Managing Globalization: The Global Quest for a Second Passport

[Marc]

Who here holds dual citizenships?

Originally Posted by International Herald Tribune

While global capital and trade flows continue to increase, and indeed to accelerate, labor is the factor whose mobility always seems to lag. Political and cultural constraints have slowed the formulation of economically driven migration policies. As a result, people around the world have been resorting to a much more idiosyncratic means of migration: the pursuit of citizenship.

Last week, the border crossings between Hong Kong and mainland China became the setting for one of the most extreme reactions against one of the most extreme forms of this pursuit. According to news reports, Hong Kong immigration officers are now allowed to stop women in the final stages of pregnancy from entering Hong Kong from mainland China, even using tape measures to ascertain their medical status. The presumption is that they are trying to give birth in Hong Kong so that their children will have a right to residency, and greater economic opportunities, in the wealthy special administration region of China.

This practice is by no means confined to China. Migrants and even tourists from around the world have long sought to give birth in the United States, where citizenship is the reward for newborns on American soil. Even workers planning to return to their countries may stay a little longer to ensure that their children become Americans.

The European Union, too, is picking up new migrants via citizenship claims. In many cases, a person whose grandparent is a citizen of a member can apply for citizenship as well, as long as his or her parent also obtains citizenship. So, for example, a woman whose grandfather was German can become a German citizen, providing her father does as well.

This proviso has often come in handy for recruits to major soccer clubs from South America, who usually manage to find enough ancestry in the Old World to finagle a passport. It is also becoming easier to exploit as the European Union grows — and more attractive, too. At this point, a citizen of any member nation gets the right to live and work in 27 countries. A man born in Canada who claims Romanian citizenship, for instance, may do so only to take a job in France.

"Over the past several decades there's been a rise in dual and multiple nationality," said Miriam Feldblum, who teaches in the humanities faculty at the California Institute Technology. "There are increased economic opportunities when you're also nationals of both countries."

It is happening at both ends of the income spectrum, too. "We have two global labor markets," said Saskia Sassen, a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago. "One is at the top, and one is at the bottom." There are high-skilled people who use multiple nationalities to increase their earning power, and low-skilled migrants trying to avoid legal problems in their new homes.

In other words, citizenship is becoming less and less about patriotism. In obtaining a second or even third nationality, earning a living is often a higher priority than confirming a sense of identity and belonging. Seeking a better deal from society can also be a prime motivation.

"People are shopping for bundles of rights nowadays," Sassen said. "We know, for example, that most Iraqi refugees are trying to go to Sweden, because the word is out" about the benefits offered to migrants there. The story may be the same for undocumented immigrants fighting in the American armed forces and hoping to gain citizenship, she said. "We have immigrants, we now know, who have come to the United States, who have been willing to make some tradeoff: 'I will go and fight in Iraq, but in return I'm expecting X, Y, Z,'" she said.

These demand-side reasons for pursuing citizenship are fairly well known. But there are supply-side factors that are increasing the number of people eligible for multiple nationalities, too.

More countries, especially in Europe, have begun allowing women to hold on to their original nationalities after marriage, said Feldblum, and then to pass them to their children. And more countries have also been allowing migrants of all types to hold on to their original nationalities after they obtain new ones in foreign countries.

More Turks, for example, are pursuing German citizenship because Turkey allows dual nationality. "Now that they can have dual nationality, it makes them feel better about being Germans, because they can keep their land back home," Sassen said.

The same is true in Latin America, she said. "The sending countries — Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico — have granted their diaspora voting rights in their national elections," she said. "You have a whole new, sovereign attempt to gain some traction on the overseas migrants, no matter how poor they are."

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[Dean Frederickson]

I don't hold dual citizenship, but my oldest daughter has dual citizenship, Italian/American. I think she is planning to come live in America with Dad for a while. She has visited me a few times and she is convinced life in the states may be better for her.

[Randy]

I have my application ready for the Conch Republic.

[wmarhel]

I have dual citizenship (England & America). I actually have two birth certificates, one from the British government and one from the U.S. consulate.

At one point I possessed both passports at the same time as it made it easier to get through customs. The trick is that if I was leaving or returning to a U.S. possession, I needed to use the American passport. Once off an American possession, I could freely use the British passport.

This was especially true if I was heading to an area where Americans were potential targets. The downside is that if your traveling under a foreign passport, then technically the U.S. government isn't obligated to provide any assistance if required/requested.

Wayne

[Ted Schmitt]

I have dual citizenship (Brazilian / American). My mother was born in NJ, father in Brazil. I was born in Brazil also... I wanted to register both my kids (also born here in Brazil) as American citizens, but they didn´t allow me too. Since my wife is not American (she´s German) I would have to proove at least 5 years residency in the US after became 18. I can only proove 4 years of college.

It does make international travel easier... just need to remember which passport to present to the immigration officers !

[armando.herger]

[]I think is very confusing information, I have been researching the internet to find out for a 2nd for me, banking purposes etc, and I have seen all kinds of offers but the only one I retain is of a law firm in Europe because it was done by the law, I mean why pay for a 2nd Citizenship and get get arrested and jailed because doing things illegally, that guy was cheap 10.000 Euros and Legal!! Be careful dudes[/]!!!!

[Kales Veggie]

Well, almost two citizenships. I am Dutch and will have my US naturalization interview on 12/7. Shortly thereafter, I will be taking my oath, followed by a party in the spring.

[reigelser]

My son has dual citizenship and I try to raise him bilingual (German/American). I will be able to apply for US citizenship in 2 or 3 years, but I will just do it if I can keep the German passport. It will be definitely helpful but the green card is pretty good, too.