Over 25,000 People Applied for Armenian Citizenship

In 2022, more than 25,000 people applied for Armenian citizenship, stated Hovhannes Aleksanyan, head of the Strategic Development Division of the Office of the Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, during a conversation with reporters.

“In recent years, the pace of repatriation has increased, which is very encouraging. This number of applicants for citizenship is the highest since 1991,” Aleksanyan said.

He emphasized that in the last 3-4 years, applications for Armenian citizenship have been received from 40-45 countries around the world, with individuals returning to Armenia and settling permanently.

According to Aleksanyan, this repatriation is also addressing the issue of preserving Armenian identity, as there is a risk of assimilation in foreign countries.

He noted that the challenges faced by repatriates do not end with relocating to their homeland and obtaining citizenship or residency status. Issues often arise when approaching state authorities, such as enrolling children in schools and kindergartens, searching for jobs, and transporting personal belongings through customs.

To resolve these issues, the Office of the Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs collaborates with all state institutions as well as organizations working in the public sector.

In January 2023, around 300 people approached the Office of the Commissioner for matters related to repatriation and integration. In 2022, the repatriation office received approximately 10,000 applications concerning various stages of repatriation. According to Aleksanyan, this is an unprecedented figure in the history of the office, and there is a trend for this year to continue as well.