A search at Vienna’s immigration and citizenship authority has brought fresh scrutiny to an institution that has long faced criticism over delays and administrative problems.
Investigators searched the office of an employee at the headquarters of Municipal Department 35, known as MA 35. The department is responsible for immigration, residence permits and citizenship matters. During the operation, officials seized the employee’s work device and other items.
The investigation centres on suspicions that the employee may have accepted an unlawful benefit in connection with an official administrative matter. The exact allegations and their seriousness have not yet been disclosed. The investigation is still under way, and the employee is presumed innocent, reported by oe24.
The MA 35 said it had cooperated with the investigators. The employee did not return to work after the search.
The case has also renewed criticism of the authority, which has faced complaints for years over staff shortages, organisational problems and lengthy procedures. In some cases, applicants reportedly waited several years for their matters to be processed.
Maximilian Krauss, head of the FPÖ group in Vienna’s city council, described the incident as another example of what he called “chaos” in the department overseen by NEOS city councillor Bettina Emmerling. He demanded her resignation, saying she was overwhelmed and had to accept political responsibility.
Krauss also referred to figures from 2025, when 1,216 complaints about the authority were reportedly submitted to the Austrian Ombudsman Board. In 746 cases, the board found evidence of administrative shortcomings. He questioned why millions of euros in public money were being spent on the authority while its problems remained unresolved.
The Austrian People’s Party also called for a full investigation. Harald Zierfuß, the party’s leader in Vienna’s city council, said the allegations were serious and had to be clarified completely.
He said an authority that decides on residence rights and citizenship must meet the highest standards of oversight and transparency. Vienna’s residents, he added, deserved an immigration office whose decisions were based solely on the law.
The investigation will now determine whether the allegations lead to criminal charges or further political consequences.
