Final results show 64.8% of voters endorsed a decision by the cantonal parliament from last year, based on a proposal by a member of the centrist Christian Democratic Party.
The amendment will bring Aargau in line with two other cantons.
Left-wing and some centrist parties unsuccessfully tried to overturn the parliamentary decision.
Under the law, citizenship requests can only be made by applicants who haven’t received social welfare for the past ten years. The current waiting period is three years – in line with regulations at a national level.
Potential candidates for a Swiss passport would also have to pass a test about basic facts of the country’s politics, society, history and geography.
The political left has denounced the legal amendment as discriminatory and disproportional. Political parties to the right argue stricter regulations are necessary to prevent an increase in welfare beneficiaries.
The citizenship procedure involves federal, cantonal and local authorities and leaves municipalities wide-ranging autonomy.
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How to get Swiss citizenship
Swiss citizenship laws have undergone dramatic changes in the past 20 years.
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Swiss federal office sees no reason to end deportations of asylum-seekers to Croatia
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Switzerland's State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) continues to deport asylum-seekers to Croatia. It thus rejects a demand from the Swiss Refugee Council in mid-February, which called for a halt to the returns.
ChatGPT responds to negative emotions and therapy, research shows
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Stressful information can also cause anxiety in artificial intelligence (AI). As scientists in Zurich have shown, it's even possible to calm the GPT-4 AI model with mindfulness exercises.
Mortgage benchmark fall paves way for potential rent cuts in Switzerland
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Switzerland’s national benchmark for mortgage costs dropped to the level it had before the global inflation surge, paving the way for potential rent reductions.
Switzerland ‘deeply concerned’ by Trump’s death penalty order
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Switzerland has told the UN Human Rights Council that it is "deeply concerned" by US President Donald Trump's recent executive order to strengthen capital punishment at federal and state level.
Blatter, Platini return to court for new fraud trial over CHF2 million FIFA payment
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Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and former UEFA President Michel Platini appeared in court in Switzerland on Monday accused of fraud - 2.5 years after they were cleared.
Israel criticises Swiss decision to host Middle East conference in Geneva on Friday
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Israel has condemned Switzerland for planning to host a meeting on international humanitarian law in the Middle East next Friday in Geneva.
Centre Party’s Franziska Biner elected to Valais government
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Voters in canton Valais in southern Switzerland elected Franziska Biner to the cantonal government in the first round of voting, beating off more established politicians.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
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Italian unfairly denied Swiss citizenship after 30-year residence
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The man was rejected for poor social integration and because his geographical and cultural knowledge was deemed insufficient. But the court said that too much emphasis had been placed on these criteria and that some of the questions he was asked were too specific. For example, he did not know that bears and wolves are…
Swiss court backs residency request of welfare recipient
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The Federal Administrative Court has overturned the decision of the State Secretariat for Migration to refuse residence permits to the children of a foreigner who received social assistance while studying in Switzerland.
Ten things you need to know about Swiss citizenship
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How do you become Swiss? Who is entitled to naturalization? swissinfo.ch has collected questions from readers, and ten of them are answered here.
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Foreigners who gain Swiss citizenship generally increase their annual earnings by CHF5,000 compared to those who don't get naturalized.
Swiss revoke mother’s citizenship over suspected Islamic State links
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The Swiss authorities have revoked the citizenship of a French-Swiss women for her suspected links to the Islamic State militant group.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.