Leaked details of the Christian Social Union (CSU) manifesto have revealed that if elected, the party would impose a minimum salary threshold for foreign residents living in Germany on a temporary residence permit.

CSU manifesto pledges salary requirements for residence permit holders

Leaked documents seen by Merkur and the dpa have revealed that if elected, the CSU would require foreign residents to earn above a certain threshold to be eligible for or extend a temporary residence permit.

"Anyone wishing to obtain a residence permit in Germany must not have to rely on social benefits to support themselves," the Bavarian branch of the conservative party writes in its leaked paper. "They must be able to secure their livelihood through their work."

Germany’s Foreigners’ Offices already consider employment status or income when deciding whether to grant permanent residence or citizenship. However, only the EU Blue Card visa requires applicants to earn over a specific annual salary, which in 2025 stands at 48.300 euros before tax.

The news comes as the CSU begins its winter party conference in Kloster Seeon, north of Chiemsee. With Germany’s snap federal election fewer than two months away, the CDU / CSU alliance is topping the polls with 31 percent of the vote, meaning the parties will likely lead Germany’s next coalition government.

If a residence permit income threshold were introduced, Germany would be following Sweden, which doubled its income requirements for foreign residents in November 2023. Foreign residents working in Sweden must now earn at least 80 percent of the Swedish monthly median income (24.480 SEK or 2.483 euros) to be eligible for a residence permit.

CSU would impose ban on irregular immigration

In its leaked manifesto, the CSU also outlined plans to curb irregular immigration by empowering border guards to reject “illegal” migrants entering Germany from a third country which is considered safe.

The paper explained that the CSU would use Germany’s right to return asylum seekers to safe countries and “implement a de facto entry ban for illegal migrants”. "Anyone travelling from an EU member state or another safe third country is no longer in danger,” the paper read. The party would also grant police and border guards power to access the mobile phone of anyone found to be entering Germany “illegally”. 

New arrivals and people already living in Germany legally would also be affected. The paper promised that a CDU / CSU government would withdraw entitlement to Bürgergeld unemployment benefit for refugees newly arriving from Ukraine.

Additionally, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the party would create a “roadmap” to return Syrian citizens living in Germany to their country of origin. Reunification schemes would be suspended for Syrian families and Syrian nationals who had committed a crime would be deported.

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