In a major political move, Austria’s FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl is pushing for stricter citizenship rules as part of a broader reform of asylum and migration policies. According to reports from “Heute” and “Krone,” Kickl wants to prevent asylum seekers from automatically gaining citizenship after ten years. He proposes extending the waiting period to 15 years to avoid a possible surge in naturalizations linked to the 2015 refugee crisis, which saw around 88,340 asylum requests.
The FPÖ argues that asylum should only provide temporary protection and should not lead to permanent residency or voting rights. Kickl stressed the need for asylum seekers to return to their home countries as soon as possible.
As coalition talks between the FPÖ and ÖVP intensify, other key issues on the table include abolishing the ORF household fee and creating a “Corona Compensation Fund” for pandemic-related grievances.
With debates heating up, Austria faces a potential political shake-up led by Kickl’s push for tighter migration and media reforms.
