum of 90 days stay for every 180 days (unless you have a visa with different restrictions). But for international travel it is still recommended to use only one OR the other of your passports, and to keep the other one well out of sight. And in many countries, if you are a natural born citizen it is generally a bad idea to use a “secondary” passport to enter or leave that country. Equally, if you entered a third country on one passport, do not use your other passport mid-stay, as that could get you on the wrong side of the law for undocumented or illegal entry. (These are some of the lessons learned during almost 30 years of international travel with dual passports.)

[@AL5520]

It's actually pretty basic, and in most cases the law. When entering/leaving a country (or area like Schengen) that you are a citizen of you must use your local passport to enter/leave and if requested by official governmental representatives. In any other non related county you can choose which passport to use. As for the applicable law, regardless of your citizenship, local/state/federal laws always apply.

[@jessicanicolebelmonte6252]

@@AL5520 I agree with your basic premise that local laws apply. Though I probably should have clarified it explicitly that the precedence of law applies when there is a “conflict of jurisdiction”. That is, for example when multiple jurisdictions try to subpoena you. When you are in Germany, then German procedural law applies even if USA laws would be more favorable. When you are in USA, then USA procedural law applies even if German laws would be more favorable. But when you are in a third country, you select (to some extent) the more favorable law to apply. I know, this delves into the realm of international law. But having dual citizenship myself, and being accused of foreign allegiance in the country of my birth while embroiled in contempt of custody and [parental] kidnapping, pushed me to educate myself for a law degree to better defend myself. And the embassy of my secondary citizenship told me that they could not assist me in any shape or form while I am in the country of my birth citizenship, unless I had renounced that citizenship.

[@MisterPyOne]

I entered the country I'm a natural born citizen of with one Passport and left with the other, do I have to fear consequences if I travel to that country again?

[@AL5520]

@@MisterPyOne It depends on that law of that country but usually it is a violation of the law. The consequences also depends on the law and governmental system. In general if they have a good immigration registration system you won't be able to do it as your entry will be registered on one passport so the officer will not see an entry on your other passport. If it is illegal, you've managed to do it and therefore you are still registered as being in the country it can, depending on the laws, cause financial problems. Most countries do not tax citizens that live out of that country under certain conditions, usually ones that shows that your main residency is in the other country. One of the ways is how long you've been staying so if your exit won't be registered they might start taxing you after a certain time period.

[@jessicanicolebelmonte6252]

@@AL5520 Well said: It depends on many different factors. Some countries could ban you from ever entering again because of a visa violation. In others they could confiscate your passport and/or identification documents. And de facto detain you, resulting in a legal struggle lasting years that might even prevent you from leaving the country. This can be especially tricky when the exit and entry is handled at a common checkpoint. And with the globalized digital data exchange and sharing that transportation companies are forced to do with government agencies, it pays to be very careful. Then there is also the different ways that names are handled for example on marriage. In some countries the marriage act is at the same time a legal name change for at least one spouse. In other countries the marriage act is *NEVER* a legal name change, but appending the [first] surname of your spouse to your own name is considered a customary courtesy. So that your names could be different in your passports. And that could cause issues, since the name on the ticket is not the same as in the passport you are trying to use.

[@sdedus]

I went through the old procedure (10 years ago), and I am realy glad for the next genereations, that they have easier way to be full members of the german society.

[@and.me_7390]

Which german society are you talking about? There is no german society left in 50 years 😂

[@underarmbowlingincidentof1981]

especially many many germans have refugees in their recent history. I am german and all sides of my family had to flee once. part hugenottes who had to flee from France part schlesien who had to flee from the Soviet Army part persian who had to flee from islamic revolutionaries and all these sides met resistence when they first came to these lands, treated like scum. and all sides still became succesful members of the german society.

[@belo.berlin]

thank you Ashton - enjoying your eloquent videos! Extending citizenship to everybody who is here long-term should be normal. I find it shameful when politicians suggest that people born elsewhere are somehow representatives of another country, their political leadership and policies, and that there is only one right way of being German (for whatever that means). Also implies, that all Germans are to be uniform and if you don't agree, you can't be properly German.

[@and.me_7390]

And yet the national football team of germany gets booed in their own capital city 😂😂😂 And yet thousands in germany vote for erdogan in germany. And yet the turkish AKP sends their politicians here and opens mosques and give speeches and interfere with politics in germany And yet the Ditib does spionage for Erdogan. And yet Erdogan tells turks to reproduce more in germany Oh boy, i wonder how somebody can be so naive^^

[@anastasiiazdorikova]

Dear Ashton, I was expecting you to make this video, and you never disappoint! I went to the demonstration against the rise of fascism in Köln with my German colleagues from work, after that journalistic investigation report was published. Me being Ukrainian and fresh from the integration course, I was very much surprised, that that news report about secret AfD plans was even brought up in the work chats - I was told in the integration courses that you are not supposed to discuss politics or religion at a workplace. But maybe my Kölner colleagues were just different. 1000 protesters were expected by organisers, 30 000 came that day. I was astonished and very much relieved to be in this crowd. And when in a few days later there was another demo with 70 000 attendees - wow, that really moved me. I might soon be eligible for the double citizenship as well, because I want to pass my C1 exam this year. I never even thought about this possibility for me, because I want to stay a Ukrainian citizen even if I now live in Germany. I stopped having plans for the future on February 24th 2022, but now I feel like maybe there could be stability in my life again.

[@SharienGaming]

welcome and thanks for your engagement =) on the topics of political discussion at work - its depends... not necessarily a good idea to do it without knowing the environment and collegues, as you dont want to sour the professional relationship...these are people you likely have to interact with on a daily basis for the foreseeable future but: from my experience we tend to be pretty open about talking politics and discussing current events in general, including the workplace - i know some of my collegues for example are actively working for the local support group of the green party and they happily discuss their efforts and the overal political situation in town hall so its probably best not to necessarily lead with politics when youre new, but its not really a taboo topic best of luck with your exams and hope you get your double citizenship soon =)

[@anastasiiazdorikova]

@@SharienGaming oh, thanks for explaining! Yes, I follow that strategy too, I don't start those conversations, but when my colleagues do, I do engage in them. It's also a sort of an ice breaker, I do feel more included to the team when people open up like that, sharing their beliefs. But yes, I wouldn't want to complicate my communication with somebody at work, even if we wouldn't necessarily attend the same rally. It's challenging for me to get my point across in German as it is🤣 But I do my best.

[@and.me_7390]

Demonstrate all you want. In the next 50 years 15-22 Million muslim arabs will enter germany and become the majority. You can talk about tolerance with them. I heard the Taliban have a thing for women rights haha😂😂😂

[@bjoerneric1979]

Thank you Ashton for the video. We are an American German family looking forward to this change.

[@huha47]

I had contemplated once about getting the German Passport as I would have qualified for it since my great grandfather was German, and his family immigrated to America. I also knew him personally. There was a provision in the immigration law under which I would qualify even though I wasn't living in Germany. I had a meeting at the Counsulate in Wien, many documents translated, needed to get the ship info, etc. The refuge situation came into play, then no applications were being accepted, to be followed later by Covid. One delay after the other. After living in Austria for 30 years, I applied for citizenship here, got through the process, gave up my US citizenship, finally became a citizen this past August. No regrets. I feel very much at home in southern Austria in the Alps. Wishing you all the best! LG aus Villach-Warmbad.

[@danielabolanz6087]

You don't even need to go to another continent. I live in the UK and work as a town councillor beside my regular job. I have been here for 5 years now and would really like to vote in the general elections, but this would only be possible with a British passport. On top of that I still have family in Germany (parents in their late 70's), and therefore I need to be able to get there quickly and easily without having to think about paperwork. Dual citizenship will make my life so much easier. I'd be able to be a full member in society plus being able to keep doing whatever I need to do in Germany for the next 10-20 years.

[@user-qh7fi9gf2n]

I had taken it for granted that I would never qualify for dual citizenship and I learned about this entire debate through your channel. Congratulations to you (and me!), and thanks for the very helpful historical overview!

[@paulhaynes8045]

As a Brit, married to a Hungarian, I am the only person in my family who doesn't hold dual citizenship! Sadly, I am also the only one who is no longer an EU citizen. Xenophobia is one of the greatest ills of our world. We will never truly progress until we learn to respect and trust our fellow humans - all of them.

[@DenUitvreter]

No, entitlement is. People who want to keep another citizenship on the side cannot be trusted with voting rights.

[@paulhaynes8045]

@@DenUitvreter my wife is Hungarian - and, having lived here for 25 years, has become a British citizen as well. My children are exactly as much Hungarian as they are British, so they too have both citizenships. On the other hand, although I have spent 25% of my life in Hungary over the last 20+ years, I cannot support what has been going on over there since 2010, so I have remained just a British citizen. Although, if I was entitled to an Irish passport, I would take that, and get my EU citizenship back - I identify far more as a European than I do as British. All of that is logical, and, in my wife and children's case, entirely natural - I can't see any rational person arguing with it. But where "entitlement" comes into it is beyond me.

[@DenUitvreter]

@@paulhaynes8045 The entitlement starts with the idea that it's about expressing your identity or something or how you feel. Citizenship is a legal issue, a set of rights towards a state and a society, it's the most precious thing a government or a society through government can give a person. They make you one of them, but that's not enough for some, they want rights towards another state and society. So more rights than the people than the people that did you such a huge favour.

[@paulhaynes8045]

@@DenUitvreter sorry, but I genuinely have no idea what you're on about. Is 'entitlement' the latest alt-right buzzword - like 'woke' (whatever that means) or using 'liberal' as a term of abuse? If so, it's as daft as it sounds. As a citizen of a (reasonably progressive) democratic state, I am entitled to quite a few things - although it could be a lot better. But I don't recognise this idea that I have 'entitlements' or expect them in isolation.

[@DenUitvreter]

@@paulhaynes8045 You want more rights than the people who offered all the rights they have to you, and if someone questions that privilege or it's apparent self-evidence to you, you call him alt-right. That's typical, you're completely oblivious to being expected to be equal, that is very much entitled indeed.

[@klausbiegerfac.cs.naturale1392]

German lawmakers generally think in foreigners that want to have the German citizenship but forget about Germans who live abroad and are also limited by the restrictions of this legislation. As a German living already for more than 11 years in Chile I would wellcome to be able to have a dual nationality here and fully integrate in the society as right now I am restricted from several functions, even from a permanent position at a public university,

[@erichamilton3373]

I know your situation. You need to have your degree recognized by U Chile. I've lived in Chile 24 years with permanent residence and even vote. I would become a Chilean citizen but have just put it off due to things that come up. I'd love to be a dual national with Germany too, but, alas,.my mother was German not my father,.so that door was closed to me.

[@and.me_7390]

You are not restricted at all. You live in Chile? You pay taxes in Chile? Then become citizen of chile. It‘s simple as that. Why you seek benefits from germany if you left the country and don‘t give anything back? 😂

[@erichamilton3373]

@@and.me_7390 It is a matter of birth right. He is German. He doesn't have to "give" anything..

[@and.me_7390]

@@erichamilton3373 Oh oh, suddenly we are back to birthrights and DNA? How hypocrit of you 😂😂🤡🤡🤡 This man turned his back on his country and does not fulfill the duties of a citizen. He sits at the other end of the world but thinks he should be able to vote? Screw that. And who is he gonna fight for? Oh right, the coward will fight for no country and run away whenever he can 😂 I claim he is neither german nor chilean

[@dr.konraddahlem5697]

Dear Ashton, so very welcome you and your family are... we're fellow citizens now 👍🏾🤸🏽‍♂️

[@echoesde]

" ... physical manifestation of what I feel..." Thanks for the perfect words on this topic.

[@andreadee1567]

I would be proud to have your family in our society. We need people like you in Germany. All our problems are homemade, it didn’t have their origins in migration. But in times of big crisis like Corona, war, etc. we tend to see a single group of people as guilty. Come on, Germans, we know how this can end. I’m glad about the huge protests in German cities against right wing organisations.

[@and.me_7390]

It‘s funny you are against rightwing. Because the german rightwing is pretty leftwinged compared to the 350.000 male muslim guests you invite every year from afghanistan, iraq, syria and somalia^^

[@urviechalex9963]

@@and.me_7390 That´s why we go to such lengths in educating them, nowadays. We didn´t care in the 1970s and 1980s with the first wave of "Gastarbeiter", that didn´t work out so well...

[@and.me_7390]

@@urviechalex9963 Are you lost? 😂😂😂 You are educating nobody. New PISA studies just out last year. You can‘t even educate your own children in anything. But think you can change grown ass man with a 2 hour seminar to not harass women and be tolerant 🤡 every synagogue in germany is under police protection and during christmas the church of cologne couldn‘t freely be entered. Yet in your little parallel universe you created for yourself everything is going wonderfully 😂😂😂😂

[@Beppie80]

Congratulations to you and your family. Your videos are well researched, structured, and thought through. Your content is balanced and profound. You are a gain for Germany. I'm glad you're here.

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you so much!

[@LisaCamp]

Well reported. Thanks, I’m an American also living in Germany since 10 years now. You covered this well.

[@jeschinstad]

As a Norwegian, I would never invest myself in a country that would at some point tell me that I had to choose between them and my country of birth. You want the best of me at the cost of those who made me who I am? That's not how it works for me.

[@and.me_7390]

You want to have the benefit and privileges of two countries even though you fulfill only the duties of one country? Yeah, that‘s not how it works either. The west will go down either way. Just one step closer to the edge. ^^

[@jeschinstad]

@@and.me_7390: In what way do I fulfill only the duties of one country?

[@dudeonbike800]

Wow, what a well-timed video and turn of events for me. I've had my German consulate's web page tab open for months in my browser already. Need to proceed with my passport application, regardless of what transpires in the near term. Thank you!

[@moellerborn]

Gruesse aus Montana. Ich hoffe, dein Antrag geht schnell durch und ein Konsulat ist in deiner Naehe. Mein Reisepass ist seit 2021 ungueltig und wenn du wie ich im Staat Montana wohnst, musst du nach San Francisco fliegen, um einen neuen zu bekommen.

[@brianberryman7264]

This is great news, thanks for the clear and balanced explanation. I’m Canadian and have lived in Germany since 1995 but don’t want to renounce my first citizenship. Now it looks like I won’t have to and I can be an active participant in this democracy, and also take the EU lane when flying into Germany!

[@wertywerrtyson5529]

Sweden used to be very open to immigrants but with all the gang wars and organised criminals being tied to many companies that take tax money and the vast majority of these are with non Scandinavian backgrounds we have gone from very open to very closed. It’s become almost political suicide to be seen as soft on crime or soft on immigration these days.

[@lynnm6413]

We will be heading in the same direction, there was a reason to make the distinction between EU citizens and non-EU citizens… With the exception of Canada, USA, New Zealand and Australia, …everyone else but the Swiss, of course come from a very different cultural setting, where 8 years in a country such as Germany with its own difficult language and easy English communication will be needed to create any decent level of integration. The ‚religious freedom‘ card doesn‘t make room for hating on Jews…and these demonstrations made it very obvious that even 2nd gen kids from certain backgrounds are fed those lies. I am worried beyond expression for the falling of our house of cards….good intentions are not enough!

[@armandotudon9338]

Crime and violence, facts which have not been discussed in the video.

[@Tyrgalon]

These issues are pretty much always caused by poverty due to poor integration efforts from the government.

[@tobiisiba1641]

That is what makes this whole thing crazy, they Will no integration,and cr​ime will increase and the country will collapse,talking about integration while encouraging diversity makes no sense.

[@susiezswfl]

Wow! Thank you! What about those not living in Germany right now? I lived in Germany for 18 years. As a uS citizen, I’ve always wanted both. German mom, German grandparents…

[@christinehorsley]

Maybe now I can convince my US husband to get German citizenship. He’s been living (and working) here since 1991, never wanted to give up his US citizenship. Because he turned 67 a few weeks ago, it would also mean that he wouldn’t be required to pass Language and Naturalization Tests, which he doesn’t feel up to, basically going to school at his age. And his German is “special” 😂 with great vocabulary but miserable grammar …

[@chrish.5911]

Ok, just to clarify: Your husband moved to Germany at the age of 34, has been living here for 33 years, is married to a german wife, but his language skills are so "special" that he is afraid to fail the language test?

[@christinehorsley]

@@chrish.5911 Yes. He never had in depth formal German language instructions, started working 11 days after arrival (in Germany) as a carpenter, surrounded by coworkers who mostly spoke Swabian dialect. For over 20 years. Later he worked as a truck driver, surrounded by many non German drivers, pretty much only his bosses and the customers spoke German, but there wasn’t much talking done during his workday. At home I spoke English to our children, wanting to make sure they wouldn’t lose it resp learn it. (At work I also spoke and wrote mainly English. After nearly 12 years in the USA I’m quite proficient.) And we watched English news channels, BBC and movies in English language whenever it was possible. In those 3 decades he aquired a very large vocabulary, understands nearly everything, learned the German “R” sound (he can even roll the R like a Frankonian or Bavarian) but when he speaks more than a few simple sentences one can tell he’s not German. (He was often taken to be Dutch or Swedish, no idea why.) He never left the warpath with German grammar, German declinations, declensions, the cases, the tenses, and the many prefixes and suffixes and such confuse him. As a simple example, after he signed something, he’d say: “Ich habe untergeschrieben” instead of “Ich habe unterschrieben”. Just can’t get it into his head that the “ge” in “geschrieben” (from verb “schreiben”) is dropped when the verb is the past tense of “unterschreiben” … Lastly, he’s not eager to apply for German citizenship (he has a permanent Aufenthaltstitel) and even less eager to take any tests.

[@moellerborn]

Sadly this is very common. @@chrish.5911

[@jochenkreusel131]

Congratulations and best wishes for the remaining path to your German citizenship. Great having you here!

[@bobmeining4028]

My wife and I were as young children born in Germany. We are Canadian and the fact the we are of the same ethnic background is by chance...the cute girl working in the room next to me 50 years ago. I have never given dual citizenship a second thought, but my wife thought it might be nice for our kids to have. We do visit Germany on occasion. I myself never cared for it until we took over a month in 2005 to tour all parts of Germany and visit family there. I can see why you like living there. I live in a small city at the border of the US and the advantage is the ethnic communities are small and everyone goes to the same high schools and there are many happy marriages across religious and ethnic lines. The problem is in a large city's like Toronto you have very high concentrations of different ethnic groups in certain areas giving silo effects and you get ... My son would never dishonor me by marrying some one like that (a white person..or other race). The slaves who used the underground railroad to get to Halifax still encounter racism. We have a relative in Germany who just married someone of Turkish origin that had the wedding delayed years because of issues with the Turkish parents. A tour guide in Rome told us that he had no issue with the refugees/ immigrants if the wanted to become Italian, just that many do not want to, the just want to live there as there own people. Look at issues in Sweden. There are a lot if legitimate concerns and i could go on and on. I hope Germany does not loose a lot of its history and traditions since I suspect a lot of new citizens will not care. I am happy for you and your new life in Germany. All the best and your family.

[@nigoki9706]

Ashton... You said some wise words here. I love this channel so much for its great research and the cosmopolitan image it projects. I am very happy that we were finally able to get this law passed. Thanks for this video!

[@davebesset8150]

It says a lot that citizens of the "land of the free" decide not only to have their center of life in Germany, but also to aspire to citizenship. Europe and Germany seem to have a lot to offer that citizens of other nations certainly appreciate.

[@MisterPyOne]

I mean it's not at all representative. There are around 300 Million Americans and 400 Million EU citizens.

[@similimum66]

I am a german (citizen), living in Quebec, Canada, for over thirty years as a permanent resident, but without canadian citizenship, as I never want to loose my right to return home. Both my adult children (born here to a canadian mother) hold dual citizenship, but I was never eligible. In the very worrisome state our western world finds itself in, the recent demonstrations in Germany, and the passed naturalisation law give me some hope and strengthen my resolve to return. I thank for your thoughtful, informative, and balanced Videos, which I enjoy for some time already.

[@moellerborn]

German here living in Montana, USA. 37 years. Let's wait and let us all apply for the citizenship in the country we reside! Wir schaffen dass. Wird aber nicht billig. LOL Petra

[@2010Keywest]

Dear Ashton and family just wanted to say a very worm welcome to your becoming Dual citizenship 🎉 I will get my dual citizenship As well thx to you 👍 Greetings from Berlin 👍😀

[@MetallicReg]

That is really sad for all those hard working people, that had to give everything up and jump through all the hoops for 8 years previously. So you could have worked all your life, migrated, had to give up their old citizenship - and then didn’t get any form of meaningful pension since all your work was nullified.

[@thinkbig5438]

So the improvement is wrong? Because it used to be harder? That’s a glass half empty perspective on life.

[@1ch0]

I am really proud of Germany for showing such force against Nazis with the demonstrations. It took me by surprise as I usually don't care that much for German politics. I always thought we were not in danger of this, so I mostly looked at America and didn't observe it that much in my own country in the last few years. I was pretty shocked how many people voted for AfD recently and I will definitely vote in the next Bundestagswahl against this right-wing crap politics! I hope this also shows that demonstrating has an effect on everybody. Some people, like myself, who were not even aware of the development towards extreme right-wing politics, were shaken and woken up to vote again. Demonstrating and standing up for what is right is never useless! :)

[@strauchs95]

Dont get me wrong i have my own dispites against the AFD. But the word Nazi is a hard word to say. Especially to people like me who are Wolga Germans black sea Germans etc. AFD is not perfect, but in no right can we call them nazi. Thats too harsh in my opinion.

[@Kilandil]

​@@strauchs95i dont know, they planned the deportation of millions of people next to where it was planned last time in 1942. That aint no coincidence. The nazis planned to deport people to northern africa and Madagaskar. At first. Until they had to take care of logistics, then they decided to kill because it was more efficient. I never thought that it would come to talks about "remigration" again. I would never think that it could come to industrialized killing again. But i have been wrong before.

[@user-dt9xb7sn2q]

People should understand that not participating in elections is irresponsible. It’s easy to think that everything is working fine by itself. But active political forces are always looking for opportunities and can quickly flip the country’s political course and society norms upside down.

[@arnodobler1096]

​@@strauchs95Bernd Höcke can officially be called a Nazi!

[@Vell1981]

Here comes the Moron eating up everything the Media tells them go watch some more Harz4 TV and shut up the AFD will get even more Traction i am for helping people but not by cannibalizing our economy and culture.

[@jornott8399]

As a German native (I think my grand parents even passed the AfD predacessors Arier certification), I never realized the special "value", this exclusive club membership holds. I always took it for granted, that I can just visit an enormous list of countries without tedious visa applications, move freely around the EU (and associated countries) to live and work where I want. So, for me, it was always difficult to understand, why people are so desperate to keep this club exclusive. Frankly, if you become part of a community, contribute to it and integrate into it, you should always not only get the obligations (pay taxes, contribute to our social systems and follow the rules/laws) but also the benefits (vote, benefit from the social systems). And nobody is only a member of just one community but many (family, circles of friends, citizen of a city/state/country, member of a religious group), so I never saw any reason, why you need to denounce one group to become a member of another. I barely see the reason for these citizenship tests, because frankly, the 80 year old turkish mother/grandmother who worked here and raised two generations of tax payers, has her friends and family here is definitely a member of the local community. And someone who got the passport by just being born to the right parents but hates our laws and values never has to bring by any proof of being a real German. I still wonder, how many "Germans" would fail the citizenship test. So congratulations to your chance of finally having a chance to get a piece of paper which certifies what you guys already are, members of the community called Germany. Especially without giving up the other membership card which also define of what you are, US citizens. And please continue to enrich both communities with your videos showing both perspectives to their members.

[@TypeAshton]

This comment is outstanding. Thank you ♥️♥️

[@germanCrowbar]

Ich habe noch nie so viel Mist gelesen.

[@tomhanky6618]

Agree with all that you are saying, Relating to: 'And please continue to enrich both communities with your videos' I am observing that more and more americans of type Ashton and family, i.e. smart, with a balanced view and sane are considering moving abroad which in my view can be devastating for the US in the long run. If Ashton could find a way to address her native home crowd and give some of her profound insights and perspectives to them, that would be fantastic. Unfortunately I think this channel is mainly followed by germans/europeans as it seems.

[@germanCrowbar]

Wenn du etwas informiert gewesen wärst, dann hättest du gewusst, dass die 80 jährige türkische Oma die hier Lebt selten bis gar nichts gearbeitet hat und du hättest auch gewusst, dass sie hätte nur 2 Jahre im Land bleiben dürfen. Sie sind also illegal hier geblieben.

[@KHValby]

Greetings from Denmark 🇩🇰 👍! Congratulations 😊! BTW. Your graph is wrong regarding Denmark NOT allowing dual citizenship. Denmark has allowed dual Citizenship since 2015. Anyway Welcome to your new European family 😍!!

[@hantykje3005]

@TypeAshton: What does US law say about holding both US and in your case German citizenship?

[@diegorhoenisch62]

I'm not Ashton, but I do know the answer: the US has no problem with dual citizenship. As a US citizen, one is required to file an income tax return regardless of where one lives. Additionally, if one decides to serve in the armed forces of another country then US citizenship is forfeited. Cheers, Alan Tomlinson

[@rebeccarendle3706]

This was a fabulous diplomatic summary .. well done👏. Also, great you and your lovely family can now get joint citizenship. I have lived in Germany 28yrs, ie longer than the UK (24yrs) and was offered joint citizenship when Brexit occurred. I was so grateful. I have always been integrated, speak German, worked, pay taxes, accept and respect German culture, have 1/2 German children and have just celebrated 25yrs working in German Public Service etc.. It does worry me a little how things have escalated here the last months. I feel uncomfortable, nervous and insecure due to the political situation. I think each immigration case should be examined individually... if people want German citizenship they should be a full part of German society ie. they should speak German fluently, have a trade/qualification/job that is needed/useful, accept and respect German culture and religious origin (but be able to keep their own to) and be full integrated. As a foreigner, I do not have a problem with strickt immigration laws if they are there to make sure the immigrant respects their new country and wants to become a fully immersed, useful and integrated part of society. Other countries eg New Zealand, Australia etc also have strickt immigration laws.

[@torstenpinkert8684]

Thanks for this post. Exactly thats the core of the problem we have in germany. If everyone would see it like you, everyone would be happy.

[@maxxie84]

Hi, so I’m French and I lived in Ireland and now the uk. I do believe of course in the concept of dual citizenship, I would go even further stating that as a European I have always had dual citizenship. What I wanted to say is that I am seeing the news in Germany and I must admit that I am a bit worried about the far right gaining so much political terrain in so many countries in Europe (France included). We will see the results of the European elections but this is giving me vibes of 1930s Germany…

[@MrsStrawhatberry]

It’s not gaining so much, the government is still green/social/federal. Problem is that there are not many right wing parties at all in Germany so most people who disagree with the government (the entire opposition basically) votes AfD. And since the super right wingers also have no other party to vote for they also vote for AfD. So AD encompasses voters from middle right to far right. That is the main problem. CDU is technically middle-right too but as she explained, Merkel did open German borders drastically and obviously right wing voters, even middle and middle-right would not have wanted that.

[@Hebrews123]

I’ve had dual citizenship between Germany and the USA since I was born. My dad is American my mom German it always felt strange to me that this was not normal. Congratulations to you this is wonderful

[@erichamilton3373]

I imagine you were born after 1977. I was born pre-1977: you were only German through the father.

[@MisterPyOne]

@@erichamilton3373 Interesting, I didn't know that. I too hold dual citizenship, because even though, my family lived outside of germany and the EU for 2 generations, they held the german citizenship throughout that, so I have it now too.

[@zombietaichi2069]

Congratulations 🎉 Thank you for that concise and professional explanation of recent events in Germany. I’m dual-citizen American-German by birth (German parents), and very thankful that it now is easier for all. My parents have lived in the US 50+ years, and had to give up their German citizenship when they accepted the US one. Not that they’d move back (my dad doesn’t fly anymore, he’s 93), but at least they have the option. Had lived in Germany 17 years myself, the last 20 years living back in the States. Living in L.A. is like living in a melting pot of nationalities, it’s like a global village. Nationalism sadly becoming more pronounced in the US too, fueled in part by climate refugees. Was following the news in Germany & EU with the problems of integration- this new law will hopefully help. Hopefully the people of the world will become more tolerant as they learn to accept other people’s cultures and traditions, for the benefit of future generations.

[@erichamilton3373]

You're lucky the Germans recognized you as German. It's because of the father: you're officially German through the father.

[@moellerborn]

You are automatically German if your mother is German, nomatter where you are born. So a child born to a German mother in the USA will be dual citizen. Also like my daughter who had a US father when she was born in Germany. She did get an US birthcertificate of a citizen born abroad at the consulate in Frankfurt. And she is German, because me, her mother is. Her sons are dual citizen because one was born in Germany to a german mother and an US father, and the other born in the USA to a german mother and US father and automatically a US citizen since he was born in the USA. It is very complicated. LOL@@erichamilton3373

[@tonykyle2655]

Thank you for a very informative and needed video. A thought or maybe a suggestion. How about a video about being an expat and dealing with the tax system in the United States. It is one thing that keeps us anchored because of the 3 ring circus I've heard it can be to be an expat and still having to file US taxes. Again thank you. Your videos are a Sunday morning staple and I look forward to them.

[@maribelfarnsworth4565]

I'm so delighted for you and your family!

[@knudvoecking]

Thanks, Ashton, for your great video, which explains the issue in a very thoughtful way. And a warm welcome to you and your family as German citizens very soon.

[@hansmolders1066]

You did a good job explaining!

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I am Dutch, and thank God my country (nearly) forbids dual citizenship. What if a war breaks out? What if you have conflict between countries of which you have both passports? Who's side are you on? I do not understand that you won't renounce US citizenship. Yes, it is a bit difficult and expensive, but life's choices are choices, it is not getting everything at the same time. That is not how life works. I do deplore that US citizens in the Netherlands are granted dual citizenship because it is too difficult to get rid of the US citizenship. What the heck? Lastly, having dual citizenship is kind of discriminatory. These people have two fall back options, and two voting rights whilst normal people only have one. I am generally left leaning, but I do think that (Dutch) citizenship is something that can only be awarded to people who speak Dutch at home. No idea how you could check that, but that is what I feel.

[@TypeAshton]

A few things to keep in mind: 1) Many countries ask that voting citizens also hold residence in the country. If you want to make sure that your fellow countrymen aren't voting when they don't live there anymore, you can pass laws that restrict this without compromising dual citizenship. In my case, I would continue to vote in US elections simply because the US government continues to ask that I file tax returns and comply with banking disclosures even though I don't live there anymore. As long as my government wants to keep tabs on me overseas, then I think its my right as a citizen to influence who speaks on my behalf in that government. But it also isn't Germany's job to tell the US who gets to participate in US elections. 2) Many countries also ask that those who are dual citizens renounce their duality if they want to be a member of the military. The US for example, disallows any dual national from holding a position with security clearance. Again, this is not new.

[@pat564]

I totally understand how you feel. I know a buddy who has lived in Canada for 30 years who is a Dutch citizen and won’t give it up to become Canadian citizen. His daughter can get duel because he is Dutch. How do you feel about birthright citizenship? I am duel citizen through birthright citizenship from a EU country that doesn’t allow duel citizenship. My EU country has probably the most strictest citizenship laws.

[@steemlenn8797]

As someone who is politically interested it often (still, despite experience) surprises me when things that have been warned against again and again and again for years and nothing happens in "the population", when suddenly a really minor thing happens and there is an outburst. Like this meeting. The persons are not new, the things they say are not new, the plans are not new...

[@snowsnake1264]

Watching this is so difficult for me. I was born in Germany I have never lived anywhere else in the world. Both my parents are Chinese moved to Germany when they were 14 and 16 respectfully both have German citizenship. I don’t look like my German friends obviously and to think that there are people in Germany who think I am not German enough to stay or live here feels sickening. The start of the video really makes me tear up because I am probably more German than Chinese but I look foreign and always will

[@svensulzmann4282]

I personally don’t like to have multiple citizenships. To many potential obligations. I don’t think it should be forbidden by law to have multiple citizenships because it is an individual decision.

[@reinhard8053]

A hopefully theoretical question is: what would happen in case of a war ? If somebody has a German passport and that of the opponent ? Would we send these people to detainment camps (as the US had done with citizens with Japanese (and German?) origin in WW2) ? What with military service ? In some countries you must do that. So if there is somebody having serviced in country A could or must he do that in country B, too ? Then he would need to swear oaths to both countries ? On the other hand with some countries it is practically or legally impossible to get rid of citizenship. Without dual citizenship they never would have the opportunity to really integrate in their new home.

[@welshskies]

My daughter lives with her German partner, she speaks German and she works for the UN World Food Programme. Brexit was a total f*ck up for us as a family but now she can apply for dual German/British citizenship. Well Done Germany!! 👍👍

[@broncolausen7660]

Congratulations and happy to have you with us. I wish you all the best.

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you so much!

[@spirou2023]

Thank you so much for the Video and for joining us, Ashton. We need you and your family. At the end of the video I got emotional, crying a little bit...

[@NorCalMom]

You handled that discussion so well, not an easy topic to discuss I’m sure. We are moving to Germany this spring from the U.S. and feel like every month something new happens that tells us we are on the right path forward, either happening here in the U.S. or in Deutschland. This was a big one for us. Wir haben Deutsch vor zwei Jahren gelernt und wollen uns in Deutschland niederlassen!

[@maikvogel6632]

Ihr seit wirklich Willkommen! Wird wirklich Zeit für den zweiten Pass! :-)

[@Alpha-Eridani]

love your content - I barely pay attention to german news, so this channel actually is great to give me a high level overview of what's going on

[@scb2scb2]

Great news and great video again. We as a country (Netherlands) really should do better thats all i can say. We created this connected world (wish was part of my early job, building a small part of it) and the hope for many was it would create more empathy and deeper knowledge of history if all can talk to all. But the fear more and more is that people will not watch well balanced and fact driven videos like this. But more money is to be made by creating media structures that puts us in groups play up fears and create attention spans of seconds where people react on impuls instead of understanding. Not all is lost and Germany has been and i hope stays an example for the rest of Europe and the world on some of these issues. But this is good news and we should take it before we worry again.

[@and.me_7390]

Oh the world is certainly learning from germany and europe. That‘s why they close their borders^^

[@Autarch-ml5no]

As a German i think this is a good reform. There is one i thing i don't like: apparently it will be possible for men to refuse to shake hands with women for religious reasons and still get German citizenship. I really don't believe that this reflects behavior according to our constitution, hopefully this will be corrected or clarified (for instance by courts). But i guess that is a minority. I wish you and your family all the best and keep us posted on your way to German citizenship.

[@Hosenbisla]

You can forget that. Freedom of religion is the holy cow of fundamental rights in Germany. If evert two clash, and one is religious freedom, it will allways win. Bodily autonomy and circumcision was a good example.

[@lynnm6413]

After Corona a lot of people ha fond other ways to greet each other… I wouldn‘t mind that issue so much if it wasn‘t an indicator of how much misogyny will be imported into the workplace by men living after their holy scriptures…any religion is basically anti women, if one takes those old books seriously.

[@dudeonbike800]

@@Hosenbisla when freedom of religion entails stripping the rights of a protected class, the protected class will prevail. Otherwise people could claim their "religion" gives them the right to own women or slaves. That said, humanity would be VERY well served if it could evolve past its medieval superstitions.

[@Hosenbisla]

@@dudeonbike800 i do not think the concept of a protected class exists in german law. And even if it would exist, i am pretty sure we would put every religion in the catageory of protected class.

[@kevinprice2274]

Being natural born German, I took a shot at the German naturalization test, taking a great chunk of the 300+ questions. After somewhere past 100 I got tired, without getting a single one wrong. Very easy. But I realized, that's quite some learning to do for people who're not naturally born German. Do you even know what "Bundesrat" is, for instance, or could you quickly name all 16 states by heart? With their respective capitals? What's the body called that elects the Bundespräsident, and how is it constituted?

[@lynnm6413]

Could you still pass the theoretical drivers exam? Probably not without learning a few weeks….doesn‘t mean you are a bad driver. Anyone can learn for a test and then go on and reboot the system… Language skills are way harder to learn

[@kevinprice2274]

@@lynnm6413 In fact that's what I'm bothered with. My soon to be 18 yo child needs to pass the drivers exam I'm trying to teach him. Huge difference is: Naturalization test requires mere > 50 % to pass. Drivers exam requires all questions to be answered correctly, with very few wrong answers. In fact I failed my first attempt in 1996.

[@user-ch8jr6we2d]

With all the hatred and bigotry taking hold across the democratic world, it's great to see a good news story that shows tolerance and inclusiveness fighting back and winning.

[@musicofnote1]

Dual citizenship is just a first step. In 2004 I got my Swiss citizensehip - no problem here to keep my US citizenship. But then in 2013, when I was informed, that US IRS would consider my pension "income" not as income, per se, but rather as "Capital gains", which would be taxed at 25% without possibility of any US tax credit, it became the last straw (well, actually 2nd to last straw) and made the decision to renounce my US citizenship. That and the FACTA laws which provoked Swiss banks to separating themselves from US citizens OR even spouses of US citizens, I renounced in 2013. Never actually regretted this, never looked back and enjoy the freedom to particpate in Switzerland's political Landschaft. So when you do get your German citizenship, then your introspection should begin, as to whether you take the next step - renouncing your US citizenship. It "only" costs $2250 now - when I did it it cost me $450. What will it cost in another 10 years.

[@jochenlutz7195]

Happy that you and Jonathan are Germans now as well. Welcome ! 😀🍀

[@RustyDust101]

The paradox of tolerance by Karl Popper the philosopher comes to mind a lot in these days. (Edit: correcting my error, Popper was born Austrian). It describes that a society that is TOO tolerant of other people trying to remove said tolerance makes it easier for those intolerant people to achieve their goals. As such a certain level of intolerance TOWARDS intolerance has to be engrained in a society to make it a strong society that will keep and protect its values of tolerance. That's the paradox of tolerance that we have to be intolerant to intolerance. Or in another way in German "Null Toleranz für Intoleranz" = "Zero tolerance for intolerance." That's what so many Germans are doing today. Standing up and voicing their opinion that no matter if they are center, left, Christian, Islam, Jewish, worker or CEO, conservative or progressive, that no, we will never allow the right extremists to win again. I do hope that the AfD royally f'd up when they held that Potsdam conference and used the euphemism 'remigration' for 'deportation'. I hope dearly that in the next elections the AfD will be harshly slapped down. That no one wants to be associated with a party that clearly uses Nazi demagoguery and terminology in their political program. Quote from Wikipedia: Karl Popper: „Damit möchte ich nicht sagen, dass wir z. B. intolerante Philosophien auf jeden Fall gewaltsam unterdrücken sollten; solange wir ihnen durch rationale Argumente beikommen können und solange wir sie durch die öffentliche Meinung in Schranken halten können, wäre ihre Unterdrückung sicher höchst unvernünftig. Aber wir sollten für uns das Recht in Anspruch nehmen, sie, wenn nötig, mit Gewalt zu unterdrücken, denn es kann sich leicht herausstellen, dass ihre Vertreter nicht bereit sind, mit uns auf der Ebene rationaler Diskussion zusammenzutreffen, und beginnen, das Argumentieren als solches zu verwerfen; sie können ihren Anhängern verbieten, auf rationale Argumente - die sie ein Täuschungsmanöver nennen - zu hören, und sie werden ihnen vielleicht den Rat geben, Argumente mit Fäusten und Pistolen zu beantworten. Wir sollten daher im Namen der Toleranz das Recht für uns in Anspruch nehmen, die Unduldsamen nicht zu dulden. Wir sollten geltend machen, dass sich jede Bewegung, die die Intoleranz predigt, außerhalb des Gesetzes stellt, und wir sollten eine Aufforderung zur Intoleranz und Verfolgung als ebenso verbrecherisch behandeln wie eine Aufforderung zum Mord, zum Raub oder zur Wiedereinführung des Sklavenhandels.“ auto translate “I don’t mean to say that for example intolerant philosophies should definitely be suppressed by force. As long as we can overcome them through rational arguments and as long as we can keep them in check through public opinion, their suppression would certainly be highly unreasonable. But we should claim the right to suppress them by force if necessary, because it can easily turn out that their representatives are not ready to meet with us at the level of rational discussion and begin to argue as to reject such things. They may forbid their followers from listening to rational arguments - which they call a fallacy - and they may advise them to answer arguments with fists and guns. We should therefore, in the name of tolerance, claim the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should assert that any movement that preaches intolerance places itself outside the law, and we should treat a call for intolerance and persecution as just as criminal as a call for murder, robbery, or the reintroduction of the slave trade.” This is what we have to defend: our right to defend against the intolerants.

[@erlenken]

Yes, well quoted. Only, Sir Karl Popper was born Austrian and emigrated first to Australia and then Britain, where he became (dual?) citizen and gained knighthood.

[@RustyDust101]

​@@erlenken Sorry, I must have been mistaken. Thank you for correcting my error. I appreciate it.

[@Hispania_45]

It will only increase the AFD support. You can’t shut down action against the immigration crisis and Ukraine issue forever, parties like that are a natural and inevitable reaction to the disaster Europe has faced. They will silence the AFD and the issues Germans clearly care about will simply continue and worsen, until something even more radical, right wing or left wing(IE fascist or communist) takes its place.

[@erlenken]

no problem! @@RustyDust101

[@and.me_7390]

You don‘t even realise how paradox you are. You fight against the rightwing, but invite 350.000 muslim arab males from highly intolerant, homophobic, antisemitic cultures every year into your country and believe you protect democracy and tolerance hahaha So tell me: how is it working out for you? When Israel got attacked by hamas, thousands of muslim migrants went to the streets with antisemitic paroles, synagogues in germany are all under police protection and jews don‘t even dare to wear their kippa in berlin and other cities. Israel flags got stolen and burned down in public and in Essen even 3000 muslims demanded the erection of an caliphate in germany. Oh yes, you will remember this quote. Since you invited the intolerance into your house 😂

[@aaalbeeert-jd3wb]

Heyyyy, congrats with great news for you and your family! It's also great news for me and all my international friends who studied and now work in Germany, so we're celebrating all together! :>>>

[@HereInTheMiddleWithYou]

Thanks for the wonderful update! 🎉

[@lysan1445]

Congratulations on your upcoming dual citizenship! I always wonder why politicians do not emphasize how much Germany needs immigration. There is no way around it. I was glad about the graphics you showed initially, which proved the point. It's also more than just experts and academics we need. Unfortunately, at the same time they voted on dual citizenship, they also restricted access and rights for refugees. In view of more and more right-wing attitudes throughout the world, I am proud that in Germany, so many people took to the streets against right-wing views and politicians.

[@KupoxChan]

Just because Germany needs immigration (do we at all? what is so bad about a shrinking population?), doesn't mean that we should not debate this topic. Considering that only 50% of those syrian refugees who came to Germany in 2015 (9 years ago!) are in the job market now is pretty impressive imo (in a negative way). Also only 20% of the refugees from the Ukraine are in the job market. So 1M more immigrants doesn't mean 1M more labourer. Putting the fact on top that after the 7th october a lot of people went on street to demonstrate against Israel (after pretending to demonstrate for Palestine) requires to weighten up decisions very carefully.

[@lysan1445]

Congratulations on gathering so much misinformation!@@KupoxChan

[@KupoxChan]

Congratulations to this constructive feedback @@lysan1445

[@PipoBurlester]

Well spoken KupoxChan. Those are part of the problems that push people to the right wing parties all over Europe. Even AFD accepts everyone who is working and taxpayer in Germany. By the way AFD would be left of American Democrats If they would act in American policies.

[@denisharis4443]

I need to apply when I retire from the U.S. Army. I was born in a German hospital with a German passport to a German mother and an American father and lived in Germany for 10 years. Once I joined the U.S. Army as an 18 year old, I was told that I couldn’t be a dual citizen.

[@erichamilton3373]

If you were born before 1977 German descent through the mother does not count. It must be the father's line. They have just changed that it seems, but there are still big hurddles.

[@moellerborn]

So did you denounce your German citizenship? Or did they just tell you (the Army) that you would no longer have it? Because you may actually still have it! My daughter was born (1982) in a german hospital, german mother, US father and has a birthcertifacate of a "citizen born abroad". We were told that she would have dual citizenship until she turned 18 and then she would have to decide. NOT TRUE. When she turned 18 we applied for her German Passport and were told that once you have German citizenship noone can take it from you unless you volunteerly give it up. Did you ever give it up officially?

[@margritjones7934]

My son has both citizenships. He was born in Germany, we moved to the States 20 years ago and he joined the Navy with 18. But he still has both. Nobody can take that away.

[@awijntje14]

Another great video and lots of food for thought (plus very happy you can now apply for your dual citizenship!).. I work with both the children (now adults) of "gastarbeiders" and immigranten (both expats and asylumseekers) and this has enriched my life and my understanding of the world outside my "bubble" and for that i am very grateful. Unfortunately disccusions about these groups are usually done on feelings (fear mongering) and not the reall numbers or how much they contribute to society. Recently had a discussion about where does care by the "government" stop and the personal responsibility starts and it made me wonder about the balance between how much taxes someone pays during their working life and how much society pays them "back" in terms of pensions, healthcare etc....(especially as the growing trend seems to be to shift everything to personal responsibility).... Anyways have a great sunday and see you next week.

[@GooberGoofy-lj5yd]

I don't have dual citizenship and I don't think I ever will, but I would never infringe on another person's right to take part in the democratic process of the country they choose to support. If any person is telling you that you can't love more than one country, they are just slow upstairs.

[@insulanerin7601]

For a long time, german citizenship was based on "jus sanguinis", right of blood. If you spoke no german at all, but had a german grand-parent, it was easier to get citizenship than if you lived in Germany all your life, but had foreign grandparents. This has only started to change in the last decades, but some people still think of the children of immigrants as "not real germans". The US system always had "jus solis", law of soil, your citizenship depends on were you are born. Which of course makes sense for a nation of immigrants were everyone but the Native Americans has great-grandparents elsewere.

[@uroskostic8570]

Your nationality is what your parents are. You cant magically change your nationality. If your parents are English, you cant become German simply by being born in Germany.

[@TypeAshton]

I know my perspective on this is colored by the fact that I'm "American" - which, unless you are speaking to Native Americans, has always been, by definition: any one from any culture who agrees to work together towards democracy and opportunity. I think this new law will definitely challenge those to move their definition of what it means to be "German" from one based on legacy to one based on future opportunity and growth.

[@insulanerin7601]

@@TypeAshton I really hope we can go forward in this direction. Unfortunately we seem to have quite a number of "ethnic germans" who are not working for democracy right now - as we obviously can't deport them to somewhere else we will have to keep trying to convince them.

[@Originalkugelzwerg]

Today, on a Sunday, a few hundred citizens met in a small town south of Berlin to demonstrate against the fascists who blame foreigners for everything that goes wrong in Germany. The protest has grown so much within a week that it has spread to the countryside, not just the big cities. (I am so proud of my neighbors).

[@janeswift9961]

I would move on this sooner rather than later. A former UK PM is believed to have said, A week in politics is a long time. Laws and constitutions can be changed or revoked. Don't miss out on the opportunity that you have been afforded.

[@CindyJScott]

You have a gift for taking complex concepts and making it them easy to understand ❤. Great work

[@annh.8290]

The requirements to naturalize into the Netherlands, you must renunciation your previous citizenship, unless you are married, or are a registered partner to a Dutch citizen, I'm hoping the German change helps push the Dutch to do the same.

[@gargoyle7863]

To be honest. Netherlands should stick with its current law. Nothing against lifelong green-cards for those who don't wanna renounce their previous citizenship. But who gets naturalized should renounce their former citizenship.

[@kielyandcarlyphysics]

This statement is most often uttered by someone who has never had to make the difficult and painful decision to choose between two identities. For example, if I gave up my passport for a German one and I needed to return to my home country to care for my elderly parents or in-laws, I would no longer be able to do that. @@gargoyle7863

[@peter_meyer]

@@gargoyle7863 There are countrie on this planet who simply do not allow renouncing your citizenship. There also are countries connecting renounciation with high hurdles. These people wouldn't ever be able to get citizenship. According to article 3 of the german constitution there _must_ be a way to acquire citizenship. I'm pretty sure the dutch constitution has a similar clause

[@annh.8290]

@@gargoyle7863 Ok, though I don't agree, I do wonder if Germany will ever change past sex discriminatory laws on citizenship, where a German woman loses her citizenship by marrying a non german, sure they changed it for those born after 1949, but sadly, not before.

[@annh.8290]

@@peter_meyer These people living in the Netherlands who's country does not allow it, are exempt from denouncing, thus can acquire Dual citizenship.

[@emmacoldwellweber]

Thank you Ashton! These are quality videos! ❤ NIE WIEDER!

[@myyouaccounttube1024]

Someone like you with your mentality, intelligence, culture and education will truly be a gift to any country offering dual citizenship.

[@poorwotan]

Lost a bit in the shuffle is that this new law will also now more easily allow us Germans living outside of Germany to gain the local citizenship of the countries we are living in without being forced to renounce Germany. While the Beibehaltung (retention) of German citizenship was available, it was rooted on very deep family/economic ties to Germany. As a 3rd generation German living (and born) outside of Germany it was a virtual impossible set of conditions to fulfill the further down the German emigrant line you were. I can now finally get the US citizenship which I want so bad (legal resident for over 40 years in the US) as the citizenship of the country I live, work in, fully respect, and support without having to renounce Germany (which is my "ancestral" citizenship - i.e. the more emotional one).

[@moellerborn]

Genau!

[@andreassauerbrei]

Great video! As a German living in the USA for over 25 years with parents living in Germany, having many strong ties to my home country, but also wanting to fully participate over here, I completely agree with your statements. Making dual citizenship possible aligns with a more globalized world, the lives of people like your family or mine, and how we likely feel about our nationalities: well integrated with the country we have been living in for a long time, contributing to society, year also with strong ties to our home countries and families. I think this is way over due and I am glad that Germany is finally moving forward on this. Best wishes to you and your family! As someone who went “the other direction” across the Atlantic I have been very much enjoying your content.