When Ani Gülgün-Mayr, 56, decided to take the plunge and apply to become an Austrian national, she had no idea how difficult it would be.
The 56-year-old, who has Armenian roots, was born in Istanbul and came to Austria when she was two years old. She attended school in Vienna and studied psychology at university. She then went on to work for a Vienna-based organisation supporting young people from guest-worker families, and in 2005 she joined the state broadcaster ORF.
But the mother of two, who presents the ORF programme Kultur Heute (Culture Today), has not been able to naturalise as Austrian.
In June this year, Vienna's MA 35 immigration and citizenship office said Gülgün-Mayr did not have sufficient proof of German language skills.
MA 35 then rejected her application due to nine administrative traffic offences, some of which have been contested. You can find more information in our story here:
We spoke to Gülgün-Mayr to find out why she wants to naturalise, what she thinks about Austrian's citizenship laws and what she plans to do next.
The Local: When did you decide that you wanted to officially become an Austrian citizen – and why?
Ani Gülgün-Mayr: I want to be able to grow old without having to worry that, one day, when I want to visit my children in Vienna, I might somehow not be allowed to enter the country.
The laws are becoming increasingly restrictive, especially for people who are not EU citizens, and I simply want the security of knowing that Austria is my home and that I will always be able to come back.
Do you already see yourself as Austrian?
Absolutely. I see myself as Austrian and as a Viennese woman. After 54 years, what else should I see myself as?
Austria does not allow people naturalising as Austrian to hold dual citizenship in most cases. What are your feelings about that?
I could give up my citizenship immediately, and I would have no emotional difficulty doing so. To me, citizenship is a symbol of the country where you live, which you love, where you pay your taxes, where your family is and where you want the best for the future.
READ ALSO: Interview - 'Receiving Austrian citizenship was an emotional moment'
You have lived in Austria for more than 50 years. Your life is here and you are a TV presenter working for the public broadcaster. How does it make you feel to be in this situation?
It makes me angry, but it also makes me feel vulnerable. It shows me that, in a situation of need, the country I consider my own might not stand up for me. And it sends a message to the outside world: if I cannot get citizenship after 54 years, then who can?
What has the reaction been like?
The reactions have been very different from, "Get lost and go back where you came from" to, "This cannot possibly be true."
As a journalist, I understand why laws are made as strictly as they are but they are inhumane. There are people who vote for precisely these kinds of policies.
Will you try again to apply for citizenship?
Of course I will keep trying. Even if my case ends up being nothing more than a textbook example of how someone who has lived here responsibly, paid taxes and contributed to society for so many years can be treated.
Many of our readers struggle with Austria’s strict citizenship laws. What do you think about them? Would you like to see them reformed?
I don't think there is any alternative to changing a law whose full severity apparently most people don't even realise.
Becoming an Austrian citizen should be something people can aspire to.
People who live here, fulfil their responsibilities and contribute to society should also have the right to participate politically and have a say in the country they call home.
Without changing the law, that will not be possible. And including administrative penalties as a reason to deny citizenship, especially in Vienna, is almost absurd.
There are studies showing that, on average, every person in Vienna receives around two administrative penalties a year.
READ ALSO: How traffic offences can cost you Austrian citizenship
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