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IMMIGRATION

Ten percent of Britons living in Vienna have applied for Austrian residency since Brexit

Around 500 of Vienna’s 5,000 Brits have applied for residency in Austria since Brexit came into effect.

Ten percent of Britons living in Vienna have applied for Austrian residency since Brexit
Photo: Hollie Adams/AFP

The British Ambassador to Vienna has confirmed that 500 Brits have applied for residency since January 1st – around ten percent of the 5,000 Brits who are estimated to live in the Austrian capital. 

Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr told Der Standard on Tuesday “It is important to us that as many Brits as possible stay in Vienna”. 

“There are appointment slots that can be booked online. We still have enough appointments to offer. We can manage around 400 a week,” said Wiederkehr.

British in Austria? Here’s how to secure Austrian residency 

He encouraged Brits in Austria to apply as soon as possible, reminding them that the residency permit gives them permission to move freely within the Schengen zone. 

“With the submission of the documents, freedom of travel within the European Union is guaranteed,” said the Deputy Mayor. 

READ MORE: What Brits in Austria must do to prepare for the realities of Brexit 

“It is important that the British do not have to wait for the applications to be processed.

“I am confident that many Brits who enrich Viennese society will also stay here and continue to be part of Austria and Vienna,” said Wiederkehr.

British Ambassador to Vienna, Leigh Turner, on Tuesday told Der Standard “It's a very good start.”

While it represents around ten percent of the city’s British population, there are an estimated 11,000 British people all across Austria. 

READ MORE: What Britons in Austria need to know about exchanging UK driving licences 

Wiederkehr said that gaining residency was the preferred method of British people in Austria. As Austria does not recognise dual citizenships, becoming an Austrian citizen necessitates giving up British citizenship. 

The Brexit transition period ended on December 31st 2020. 

The deadline for submitting residency applications in Austria is December 31st, 2021. 

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FAR-RIGHT

Germany issues entry ban to Austrian far-right activist Sellner

Radical Austrian nationalist Martin Sellner has been banned from entering Germany, it emerged on Tuesday, days after he was deported from Switzerland.

Germany issues entry ban to Austrian far-right activist Sellner

Sellner, a leader of Austria’s white pride Identitarian Movement, posted a video of himself on X, formerly Twitter, reading out a letter he said was from the city of Potsdam.

A spokeswoman for the city authorities confirmed to AFP that an EU citizen had been served with a “ban on their freedom of movement in Germany”.

The person can no longer enter or stay in Germany “with immediate effect” and could be stopped by police or deported if they try to enter the country, the spokeswoman said, declining to name the individual for privacy reasons.

READ ALSO: Who is Austria’s far-right figurehead banned across Europe?

“We have to show that the state is not powerless and will use its legitimate means,” Mike Schubert, the mayor of Potsdam, said in a statement.

Sellner caused an uproar in Germany after allegedly discussing the Identitarian concept of “remigration” with members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) at a meeting in Potsdam in November.

Reports of the meeting sparked a huge wave of protests against the AfD, with tens of thousands of Germans attending demonstrations across the country.

READ ALSO:

Swiss police said Sunday they had prevented a hundred-strong far-right gathering due to be addressed by Sellner, adding that he had been arrested and deported.

The Saturday meeting had been organised by the far-right Junge Tat group, known for its anti-immigration and anti-Islamic views.

The group is also a proponent of the far-right white nationalist Great Replacement conspiracy theory espoused by Sellner’s Identitarian Movement.

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