ABSTRACT
Who is an immigrant in Germany? Indeed, political debates for a long time refuted the notion that there are any ‘immigrants’ in Germany. The ongoing immigration was, for a long time, not officially acknowledged as immigration but, rather, it was labelled as the return of ethnic Germans, the temporary recruitment of workers, or the temporary reception of asylum seekers and civil war refugees (Cyrus and Vogel, 2005). But de facto immigration numbers in this ‘no-immigration-country’ regime were substantial. Experts estimate that about 30 per cent of the population residing in Germany was born abroad or has ancestors which immigrated to Germany after 1945 (Bade and Münz, 2002, p. 11). Only with the passing of the new Immigration Act in 2005 did the official position acknowledge that immigration takes place and should be properly managed and statistically counted in the future. Moreover, the integration of newcomers with the perspective to stay should be promoted along with more secure residence rights and integration courses (Bade, Bommes and Münz, 2004).
