Ger­many is a mul­ti­eth­nic coun­try, made up of peo­ple with dif­fe­rent ori­g­ins, dif­fe­rent reli­gi­ons, lan­guages, and cul­tu­ral back­grounds. Immi­gra­tion and inte­gra­tion are a part of who we are. This applies to the past when Ger­many expe­ri­en­ced dif­fe­rent pha­ses of immi­gra­tion, as well as to pre­sent times with a view to glo­bal migra­tion move­ments. The right to asylum is a fun­da­men­tal human right.

Germany’s cul­tu­ral wealth is partly due to the influence of immi­grants. This is proof of suc­cessful his­to­ri­cal inte­gra­tion pro­ces­ses and encou­ra­ges us all to be open to immi­gra­tion. Peo­ple with a family back­ground of immi­gra­tion are a natu­ral part of our society. Many have respon­si­ble posi­ti­ons in the world of poli­tics, busi­ness, cul­ture, and other social areas, and help shape our society. Obs­ta­cles and mar­gi­na­li­sa­tion must be overcome.

Due to the demo­gra­phic change, Ger­many also needs immi­grant workers as many indus­tries are loo­king for skil­led and qua­li­fied staff. Com­pa­nies and the public sec­tor in Ger­many are com­pe­ting for the best talent world­wide. A libe­ral demo­cracy, ade­quate struc­tures, and a wel­co­ming cul­ture (“Will­kom­mens­kul­tur”) that con­siders peo­ple tog­e­ther with their dif­fe­rent needs such as edu­ca­tion, cul­ture, and neigh­bour­hood, are the pre­re­qui­si­tes for suc­cessful immi­gra­tion. Such a wel­co­ming cul­ture acts like a magnet that can help acquire and keep skil­led workers and qua­li­fied staff.