More staff needed Russians push for Zug citizenship - authority at its limit

The number of naturalization applications from Russians in the canton of Zug has risen sharply since the war in Ukraine. The authorities are overloaded and need additional staff.

"The civil registry office of the canton of Zug is apparently at its limit," writes "Zentralplus". The reason: the number of naturalization applications from Russian nationals has doubled since 2022. This development has led to a considerable burden on the relevant offices, which are now forced to hire more staff in order to process the applications efficiently.

According to the report, the number of applications from Russians has risen sharply in recent years. In 2024, 38 applications were submitted, whereby one application can include several people.

Despite this increase, Russian applications only account for a small proportion of the total 800 naturalizations in 2023. The increase is attributed to both the war in Ukraine and the upcoming changes to the Zug Citizenship Act in January 2025.

No special treatment in examinations

Green National Councillor Manuela Weichelt emphasizes the importance of carefully examining applications: "In principle, anyone can apply for naturalization. It is important that the citizens' communes also carefully examine and document applications from Russian nationals," she tells Zentralplus. The usual requirements such as knowledge of German, uninterrupted residence and integration must be met.

Weichelt also emphasizes that Russian nationals should not be given preferential treatment in terms of the length of the process. She demands that both the canton and the federal government carry out their checks conscientiously.

According to the Zug Directorate of Home Affairs, more applications are regularly received in times of crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic or the war in Ukraine, as well as before changes to the law.

The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.