Citizenship applications account for 85 percent of complaints received by the Austrian ombudsman
Applications for Austrian citizenship account for some 85 percent of the 1,520 complaints received by Public Ombudsman Christoph Luisser, according to the Vienna City Council. The data was presented to the Landtag (Vienna State Parliament) and underscores delays in processing naturalisation applications.
Luisser criticised the long waiting times but pointed out that MA 35 (the office of immigration and citizenship procedures in the capital) is not the sole culprit. He argued that the federal citizenship legislation itself is part of the problem and leads to the difficulties applicants are experiencing.
These comments come as criticism mounts over how MA 35 operates. The Krone has reported on applications that have apparently sat unprocessed for years, and on instances where administrative courts have had to step in to ensure the applications were actually reviewed.
READ ALSO: REVEALED: How long does it currently take to get Austrian citizenship?
Social welfare reform in Austria may mainly affect large families
Federal and provincial representatives are due to meet this Thursday for another round of talks on the so-called Sozialhilfe (social welfare) reform. Families with many children are likely to be hit hardest, according to Der Standard.
The government is looking to introduce more uniform rules for paying the benefit (which currently varies widely from state to state). The changes are likely to hit families in Vienna hardest, where the extra per-child amounts are higher than anywhere else in the country.
The proposal also includes an integration phase during which certain beneficiaries would be paid less. The actual amounts, the eligibility criteria and the legal protections are not yet defined, so it's not clear how the new rules would impact families, recognised refugees and other foreign nationals in Austria.
READ ALSO: 'Work, learn German, integrate': Austria to tighten welfare system for foreigners
Austrian Parliament examines proposal to facilitate asylum seekers’ access to the labour market
The Austrian Parliament is looking at a Green Party proposal to amend Austria's Foreign Nationals Employment Act for asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected at first instance but who retain the right to remain in the country while appealing the decision.
The proposal, submitted by Green MP Agnes Sirkka Prammer, seeks to protect these asylum seekers' ability to obtain employment permits. An interim ministry instruction to Austria's public employment service (AMS) already addresses the issue, but the proposed change has not become law.
The committee is also considering a proposal to prevent payments from an existing support fund for single-parent families from being deducted from social assistance, alongside proposals concerning disability pensions and medical assessments by the Pensionsversicherungsanstalt (PVA) (the body which administers the Austrian pension scheme).
READ ALSO: What Austria’s new AMS priorities could mean for foreign jobseekers
Vienna approves changes to school law amid debate over German support
The Vienna State Parliament approved amendments to the Wiener Schulgesetz (the law governing part of the capital's state education system) on Tuesday, October 20th. The proposals cover a range of issues, including support for children still learning German, changes to school operations, and changes to teachers' employment conditions.
The government says the amendments are needed to align local law with federal requirements. The opposition has, of course, raised concerns about the deficiencies in the current language support arrangements and questioned schools' capacity to support children entering the system with no knowledge of German.
The discussion also touched on the various other services that schools provide and on occupational health provisions for teachers. There was also considerable discussion of further measures, such as requiring children to attend kindergarten and imposing stricter rules on teaching German.
READ ALSO: What will change in Austrian schools to help foreign children learn German
Worth reading
You don't automatically get Austrian citizenship just by being born in Austria if your parents are foreign nationals (even if you've lived in the country for many years). A new campaign seeks to change this and proposes that children born in Austria automatically receive citizenship if their foreign parents have a history of legal residence in the country. Our report explains how the citizenship-by-birth proposal would work, who it would benefit, and what issues remain to be resolved.
The article also details Austria's current rules on naturalising children and why the campaign group is calling for a change to the law. The full report and other guides, analyses, and practical content are available to The Local members.
READ ALSO: REVEALED: What happened to Austria's planned changes to citizenship laws?
What’s happening in Austria today
Residents of Graz should expect changes to public transport due to the Europa League match between Sturm Graz and Olympique Marseille at 6:45pm. Tram line 4 will be out of action between Jakominiplatz and Liebenau/Murpark from approximately 4:15pm to 6:30pm, with replacement buses being provided. Other routes may also be impacted by a march of supporters through the city centre. Police will implement special security measures around the stadium.
Passengers on the train should also be aware of engineering works being carried out by ÖBB (the Austrian Railways company). Replacement buses are running on the Gmunden-Bad Ischl route in the Salzkammergut. Other timetable changes affect connections in Salzburg and international services between Schärding (Austria) and Passau (Germany).
Vienna's Viennale kicks off this Thursday and runs until November 3rd. The opening film, Forever...Forever by Austrian director Johann Lurf, is at 9:30pm at the Gartenbaukino. A separate opening gala is scheduled for 7:30pm but is closed to the public.
It will be colder on Thursday, with highs of 6C to 14C. Rain and heavy cloud cover are expected over various parts in the morning, with snow possible at 1,200 to 1,500 m. The sun will come out in the afternoon (starting in western Austria), though strong winds will remain in the mountains.
Finally, this Thursday is a normal working day and a normal school day in Austria. The next public holiday is Monday, October 26th (Austrian National Day). The autumn holidays (Herbstferien) then run from October 27th to 31st.
READ ALSO: When are Austria's school holidays in 2026/27?
Vocabulary
der Landtag – state parliament
die Sozialhilfe – social assistance
die Pensionsversicherungsanstalt – Austrian pension insurance institution
das Schulgesetz – law governing the school system
die Herbstferien – autumn school holidays
If you have any questions about life in Austria or suggestions for stories or pieces that might be of interest to our readers (i.e. things that could make the news on The Local), then please email news@thelocal.at or leave a comment below.
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