German immigration increases at record speed

Over seven million foreigners were living in Germany at the end of 2012, corresponding to about eight percent of the overall population, the federal statistics office Destatis said Tuesday (22 October).

The increase in immigration compared to the previous year - 282,800 more people - is the highest in 20 years, the office said.

Eighty percent of these people came from countries like Poland, Romania, Greece, Spain and Italy, searching for a better life and a job that cannot be fou...