Austria’s change of heart on citizenship for ‘Brexit victims’ | Letter
On 13 September the Guardian published a letter from me under the headline "Fight for the right to Austrian citizenship". Within days I had been contacted by over 40 people seeking dual Austrian nationality, disqualified either through having an Austrian mother (not father), or being a second or third descendant of this paternal line. Within a week, on 19 September, the Austrian parliament unanimously approved a substantive change. While my grandchildren consider this to be the direct consequence of my letter appearing in the Guardian, it may be more surprising that the Austrian embassy in London had no idea that any such radical amendment was in train. In summary:
Eligibility
- Austrian citizens, or citizens of one of the successor states of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, or stateless persons " who left Austria before 15 May 1955, because they had suffered persecution by the Nazi regime or had reason to fear such persecution " those who had suffered persecution because of their support of democracy in Austria or had reason to fear such persecution.
- All direct descendants of those persons, including those " adopted as minors. It is not necessary that the ancestors themselves reclaimed Austrian citizenship.