Meet Iceland´s New Citizens

A fresh new crop of parliamentary-approved citizens are here – including a Grapevine contributor.

Vísir reports that 36 people applied for citizenship with the Parliamentary General Committee and, of those, 23 were recommended for approval. A committee recommendation, incidentally, almost always results in approval for Icelandic citizenship.

Amongst those who have been recommended for citizenship are boxer Arsens Zagainovsand footballer Vesna Smiljković. However, Grapevine contributor Bess Neal – often better known as B. R. Neal – was also one of the lucky recipients.

In all, the following people were recommended for Icelandic citizenship. If you know any of them, let them know and wish them congratulations – the Grapevine does!

Arsens Zagainovs, from Latvia.

Bess Renee Neal, from the US.

Eleonor Saraum Lagahid, from the Philippines.

Mohammed S. R. Nazer, from Palestine.

Wafaa Nabeel Yosif Al Qina, from Iraq.

Vesna Smiljkovic, from Serbia.

Martha Lucia Suarez Lemus, from Colombia.

Paola Andrea Arce Suarez, from Colombia.

Yingyu Zong, from China.

Christopher Jusufu Bundeh, from Sierra Leone.

Fouad El Ouali, from Morocco.

Hasthika Lankathilaka, from Sri Lanka.

Homero Manzi Gutierrez, from Uruguay.

Krishnakumary Vignentheran, from Sri Lanka.

Osman Saliji, from Serbia.

Vignentheran Satchithananthan, from Sri Lanka.

Evelyn Kuhne, from Germany.

Hlal Jarah, from Syria.

Mohammed Omer Ibrahim, from Eritrea.

Antoine Jean-Fernand V. Lochet, from France.

Marion Andree Rosie Brochet, from France.

Sherry Inga Halterman, from Keflavík (which is in Iceland – she grew up in the US).

Mai Tuyet Thi Bui, from Vietnam.

Welcome, new Icelandic citizens, and enjoy your passports, your right to vote in parliamentary elections and … probably lots of other stuff, too!