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As Brexit looms, Germany sees jump in Brits taking citizenship

The number of Britons who have obtained German citizenship has shot up dramatically since Britain's decision to quit the European Union, official data showed Wednesday.

FILE PHOTO: German, British and European Union flags fly in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany July 20, 2016. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/File Photo

The number of Britons who have obtained German citizenship has shot up dramatically since Britain’s decision to quit the European Union, official data showed Wednesday.

“A link with the upcoming Brexit is obvious — in the two years 2016 and 2017, a total of 10,358 Britons acquired German citizenship, more than twice as many as in the period spanning 2000 to 2005,” said German statistics office Destatis.

In 2015, 622 Britons were naturalised in Germany, while the number soared three-fold to reach 2,865 in 2016. The trend continued in 2017 with 7,493 Britons becoming Germans, a new record.

Brits now make up the second-largest group seeking German nationality, after Turks.

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