Annual Policy Report 2006

The Annual Policy Report 2006 provides an overview of migration and asylum-related developments and debates in Austria. The main focus of the policy debates was the new Aliens’ Law Package, the Aliens’ Police Act and the new Asylum Act, which entered into force on 1 January 2006. An important legislative development was the amendment of the Citizenship Act, which laid down new rules concerning the required periods of residence for naturalisations. Also, tests on applied geography were introduced. Another important aspect was the amendment of the Criminal Law, introducing more severe laws concerning forced marriages and female genital mutilation.