11 Dec 2025

The Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs has, for the past five years, processed 909 foreigners who applied for naturalisation by virtue of being married to Batswana.

This was revealed by Minister Environment and Tourism, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi, answering a question in Parliament on behalf of the substantive Minister, Major General Pius Mokgware on Tuesday.

He said from January 2021 to December 2025, 909 applications were received, of which 438 were approved and 471 rejected.

Minister Mmolotsi said the most common reason for the rejection was that applicants failed to score 70 per cent or above, which was the pass mark, in accordance with the Points-Based System.

The system, he said, considered, among other attributes, the length of time the couple had been married and the period for which the foreigner had been resident in the country, adding that the length of stay should be at least five years.

Mr Mmolotsi said the applicant might, however, request a waiver of the length of stay if it had been under five years, provided there were compelling reasons for consideration by the minister.

Also, he said, in line with the principle of family reunification, an applicant who did not meet the set criteria might continue to reside in the country using a residence permit.

In addition, spouses of citizens were usually issued with a residence permit valid for 10 years, unlike other categories of migrants who may be issued with permits valid for a shorter period.

Nkange MP, Mr Mothaleemang Moalosi, wanted the minister to state the number of citizenship applications the ministry received from Batswana married to foreigners, the number of those that were successful and those that were rejected, as well as the main reasons why such applications were rejected. ENDS