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Germany's parliament is debating new measures aimed at cutting the numbers of new arrivals in the country and to speed up the handling of those who do - as well as legislation making it easier to deport foreigners who commit crimes.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet has already approved the package of measures and they aren't expected to meet wide resistance in Thursday's vote.

"We will work case-by-case with the migrants' countries of origin to move the issue forward," Merkel told reporters when she approved the measures last month.

"We want those with the prospect of remaining to be integrated, but we also want to say that we need those who have no prospect of remaining to return."

The plans involve using specialist centres to quickly process those who have little realistic chance of winning asylum.

They'll also amend laws so even a suspended prison sentence would be grounds for deportation if someone is found guilty of certain crimes - including bodily harm, sexual assault, violent theft or serial shoplifting.

Those changes come after a spate of thefts and assaults on women in the German city of Cologne on New Year's Eve, widely - and largely incorrectly - blamed on foreigners, thus triggering a wave of anti-migrant violence and tensions.

Last month, six Pakistanis and a Syrian man were attacked by about 20 unknown assailants in Cologne.

Shortly afterwards, a group of five people attacked a 39-year-old Syrian national.