The Vienna Municipal Department 35 now informs stateless people on its website about the requirements for citizenship.
Vienna has launched an information campaign for stateless people. The department responsible for immigration and citizenship (MA 35) now explains what is necessary to obtain Austrian citizenship on its website. The federal government has recently created a simplified option for stateless persons born in Austria.
Office of Vienna City Councillor Wiederkehr: authority explains rules
According to the office of the responsible city councillor, Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS), the current rules are being explained by the authorities. People born in Austria without citizenship can apply within three years of their 18th birthday. Their primary residence must have been in Austria for ten years, which must have been the case for at least five years immediately before citizenship was granted. There is no need to check whether the applicant’s livelihood is secure.
The information was provided at the suggestion of SOS Mitmensch, the human rights organization emphasized in a press release on Monday. The measure by the Vienna Citizenship Office is welcomed. Those affected should no longer miss the short three-year window that is open to them at the age of majority. SOS Mitmensch spokesperson Alexander Pollak emphasized that there have often been glaring gaps in information. He called on the other federal states to follow Vienna’s example.
Thousands in the category “stateless, “citizenship unknown”, or “citizenship unclear”
Reference was also made to figures from Statistics Austria, according to which almost 20,000 people in Austria are assigned to the categories “stateless,” “citizenship unknown,” or “citizenship unclear.” Around three-quarters of these were born in Austria, it said.
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