Destination Deutschland
January 21, 2015
Germany's annual immigration report, which was published on Wednesday, shows that 1.23 million immigrants came to Germany in 2013 - the highest figure since 1993. In 2012, just over 1 million people immigrated to Germany.
Most of the immigrants to Germany came from Poland and Romania, contributing to the roughly 75 percent of immigrants who came from European countries. Germans returning from abroad are the third biggest group among all the migrants to Germany, making up 9.7 percent in 2013.
Lawmakers are currently debating the merits of an immigration law that would seek to make immigration to Germany more attractive.
"Tomorrow's skilled workers, they're not just going to suddenly start appearing," Aydan Özoguz, the government's representative for migration, refugees and integration, told German news channel N-TV. "We need to make sure that more people from all kinds of countries will consider coming to Germany," she added.
Proponents of such a measure see the need to fill future gaps in the German workforce and hope to ease immigration for potential workers who fit the bill. Failure to do so could lead to immigrants looking for jobs in other countries.
Opponents of the idea see it as unnecessary, claiming that Germany should focus instead on taking care of refugees that are admitted into the country.
Over the past several months, regular demonstrations from groups such as PEGIDA have taken place in Germany protesting the alleged "Islamification" of Europe. Opponents of PEGIDA also demonstrate on a regular basis in Germany.
mz, ng/ sms (dpa, AFP)