Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu

On Wednesday 21 October 2026, Luxembourg's Minister of Home Affairs, Léon Gloden, presented the findings of an external audit of the Foreign Nationals Department of the Directorate General of Immigration (DGIM) to the Chamber of Deputies' Committee on Home Affairs.

According to Luxembourg's Ministry of Home Affairs, the audit was announced on 21 July 2026 and conducted by independent consultancy Resultance. It was completed on schedule with the cooperation of DGIM staff. Separate from the ongoing judicial investigation, it examined how residence applications are processed, internal controls, coordination with other administrations and potential fraud risks.

The audit found that DGIM staff face a high workload and that procedures and control mechanisms for processing applications are already effective. The department's digitalisation process, which began in 2018, has also been strengthened since early 2024.

However, the findings identified organisational and administrative weaknesses. Although procedures and control mechanisms exist, their application is inconsistent and their effectiveness needs improvement.

The main concerns include insufficient traceability in case processing, overly broad access rights, inadequate separation of certain duties and inconsistent application of procedures and controls. The audit also highlighted the need to strengthen supervision mechanisms at all levels.

Following the findings, Minister Gloden decided to act on the audit's recommendations, identifying several priorities:

  • assess staffing needs and operational capacity to ensure the department functions reliably and sustainably;

  • review access rights and strengthen independent controls at sensitive stages;

  • harmonise application-processing procedures and decision-making criteria;

  • improve case traceability and reduce parallel processing as part of ongoing digitalisation;

  • strengthen the detection, monitoring and handling of anomalies and unusual cases.

The recommendations will be implemented through a prioritised action plan, taking into account digitalisation projects already underway within the DGIM.

"Transparency means presenting the findings of the audit. I will provide the necessary responses. Corrective measures will be implemented to strengthen the reliability of procedures," commented Minister Gloden.

"It is essential that citizens have confidence in the proper functioning of institutions," he added.