Vienna's MA 35 immigration and citizenship authority told The Local that an ongoing investigation into the department concerns residence permits issued in Vienna and doesn't involve naturalisations.
The statement follows new allegations that documents in residence-permit procedures may have been forged or made to disappear.
MA 35 did not answer The Local's questions about how many individual files may now be under review, whether affected applicants are being contacted, or whether the investigation has affected processing times.
"We can unfortunately not provide comprehensive information because of the ongoing investigations, so as not to jeopardise them," MA 35 told The Local.
But the authority added: "Generally, it can be said that there are currently ongoing investigations in connection with residence permits that were issued in Vienna."
MA 35 says it reported the case itself
MA 35 also provided new details about how the investigation began.
According to the authority, the starting point was a report submitted through Vienna's whistleblower system in April 2026.
The City of Vienna's Internal Audit and Compliance unit then informed MA 35 management. After internal inquiries, MA 35 reported the matter to prosecutors.
"After internal inquiries, MA 35 itself reported the matter to the Vienna public prosecutor's office on May 22nd, 2026," the authority told The Local.
It said the responsible security and investigative authorities conducted subsequent investigations and examined and responded to several requests for administrative assistance from Austria's Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption, or BAK.
Austria's Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office (WKStA) confirmed to Kronen Zeitung that a current MA 35 employee is under investigation on suspicion of Vorteilsannahme, broadly meaning seeking an advantage or accepting an undue advantage in connection with the proper performance of an official act.
A former employee is being investigated on suspicion of Missbrauch der Amtsgewalt, abuse of official authority, and Bestechlichkeit, bribery.
The former employee was detained and later released, according to the newspaper.
READ ALSO: Vienna's immigration office sees new wave of complaints despite reform claims
Authority disputes reports of a 'raid'
The authority also pushed back strongly against descriptions of what happened at its headquarters on September 22nd.
Some Austrian media reports described investigators as having carried out a Razzia, or raid, and a Hausdurchsuchung, or house search.
MA 35 says that description is wrong.
"On September 22nd, 2026, neither a 'raid' nor a 'house search' took place at MA 35, as some media incorrectly reported," the authority told The Local.
Instead, it said investigators were carrying out inquiries as part of a request for administrative assistance under Section 76 of Austria's Code of Criminal Procedure. MA 35 said its department head coordinated and supported the process, while its IT staff helped organise access to the office concerned.
"There was no house search, which in principle would have to be ordered by the public prosecutor's office based on judicial authorisation," it said.
The Local's initial report on September 23rd said investigators had been given access to an employee's office and work equipment following a request for administrative assistance.
READ ALSO: MA 35 inquiry involves two suspects amid allegations of manipulated residence files
MA 35 says citizenship cases aren't part of investigation
Recent reporting and political reactions had linked the investigation not only to residence procedures but also to naturalisations.
The Vienna branch of the FPÖ called for a review of citizenship and residence cases handled or decided by the people under investigation.
But MA 35 told The Local that naturalisations aren't part of the current investigation.
It also directly rejected a Kronen Zeitung story referring to what the newspaper described as an internal report showing a sharp increase in naturalisations involving people who previously held Albanian citizenship.
"This internal report does not exist," MA 35 said.
The authority said the figures of 57, 81 and 105 naturalisations cited in the report were based on Statistik Austria data and referred to all of Austria, not cases at MA 35.
"The article describes allegations relating to documents for residence permits and subsequently draws on Austria-wide naturalisation figures," MA 35 said.
It added that it had not demonstrated any concrete connection between the different procedures and the cases under investigation.
"From our point of view, the presentation is therefore misleading."
What remains unclear for residence-permit applicants?
MA 35's response tightens what is currently known, particularly by separating the residence-permit investigation from citizenship procedures.
But some of the questions most relevant to people who have dealt with the authority remain unanswered.
The Local asked MA 35 whether it had begun reviewing residence, citizenship, or other procedures handled by either person under investigation, how many cases it was examining, and what period they covered.
We also asked whether any completed procedures had been identified as potentially affected, whether applicants had been or would be contacted, whether any applications had been suspended and whether the investigation had affected current processing times.
MA 35 didn't answer those questions, citing the ongoing investigation.
It did, however, stress that the allegations concerned individual employees and said they didn't reflect the work of the authority as a whole.
"Corruption must be firmly rejected and has corresponding consequences," MA 35 said, adding that the department handles more than 165,000 procedures.
READ ALSO: 'Bring everything you have': How to deal with Vienna's immigration office MA 35
Key vocabulary
Aufenthaltstitel – residence permit
Vorteilsannahme – seeking an advantage, or accepting an undue advantage, in connection with the proper performance of an official act
Bestechlichkeit – seeking or accepting an advantage in return for an improper official act
Missbrauch der Amtsgewalt – abuse of official authority
Amtshilfeersuchen – request for administrative assistance between public authorities
Hausdurchsuchung – house search
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