The duration of the procedure, however, was reduced by 25 percent in the area of immigration, it said on Monday. The municipal department responsible for immigration and citizenship has long been a source of debate. There were repeated complaints about long procedures and poor accessibility. In 2021, a reform process was initiated by Wiederkehr, who took office after the 2020 election.
This should get the problems under control. In conversation with media representatives, the head of department and head of department Georg Hufgard-Leitner was convinced that this had at least partially succeeded. MA 35 carries out 150,000 procedures per year, most of which relate to immigration or residence.
“15 percent more procedures completed”
The processing time in immigration procedures has been reduced by more than 25 percent. In concrete terms, this means that instead of just under 72 days, these are now completed in around 52 days on average. Also, 15 percent more procedures were completed. The newly established telephone service center was praised as a milestone. It has been in full operation since December 2021. Almost 400,000 conversations have been held with customers since then.
In total, the employees made more than two million minutes on the phone, as was calculated. The average waiting time for a call to be answered was reduced from 3.6 minutes to 28 seconds. According to those responsible, more than two thirds of the calls can be clarified immediately by telephone. However, since the first point of contact in the call center is an external person, these are primarily general questions, such as opening times.
Citizenship issues persist
In the case of more complex issues that require a look at the files, so-called tickets are created. 145,000 have been so far. According to MA 35, the processing time here is 2.2 days on average. Delays or long waiting times should no longer occur and are the exception, it was assured. According to the city, digitization steps are also responsible for the progress.
However, concerns remain in the area of citizenship. Although capacities have already been expanded and three times as many citizenships have been awarded as in previous years, the development will continue, it said. Vienna, for example, carries out the procedures for descendants of Nazi victims who are entitled to become Austrian citizens for the whole of Austria. In addition, people who received a positive asylum decision in 2015 or 2016 can now submit an application. The numbers, as reported by Wiederkehr, started to rise nationwide.
Currently 350 days waiting time
As a result, the waiting time for a personal appointment in matters of citizenship at MA 35 is currently around 350 days. In Vienna, for example, they want to counteract this with a personnel offensive. 93 people are to be admitted by April 2023. Cooperation with the advice center for migrants is also planned. According to Wiederkehr, the aim is to achieve a 50 percent increase in capacity in the area of citizenship.
Measures to simplify the procedure are also proposed. However, the procedures are lengthy mainly because of the extremely complex legal situation, as Wiederkehr complained. The NEOS politician once again called on the federal government responsible for this to reduce bureaucracy. For example, it is often very difficult for those affected to submit monthly proof of income for the past six years, the city council explained.