Austria changes its Nationality Law

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by EUDO CITIZENSHIP Expert Dilek Çinar

In October 2009, the Austrian Parliament approved a bill amending the Asylum Law, the Aliens’ Police Law, the Settlement Law as well as the Nationality Law. The new regulations have entered into force on January 1, 2010. The most significant changes are as follows:

• Requirement of sufficient income: Acquisition of Austrian nationality depends on proof of regular and sufficient income. In addition, applicants must not have received social welfare assistance for the last three years preceding the application for naturalisation. Since 2010, regular expenditures for rent, loan repayment, garnishment or alimony payment have to be taken into account when calculating an applicant’s income level. Thus, the amendment raises the level of disposable personal income necessary for naturalisation.

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Bulgaria: 2,000 applications for Bulgarian citizenship approved in January 2010

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By Costica Dumbrava

2,000 applications for Bulgarian citizenship of foreign citizens belonging to the Bulgarian diaspora were approved in January 2010 only. This figure has recently been reported by the Bulgarian Minister for Bulgarians abroad Bozhidar Dimitrov. Dimitrov, who holds a ministry without portfolio, had pushed for procedural simplifications in order to facilitate the acquisition of Bulgarian citizenship by the historical diaspora.

According to Dimitrov, this policy aims at bringing all Bulgarians together. It is inspired by the willingness to pay back “historical debts”, and to solve the “biggest problem in this country: its demographic crisis”.

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Italy: dual citizenship for German speakers in South Tyrol?

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In December 2009, the Italian regional party Südtiroler Volkspartei (SVP) proposed to give dual Austrian-Italian citizenship to German speakers resident in the Northern Italian province of South Tyrol/Alto Adige, historically home to a predominantly German-speaking population. Austria has in the past acted as a protector of this linguistic minority and has been involved in negotiating an 1992 autonomy pact for South Tyrol that resolved an international dispute between Austria and Italy. Austria has so far, however, never offered Austrian citizenship to German speaking South Tyroleans.

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