RÚV reports that six foreign citizens are to be naturalised as Icelandic citizens following a delay that was caused by the Directorate of Immigration withholding their applications.
The six new Icelanders are respectively from Mongolia, Russia, South Africa, Kosovo, and Iran.
Read more: Directorate of Immigration Withholds Citizenship Applications
In addition to the normal process of receiving citizenship through residence and application, parliament can also grant citizenship through decree in Iceland. These special applications are generally for individuals in extenuating circumstances, though some critics such as Bjarni Benediktsson have stated that these special applications constitute too large a proportion of Icelandic naturalisations.
These citizenship applications through decree are still processed by the Directorate of Immigration, however, and there was controversy when earlier in the year, the Directorate refused to hand over the relevant application to parliament. Notably, this deliberate withholding was illegal, and caused outcry among politicians who insisted that legal process be followed.
Now, the relevant application have finally been submitted and the path has been cleared to Icelandic citizenship for the six.
Parliament generally naturalises Icelandic citizens twice a year: at the end of the year and before summer break.
