After a lengthy legislative process – one that generated controversial discussion in the Bundestag and Bundesrat as well as among the general public – the new Immigration Act was finally passed on June 30, 2004. The Immigration Act fundamentally reformed the Aliens Act; its most important components were the Residence Act and the EU Act on the General Freedom of Movement for EU Citizens. With the passing of this new law, Germany’s status as an immigration country was acknowledged for the first time. This photograph shows Federal Interior Minister Otto Schily (SPD) (middle of picture) and Bavarian Minister President Edmund Stoiber (CSU) (right) during a press briefing at the conclusion of the negotiations on the Immigration Act. Thomas Steg, deputy press secretary of the federal government, can be seen on the left. The Immigration Act took effect on January 1, 2005. Since then, new immigration laws have been enacted to reflect changing EU policies and domestic circumstances. These laws have been driven by the desire to improve the integration of migrants already living in Germany, to attract skilled workers, and to manage asylum seekers.