- Compare and contrast with the pathway to citizenship in the US.
- Is the pathway to citizenship fair?
- Why would someone want to become a citizen of your country?
- What are the benefits?
- Are there any penalties for attempting to access the benefits of citizenship without travelling the pathway identified by your country?
Friday, February 5, 2016
REQ: State of World Citizenship postponed until Feb 22
In addition to last week's topics about who is running or ruining your country, tell us how a person becomes a citizen in your country.
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according to gov.za, “If you are born in South Africa and at least one of your parents is a South African citizen or a SA permanent residency permit holder, or if you are adopted by a South African citizen or permanent resident, you automatically qualify for citizenship. You can apply for South African citizenship by descent or naturalisation.”
ReplyDeleteif someone is not related to or adopted by a south african citizen they can apply to the Minister of Home Affairs. certain criteria is required in applications. the person must be over 21, have a permanent residence permit to live in South Africa, and have lived there for at least 5 years before apply for citizenship. one should also be able to communicate in one of the official languages and has a clean record. (some of the official languages in south africa include English, Afrikaans, Zulu and Xhosa)
The Minister of Home Affairs can refuse an application even if the applicant seems to meet all the criteria. “Citizenship by naturalisation is considered a privilege and not a legal right. South African citizenship can be taken away from an individual who has citizenship of another country.”
Do you think this is a fair & reasonable pathway to citizenship? How is it similar to or different from the US?
DeleteHow do you attain permanent residence status?
DeleteHow does a non-citizen earn a living while going through the application process?
Where can a person learn Afrikaans, Zulu or Xhosa?
When you comment, think about the fairness of the process you describe. Compare it to the US. Do non-citizens who reside in your country have a different experience than citizens ? ( This is different from tourists traveling with a passport or visa.)
ReplyDeleteWhen you wanna be a citizen of Russia, you must become a temporary resident.
ReplyDeleteYou can become a temporary resident only when you have a private resident fill out an invitation. Afterwards, a period of several weeks will pass to process out your information.
You must have a legitimate source of income and you MUST speak Russian. The complete process can take up to a year.
This is different from the US, where one does not have to speak english; they must simply fill out an application, complete an interview, and take on oath; however, the US is similar to Russia in that it takes a long time to become a citizen.
Illegal immigrants in Russia are banned from reentry for 10 years. sometimes, they are imprisoned for several months as well. They generally will be treated harshly by locals, as they is ultranationalism present in Russia.
Those who immigrate to Russia do so since it is more economically developed than some of the other previous Soviet states.
The citizenship process in Colombia is fairly easy. There are so many options for how you can obtain citizenship and its very reasonable. Colombia is a rich tourist country and its easy to start your own business or good to invest. so if somebody would want to gain permanent residence status they would have to live in Colombia for 5 years, or less if you fit certain requirements.
ReplyDeleteThis process compared to the U.S. process is very easy. Just to fill out a petition for a green card is a minimum of $420 and that doesnt garantee anything. Once the petition is approved you have to fill out an Affidavit of Support then apply for the green card which can be $405. Then if the application is accepted an interview is required. Also this is only possible through a relative or an employer.
Of course a green card has many benefits so it makes sense its an extensive process however its very expensive.
So, how does a non-citizen get a job or start a business?
DeleteIt seems that at least $1000 is necessary. Why do you think it costs so much?
What if you do not have a job or a relative in Colombia to secure an interview for you?
Gaining citizenship in New Zealand is not that hard of a process.You can apply for New Zealand citizenship by grant if you're a permanent resident and you've been living here for at least the last 5 years.It usually takes about 4 months from when you apply to when you become a citizen.
ReplyDeleteYou can get New Zealand citizenship by grant if:
•you already have the right to be in New Zealand indefinitely
•you’ve lived here for at least the last 5 years
•you intend to keep living here
•you speak English, and
•you're of good character.
Apply for a child under 16
Children under 16 need the consent of both of their parents to apply for citizenship by grant, unless they legally only have one parent. 14 and 15-year-olds need to meet all the same requirements as adults and must attend a citizenship ceremony.
Children under 14 don’t need to:
•speak English
•prove they’re of good character
•attend a ceremony (but they can if they want to).
The Cost of Citizenship in New Zealand:
•$470.20 for adults
•$235.10 for children under 16.
How do you become a permanent resident?
DeleteHow easy is it for a non-citizen to get a job?
Why is it so expensive?
What constitutes "good character"?
Why is it necessary to speak English? What kind of fluency test does someone have to speak?
First of all, I found this helpful form that clearly illustrates the U.S. pathway to citizenship:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/jthkl38
When Paige and I researched Brazil's path to citizenship, we found that it is actually pretty difficult for a person become a citizen of Brazil. First of all, one cannot get direct citizenship to Brazil; s/he must first go through a few processes of getting rights/visas before they can become a citizen. There is a specific law for foreign investors, as they can get a visa for foreign investment only that permits them to stay in the country indefinitely (although they do not have all the same rights as a citizen). After obtaining a permanent visa, one must become naturalized. This can occur when someone marries a Brazilian, has a Brazilian child, or was born in a country that speaks Portuguese. When someone wants to move from a naturalized person to an official citizen, they must go through Brazil's court system. Requirements are:
-registration as a permanent citizen of Brazil
-having lived in Brazil for 4 years (before application is filled out)
-fluent in Portuguese (reading/writing)
-proof of employment
-proof that you can provide for your family
-free of debt/income tax
-no criminal record
The most controversial of these points would have to be the one requiring potential citizens to be fluent in Portuguese. This carries over to America, as many believe that immigrants must be fluent in English in order to reside in this country.
People may want to become citizens of Brazil in order to be with their families or to gain the rights of Brazilian citizenship. These rights include the right to vote and serve in the military.
Brazil's laws regarding illegal immigration are mixed right now, as they are in the middle of being altered to focus more on human rights. In Brazil's constitution, it does state that all people-including foreigners--have basic human rights in Brazil.
Thanks for using a "tinyurl" to make the Internet connection more efficient--do you how to insert a hyperlink?
DeleteHow easy is it for a non-citizen to get work to support themselves during the application process? Why is debt-free status important?
What kind of screening is done for a criminal record check?
How do applicants prove fluency in Portuguese? Why do you think language proficiency is so important?
Becoming a British citizen is fairly easy and the process only takes about 6 to 7 months. Besides marriage the requirements are had to have lived in Britain for 6 straight years. You must be aged 18 or over and are not of unsound mind.
ReplyDeleteYou must be of good character.
You should be able to communicate in the English language (or Welsh or Scottish Gaelic). There are exemptions to this requirement, for example if you are elderly or mentally handicapped.
You should intend to live in the UK or in Crown Service abroad (working directly for an UK Government organisation), or be employed by an international organisation of which the UK is a member, or be employed by a company or association established in the United Kingdom.
It sounds easy, Sean, but how easy is it for a non-citizen to have a job and live in Great Britain for 6 straight years?
DeleteHow do they check "sound mind" and "good character"?
The pathway to citizenship in Switzerland is pretty weird. For example you are not automatically Swiss if you are born on Swiss soil. There is a 3 ways to become a citizen and it is all pretty lengthy. The first way is a person is automatically Swiss if he or she is the child of married parents, at least one of whom is Swiss. Switzerland allows people to hold multiple nationalities. The 2 other ways to gain citizenship is by living in the country for at least 12 years before they can apply for citizenship. This only common sense but the person must be well integrated, familiar with customs and traditions, law abiding, and pose no threat to internal or external security. Children who are not yet 22 years old and who did not get citizenship when their parents did may apply for fast track. The benefits are you will be eligible to vote in local and national elections, as well as run for the legislative and executive branches, it will be easier to open and maintain a bank account in Switzerland and If you decide to give up US citizenship you can save yourself from filing and paying US taxes, as well as easier traveling to US restricted countries such as Cuba.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.quora.com/What-are-the-benefits-of-a-U-S-citizen-becoming-a-Swiss-citizen
How easy is it for a non-citizen to live and work in Switzerland for 12 years?
DeleteWhat do you think about not being guranteed citizenship if you were born there, needing at least one parent to be Swiss?
What do you think holding multiple citizenships is like?
You can become a citizen in South Korea through several different methods. One of the first methods is through general naturalization. The requirements are as follows:
ReplyDelete1. Maintain a legal address for five years in Korea
2. Must be an adult, according to Korean law (= 20 years old)
3. Must have clean and orderly behavior (= no criminals or those with communicable disease)
4. Must have the ability to support oneself, or must have other family members who can support the whole family (usually proven by a professional license, real estate deeds, or a bank account with at least $30,000)
5. Must have basic Korean language ability and knowledge about Korean culture (involves written test and an interview – the test is around fourth grade level.)
These requirements, in my opinion, seem fair. Especially the fifth one because it shows respect to the nation your living in (as well as makes sense) to know the language and culture.
Another method is through simplified naturalization. This method applies to people who have relations to citizens of South Korea. The requirements are as follows:
1. If one of your parents was a Korean citizen. (Emphasis on “was”. It’s ok if your parent renounced Korean citizenship.)
2. If you were born in Korea, and one of your parents was born in Korea.
3. If you are an adult adoptee of a Korean citizen.
As for South Korea it is basically impossible to become a citizen, unless you are born in the country.
Typo: Last paragraph is about NORTH Korea not south.
DeleteLast sentence*
DeleteSo, how easy is it for a non-citizen to get a legal address in South Korea? For instance, getting a job, renting/buying property?
DeleteThanks for the specific info about language competency? Why do you think that is necessary?
$30,000 annual income is needed...How difficult is that to get in South Korea? Is it fair to expect newcomers to be able to support themselves and dependents?
The pathway to citizenship in Japan is a long and often complicated process. It is established by blood meaning if you have 2 Chinese people who have a child in Japan while they live in Japan it does not have citizenship.
ReplyDeleteTo apply, there must be many documents given in a a traditional Japanese style of writing. Criminal background and health in all aspects is even taken into account. In some cases one's house could be searched.
In total the process takes anywhere from 6 months to a year.
As Abdul notes in his post on Switzerland, citizenship is not a birthright. I wonder why?
DeleteAlso, what is the "traditional " form of Japanese writing?
Why would your house have to be searched?
Is it easy for non-citizens to purchase property in Japan?
For a long and complicated process, 6-12 months seems short, since many countries seem to require years of residence.
As Abdul notes in his post on Switzerland, citizenship is not a birthright. I wonder why?
DeleteAlso, what is the "traditional " form of Japanese writing?
Why would your house have to be searched?
Is it easy for non-citizens to purchase property in Japan?
For a long and complicated process, 6-12 months seems short, since many countries seem to require years of residence.
Marrying a Greek citizen does not automatically grant a spouse the privilege of Greek citizenship or a Greek passport. You must be of Greek origin yourself or go through the naturalization proces. The United States and Greece allow you the privilege of holding both citizenships without conflict, as long as you meet the requirements of each country.The requirements are listed below
ReplyDeleteGreek citizenship is granted to those who:
1) Are born in Greece to at least one parent of Greek origin;
or
2) Can stake a claim through a Greek ancestor born in Greece (i.e., If you were born to Greek parents outside Greece, you are considered a ‘Greek national’ but do not assume you have Greek citizenship; you must have a citizenship certificate)
or
3) Live in Greece for several years as a full-time resident with a permit, meet a number of language/income requirements and go through the naturalization process*
or
4) Attend school in Greece for many years*
or
5) Are born in Greece to non-Greek parents who are legal, long-term residents of Greece.*
So other than blood relation and ancestry, the naturalization process seems necessary.
DeleteHow many years of residence or schooling is necessary?
How easy/difficult is it for a non-citizen to get housing/employment in Greece?
What are the language/income requirements?
Is the proficiency written or spoken or both?
how much money does someone need to have?
ReplyDeleteIn order to apply for Canadian citizenship you must:
Be over 18 years of age.
Provide proof that you know how to speak and write in 1 of Canada's official languages (either English or French)
Be a Permanent Resident (PR)
Declare that you plan to live in Canada after you become a citizen.