On the last day of its penultimate week of sessions this year, the Bundestag passed numerous laws. Well-integrated foreigners who have been living in Germany for several years without a secure status should be given a perspective. Asylum procedures are to be accelerated and the quality of day-care centers increased. There are also innovations for the hospital sector and taxpayers. Below is an overview:

Perspectives for those who have been tolerated for many years

The so-called right of residence is intended to offer prospects to well-integrated foreigners who have been living in Germany for several years without a secure status. Anyone who has lived in the country for five years as of October 31, 2022 and has not committed a crime should have 18 months to meet the requirements for long-term residence. This includes, for example, knowledge of German and securing your own livelihood.

Faster asylum procedures

With the new regulation, the so-called standard review by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) will be abolished. So far, this check has automatically checked after a certain period of time whether there are reasons for revoking or withdrawing the recognition of the right to asylum and the granting of refugee status. In the future, the review should only be carried out on an “as-needed” basis. In addition, asylum seekers should be able to take advantage of advice that is independent of the authorities. Uniform case law should make asylum complaint procedures in the administrative courts shorter. According to the federal government, they currently last an average of 26.6 months.

Comprehensive tax changes

In the future, there will be tax relief for solar systems, employees and housing construction, among other things. Mineral oil companies should also make a limited “energy crisis contribution”. A transfer of real estate assets through inheritance and gifts could become more expensive. The Federal Council still has to approve the annual tax law. Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) wrote on Twitter that the law contained a few “drops of bitterness”, but mostly good news. He spoke of a tax reduction through higher flat rates and named an extended tax exemption for photovoltaics and a tax simplification for home office.

Less economic pressure in clinics

In many hospitals, the situation has not only been explosive since Corona – now, thanks to a legislative package on hospitals, there should be more money for child care, less unnecessary hospital overnight stays and relief for nursing staff. The new regulations aim, among other things, to improve the working conditions of the often heavily stressed nursing staff. A new staffing tool is to be used for this purpose – based on calculated ideal staffing for the stations. A gradual introduction is planned. In addition, certain clinical examinations should in future be possible as day treatment without an overnight stay.

Better quality in day care centers

The Federal Government wants to place a stronger focus on the quality of child day care. The federal government is making almost four billion euros available to the federal states for this purpose over the next two years. In return, they should in future concentrate on “fields of action of primary importance” that are intended to improve the quality of care. These include promoting early childhood education, good nutrition and language development. In order to support the latter quality point, the federal government will continue to finance the “Language Daycare Centers” funding program until the summer of next year. Then the federal states should continue to finance the program according to the will of Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens). The federal funding was originally supposed to expire at the end of the year – which had annoyed many states and especially the CDU and CSU.