The Aragau Cantonal Government has criticised the Neuenhoff municipality for rejecting the requirement for naturalisation of a Turkish woman and her son, praising that some of the reasons used by the commission were groundless.
The case concerns an interview conducted in December 2025, during which the woman, who had lived in Neuenhoff for 13 years, was asked about her knowledge of Switzerland, the Aragau Canton and the municipality, reports Watson.
The woman had hardly passed the citizenship test, while during the interview the commission had assessed that her knowledge in German and that recognition with life in Switzerland and the local community was not enough. For this reason, the municipal council had refused the request.
However, the woman had objected to the decision, arguing that severe anxiety and panic disorder had caused mental jams during the interview.
The cantonal government decided in its favour and reversed the issue for review at the municipal council.
The question about skiing became part of the occasion
One of the moments that was isolated in the cantonal government’s decision was the question of what is a typical Swiss sport.
The woman had responded with skiing, but the commission had not considered this exact response, arguing Austrians are also skiing.
When asked again, she had mentioned football and her tennis son. The commission had expected Swiss wrestling in response.
The cantonal government made it clear that skiing is also an exact answer to the question of what a Swiss sport is.
During the interview, the woman had also been asked about the three – column principle of the Swiss pension system, the educational system, and the year of the founding of the Aragau canton, the Telegraph broadcast.
She had failed to answer these questions correctly. When asked what he should show at the hospital, health security had been answered, and the question about Arigau’s castles mentioned rivers.
Her son, who was also part of the application, had responded correctly to many of the questions.
Canton criticises interview development
The cantonal government also criticised the way interviews were conducted. According to her, the commission had put forward a large number of questions and was based on a prepared list instead of on a conversation as before.
Also, the commission was not allowed to submit questions about federal and cantonal civic rights, since these knowledge had already been tested through the required exam.
The cantonal government estimated that the municipality should have carefully examined even claims regarding insufficient German knowledge, since the woman had presented valuable evidence of her linguistic skills.
Another issue raised during the interview was the family residence. The woman had explained that during the week she stayed in Neuenhoff so that her son could finish her school year there, while weekends and holidays were spent in the new apartment in another municipality.
According to the cantonal government, a second settlement is allowed and poses no obstacle to naturalisation. Also allowed to leave the municipality shortly after obtaining citizenship, Telegrafi notes.
One in four requirements for naturalization in Neuenhoff failed
According to a poll published by the Swiss newspaper that reported the case, the municipality of Neuenhoff has one of the highest rates of demands for rejected or withdrawn naturalisation.
Over the past ten years, approximately one in four applications in this municipality has failed.
Mayor Tobias Baumgartner has declared that the naturalisation commission examines each request individually, in line with his legal mandate.
He has announced that the commission uses a guide with prepared questions to ensure structured development of interviews and that the same guidelines apply to all candidates.
Baumgartner has not commented whether the commission’s assessment of the return to skiing was too strict. He has said that cantonal government decisions are considered and that internal processes adapt when necessary.
The cantonal government’s decision is legally binding and the municipality has accepted it. However, Baumgartner has not detailed how the case of the Turkish wife and her son will continue.
The case has also turned to a similar issue in 2017, when the Yilmaz Fund in the Bucharest municipality was initially rejected by Swiss citizenship because the commission had not considered some of its answers accurate, including that of a typical Swiss sport. Later, her citizenship was granted./Telegraphy/