Statistics

The Citizenship Office of the Velocity Interoperability Network publishes statistics on the applications it receives and determines, the routes relied upon, the grounds on which applications are refused, the ceremonies it holds and the size of the Register of Citizens. This first release covers the transition period from 10 August to 5 September 2026, during which member organisations transferred their citizenship functions to the Office, and records the position at establishment on 6 September 2026.

The figures are drawn from the applications transferred to the Office, from returns supplied by member organisations and from the reconciled register series. Figures for the transition period are provisional: 4 per cent of the transferred records were still being reconciled at establishment, and the totals below will be revised in the next release where late returns are received. Percentages are given to one decimal place and may not sum exactly.

The position at establishment. The figures below record the Office at the point of establishment.

8,740

Entries in the Register of Citizens at establishment

2,486

Applications received during the transition period

1,932

Applications determined during the transition period

31

Median days from receipt of a complete application to decision

All 8,740 entries in the Register at establishment were carried forward from the records of member organisations: 6,318 from the organisations at the five principal sites of the Network and 2,422 from the remaining organisations. Entries carried forward keep their original date of entry, so the Register records citizenship taking effect on dates earlier than the establishment of the Office. The 1,704 applications approved during the transition period are not among these entries: an entry is made only once the applicant has attended a ceremony and made the affirmation, and the first ceremony of the Office is held on 19 September 2026.

Applications determined. The table below shows the outcome of applications determined during the transition period, divided at the midpoint of the period.

The rise in applications determined between the two halves of the period reflects the completion of the transfer of records from member organisations, which allowed the Office to verify qualifying periods that had earlier been left outstanding. The 554 applications outstanding at establishment are held in order of receipt and are being determined in that order.

Applications by route. Residence remains the route on which most applications are made, accounting for 59.0 per cent of those determined. Applications by grant are determined most quickly because the resolution of the Network Assembly settles the entitlement and no qualifying period falls to be verified.

Grounds of refusal. Of the 148 applications refused, 128 were refused on a ground relating to the qualifying period. The Office draws attention to this in its guidance on eligibility and residence, since an applicant who waits until the period is complete avoids a refusal that is recorded against them.

Of the 148 refusals, 22 were the subject of a request for review during the transition period. Nine reviews had been decided at establishment, of which two reversed the original decision; both concerned absences that were found on further evidence to be disregarded.

Capacity from September 2026. The figures below record the capacity the Office has established for its first months of operation.

540

Ceremony places available between 19 September and 14 November 2026

6

Ceremonies scheduled at five principal sites of the Network

554

Applications outstanding and held for determination at establishment

96%

Transferred citizenship records reconciled into a single register series

The 1,704 applicants approved during the transition period are invited to ceremonies in the order in which their applications were determined, so the places offered to 14 November 2026 are taken up by those approved earliest. Applicants not reached by that date are invited to the ceremonies of the first half of 2027, whose schedule is to be published before the end of the year.

The reporting cycle. The Office publishes statistics quarterly. Each release is announced in the Newsroom on the day of publication.

Questions about these figures may be sent to contact@citizenship.gov.vin. For the milestones of the reporting cycle, see History; for the ceremonies these figures report on, see Ceremonies.