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Dual citizenship - pros and cons |
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Page 1 of 2 As a newcomer to Canada, it is natural to continue to have a sense of
belonging to the country you are coming from. So it comes as no
surprise that an increasing number of immigrants are choosing to adopt
dual citizenship.
According to the last census in 2001, there were at least 691,000
people who listed themselves as dual or multiple citizens. (That figure
could be higher as many immigrant parents may not realize that their
children born in Canada might be dual or triple citizens depending on
the laws of their former countries).
Canada does not discourage dual citizenship - in fact it was among the
first countries in the world to introduce the concept, way back in 1977.
If you plan on retaining your current nationality while becoming a
Canadian citizen, you can do so. However, you do need to first confirm
that the country whose passport you now hold, will in fact allow you
this privilege.
Some countries, such as China, Japan and Denmark, do not permit dual
citizenship; others, like India, will allow dual nationality for its
citizens who move to one of a small list of countries including Canada.
And then there are others like Syria that do not allow their people to
renounce their citizenship at all.
Is there any advantage in obtaining citizenship of two or more
countries? Apart from the obvious connection you likely feel to your
birthplace, there are others, including:
- employment opportunities
- entitlement to social programs, such as pensions
- property ownership
- unrestricted residency
Dual citizenship often comes at a cost. Many countries have a recurring fee that needs to be paid to maintain your status.
You can usually obtain dual citizenship at any time. So it's possible
to renounce the citizenship of your birth country at the time of
becoming a Canadian, and reapply for it at a later time.
While Canada does not discourage dual status, Citizenship and
Immigration Canada (CIC) does warn that there is a potential for this
to lead to serious problems, especially in countries where it is not
legally recognized or if there is any confusion over what citizenship
was used to obtain entry to a third country.
In some countries, travelling with two passports can result in the
confiscation of one of them. (Conversely, however, India now requires
both passports to be shown.)
Worse, there may be other difficulties you face that the Canadian
Embassy might find hard to solve because of confusion over your exact
status.
CIC provides several examples:
A Canadian from Toronto went to Italy with his Italian-born parents. He
was informed by the Italian authorities that he was considered an
Italian citizen and would be required to perform military service. He
had to have family members in Toronto obtain certain documents and then
have them certified by the Italian consulate before he was allowed to
leave Italy.
And then there was the case of a Canadian teenager who travelled to
Singapore for the first time to visit his relatives. What he didn't
expect was to be arrested at the border and forced to join the
military. Because of his dual citizenship, Canadian consular officers
could not help him. In Singapore, he was considered a citizen of
Singapore.
Here's another: A Canadian citizen of Chinese origin travelled to China
on his Chinese documents instead of his Canadian passport. He was
arrested for problems associated with a business venture and jailed
shortly after his arrival. Despite repeated requests for visitation
rights by the Canadian government, access was denied for over four
years.
Many countries require their nationals to enter and leave the country
on the passport of that country. A dual-national Polish/Canadian
husband and wife without valid Polish passports were allowed to enter
Poland on their Canadian passports to attend to a family emergency. To
leave Poland, however, they were required to obtain Polish passports.
The process took several weeks, and their delayed return almost cost
them their jobs back in Canada.
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