Pros and cons of naturalising in a new country

Over the last few months while I was waiting for my Australian citizenship I had a few conversations with people about naturalising after acquiring permanent residency in a country that you emigrated to.  I had wondered why some people don't naturalise prior to this because the New Zealand media often publishes and broadcasts stories about New Zealand citizens being ineligible for Australian government assistance, the right to vote, and being at risk if they commit a crime that carries a prison sentence of more than 12 months. 

It truly seems bizarre to me that someone would move to a new country and not intend to naturalise. I had planned to naturalise as an Australian citizen since I first moved here 13 years and 29 days ago. It was always my intention. 

This blog today is going to assess all points of view- why some people do naturalise, why some don't and why you should naturalise in a new country.

Identity

Some people do not naturalise in a new country because they don't want to forgo their original nationality and they feel that doing so could diminish their identity but that's not the case at all. Most countries around the world allow dual or multiple citizenship so there is no need to renounce your original citizenship. You can be a citizen of more than one country and it doesn't diminish your identity at all.

Cost

Acquiring citizenship in a new country costs thousands of dollars and therefore it's something that you'd only do if you really wanted to. The price for permanent residency is often a few thousand dollars and if you don't see the value in holding citizenship then it's not a cost most people would want to pay. Then there is the cost of citizenship after that. It can be upwards of $10,000 if a family is applying and a few thousand dollars for an individual.

Paperwork

When you apply for permanent residency the process is relatively simple and straight forward depending on the visa that you are applying for. You may need to submit 20 documents. When it comes to citizenship the process is much longer. In Australia it can take people several years to obtain citizenship after applying and even a simple application may require 50 supporting documents in addition to the application form itself. 

Ineligibility

This is a big one. When you're a permanent resident you must satisfy certain conditions before applying for citizenship such as being resident in a country without breaks for a period of time. You must also satisfy identity and character requirements. You must also qualify for a permanent visa. If you do not qualify for a permanent visa then you will never qualify for citizenship. Some nations around the world have reciprocal agreements for example, NZ and Australia have an agreement that allows citizens of each nation to travel freely. Of course, what a lot of people don't realise is that NZ citizens going to Australia do so on a temporary visa. It is effectively a working holiday visa and does not lead to citizenship. There are however other ways to get permanent residency in Australia - The 189 skilled migration NZ stream visa, the partner visa or citizenship by descent if one of your parents was an Australian permanent resident or Australian citizen.

So now that I've talked about the things that may prohibit you from getting citizenship in a new nation I want to talk about why people should take out citizenship.

Being recognised as one of the nation's people

This is a really big one. When you naturalise, your new country has said, "yes, you're one of us" and you actually belong to that nation. You are no longer a visitor. You are one of their people. You've assimilated into the community. A lot of people have this misconception, myself included until I went through the process, that citizenship is easy to obtain. It's not easy to obtain, and that's in countries that have comparatively "soft" immigration policies. It often takes years of hard work, years of struggle, years of waiting to qualify, a lot of money, time on a permanent visa and then the wait while your citizenship application is processed. It's not an easy process at all and not everyone qualifies for citizenship, even if they did obtain permanent residency, for example, in Australia, you cannot get citizenship if you have a traffic offence because it is technically a crime and you will have a record. Getting citizenship means you are no longer a visitor.

Opportunities open up

Some nations allow permanent residents to hold public office and to vote in elections, but others do not. Citizenship means you can apply for jobs in the public sector, stand for parliament and vote in elections. It means you can participate as a full member of the community and that you get to enjoy the freedoms that every other citizen does.

Consular assistance

If you are in trouble overseas then it makes sense to get assistance from the country that you live in, so it is essential that you take up citizenship. If you don't then it could mean that your old country has to help you which may mean you struggle to get back to the country that you live in, and that could be a foreign affairs nightmare for authorities and yourself. Getting citizenship in the country you live in means you will never have to worry about that.

There are of course other advantages to naturalising in a new country but there are too many to write about here. Citizenship is extremely important, even if there's a possiblity you may move out of the country in a few years time. You never know what could happen and it is better to get it while you are still young and healthy because to get permanent residency you do have to pass a health test in addition to the character requirements.

And on that note, I gained my Australian citizenship on the 6th of May 2021 and I am now officially and legally Australian. I had been approved on the 19th of April and then had to wait for the final step which was making the Australian citizenship pledge (a requirement of the Citizenship Act 2007), and it definitely makes a difference, even though I had always identified as Australian, but now it's legal. I will be renouncing my New Zealand citizenship within the next few months, but my thoughts on dual citizenship are a subject for another blog.