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The Government says citizenship by grant applications are now consistently being processed within target timeframes for the first time in several years.
Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs has met its processing target for six consecutive months.
The department aims to process 90 per cent of citizenship applications within 75 days of receipt.
According to the Government, just 0.6 per cent of applications met that target in April 2022. By comparison, 94.6 per cent met the target in April 2026, the highest level recorded since July 2019.
Application volumes increase
van Velden says the improvement comes despite rising application numbers.
“As processing time is improving, we saw a 12 per cent increase in the number of citizenship applications received in 2025 compared to 2019.”
She says 2025 also marked the highest number of citizenship applications processed in the department’s recorded history.
Backlog reduction
van Velden says reducing the backlog of unprocessed applications was a priority after she became minister.
“When I became Minister of Internal Affairs, there was a backlog of unprocessed citizenship applications. I directed the citizenship office to work on the oldest applications first.
“It is a privilege to grant citizenship to people who have contributed to our country, and made the choice to build their lives here.”
The Government says applications for citizenship can be submitted online or by post.
The faster processing is likely to be welcomed by sectors including tourism and hospitality, which continue to depend on internationally sourced workers across accommodation, food and beverage, and visitor services.
