The MA 35 in Vienna has cut waiting times for citizenship and residency applications

The government agency MA 35, which manages immigration in the capital, has reduced waiting times for citizenship and residency permits by about 6 months. This is halfway to the end of the 2024 deadline for reforming the Viennese immigration office.

Before, those applying for Austrian residency in Vienna saw wait times of over a year for their applications to be processed. Not forgetting the months it takes to collect all the necessary documentation. In the last year, immigration procedures sped up by about 28% at MA.

MA 35 is an obligatory step for all non-EU foreign residents in Vienna, as it manages immigration, residency, and citizenship requirements in the city. The office handles 150,000 applications a year and, therefore, often it receives complaints about lost paperwork and long delays.

In order to facilitate the process, the city council’s integration committee has decided to resolve all grievances against MA 35 by late 2024. One of the changes that took place is the implementation of mass appointments for select procedures. This has helped reduce wait times. Vienna immigration lawyer, Julia Ecker, also expects communication with the office to improve by the end of next year