Foreign nationals married to Botswana citizens are eligible for Botswana citizenship after five years’ continuous residency as per the terms of Section 14 of the Citizen Act.
This was revealed by the Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, Annah Mokgethi during a recent meeting with the Ntlo ya Dikgosi (House of Chiefs). The minister was responding to the North East chief, Kgosi Sibangani Mosojane’s question about how long it takes for the foreign spouses of Botswana citizens to qualify for citizenship.
In response, Minister Mokgethi explained that a provision within the Citizenship Act allows the minister to waive the five-year period in some cases, allowing foreign spouses to qualify within a shorter period. She also said the applicant could be required to lodge a written declaration of intention to apply for citizenship with the minister. She stressed that the outcome of the application hinges mainly on the applicant’s legal stay in the country in the time leading to the application. She said the bulk of the applications the provision extends to includes the length of time the foreign applicants have resided in the country even before marriage.
“Once the minister approves the request, the applicant submits an application. This will be followed by an interview with the citizenship committee, which in turn makes recommendations to the minister,” she said.
Minister Mokgethi noted in assessing the application for consideration it helps the spouse’s case if they have a good moral character, and they intend to reside in Botswana long-term.
Reference: BOPA
Thats remarkable by the minister speech, hoping to visit soon and get a nice lady as a wife.