Dear Department of Internal Affairs,

As at 2 September 2024, the Citizenship Office is facing a backlog of over 20,000 unassigned Citizenship by Grant applications, dating back to July 2023. Additionally, thousands of applications are still being processed, dating back as far as April 2023.

This backlog and processing times of up to 18 months cause significant uncertainty, concern, and stress among tens of thousands of applicants. Given the unacceptable processing times for CbG applications, can the DIA please address the following questions?

1. In light of many applicants' uncertainty and concern, can the DIA please explicitly state its position of whether the current backlog and processing times are considered acceptable and in line with internal targets, especially average/median processing times?

2. Does the DIA consider the current backlog and processing times to be an issue, and has reducing both, or either, been identified as priorities for the Citizenship Office?

3. Can the DIA share any internal correspondence with the Citizenship Office and/or correspondence with the Minister of Internal Affairs pertaining to the backlog and/or processing times of CbG applications since the Minister took office in November 2023?

4. Apart from the DIA's standard response that assessment processes and staff training are continuously improved, has the Citizenship Office established, or does it plan to establish, a designated strategy or work programme to reduce the current backlog and/or processing times of CbG applications? Furthermore, has the Citizenship Office increased, or does it plan to increase, processing capacities for CbG applications (e.g. additional FTE)?

5. Does the DIA project any noteworthy reductions in the backlog and/or processing times of CbG applications over the next 6-12 months?

Yours faithfully,

Paul