Dual Citizenship- Your Opinion

[closed-20101014 3]

There's also the fact that in the same year the US elects a mixed race president, what do the UK do? Put a nazi in EU government. A nazi. Winning a seat in a government of united countries. You can't make up farce like this.

Edited February 23, 2010 by Shirorisu

[TracyTN 237]

It may be my pregnant brain, but I'm having trouble seeing what all this has to do with dual nationality.

[Big Papa Zone 93]

I can think of another reason for taking US citizenship ASAP - legal protection. As a PR, your #### is on the first plane home if you're convicted of a felony; no such worries for a citizen (unless the offence is uber-serious, and you're stripped of your citizenship).

Not that I'm planning on commiting any felonies you understand, but hey, you never know, right?

[Rob and Jill 82]

I can think of another reason for taking US citizenship ASAP - legal protection. As a PR, your #### is on the first plane home if you're convicted of a felony; no such worries for a citizen (unless the offence is uber-serious, and you're stripped of your citizenship).

Not that I'm planning on commiting any felonies you understand, but hey, you never know, right?

"Uber serious" is not as "serious" of a crime as you might suspect. Picture this...true story:

Young boy was born in Scotland. Acquires dual citizenship. Grows up in the U.S.

Then said teenage boy decides it would be fun to steal his friend's parent's car. He drives it to Mexico and sets the car on fire to 'destroy evidence".

Guess who now lives in Scotland again? Deportation at 18 years old with NO ONE there who knew him, no friends, no family....ZILCH.

Talk about suck.

(I am not condoning what he did, but I do kinda of a little tiny bit feel bad for him.)

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Was he really a US citizen?

I think you have to commit treason to be stripped of your citizenship. This is what I found online:

http://www.newcitizen.us/losing.html

Edited February 23, 2010 by Trompe le Monde

[Rob and Jill 82]

I dunno if he was or not. He wasn't born on a military base, so I fail to see how he was a citizen anyway unless his parents did it for him. Perhaps it is something they could have fought in court. I don't know, but it would be interesting to find out the legal parts behind it all.

[SMB x2 0]

Stu is definitely going to go for US citizenship even though there's a possibility we'll live in the UK in the future.

It means he'll be able to come and go from the US as he pleases, apply for jobs that are for citizens only (if he wants), and most importantly, he'll be able to vote, which I know he's itching to do!

Our daughter is a dual citizen. Now, no matter which way we go, she won't have to stand in line at immigration for either country.

If we do happen to end up in the UK in the future, I'd love to have British citizenship.

[Erynn 0]

Given you have to apply in writing to loose either citizenship, it's not such a biggy. I love England. Particularly since coming to the USA - discounting the medical care which has saved my life (compaired to when I got sick in the USA and nearly died, landing my fiancee with a hefty medical bill. Now we're married at least we share insurance) and those of my whole family more than once, the better public education, and the safest roads in the world - damnit, even in London I could see three different breeds of tree outside my window. I think someone got out the clone tool in Georgia and pasted the same tree in 10,000 times. It is driving me insane.

Anyway. I don't want to risk ever not being able to go home to visit - which is what happens if you loose the citizenship (which is more trouble than it's worth, since British taxes don't have to be payed by those not currently in residence, so far as I know). You enter on a visitor's visa. Which can be refused.

I also want my children to be able to choose what they want from life, and to renounce citizenship now is cutting off their options. I don't really have any intention of going home. I miss it like crazy, particularly when I want to go for a damn walk. The sidewalks around here are virtually non-existent and I still can't get used to two lanes in each direction... however, that'll come with time. That's not the USA, that's just this area (Sidewalks, least ways). The biggy with duel citizenship is the children which may or may not follow. Some day they might want to use the options that I could loose them with a few misplaced letters. I want to go for citizenship in the USA as soon as I am able - I don't exactly love it here yet, but I had enough to moan about in London that I'm pretty sure I could be happy here (At least here people are moderately friendly and smiling in the street at a stranger doesn't get me flipped off). I'm just not loosing the options.

[JamalNTam 1]

I'm def gonna keep my British citizenship. The thought of if anything would happen to my husband and I wouldn't be able to return home is enough for me to never want to loose it.

[Rob and Jill 82]

At least here people are moderately friendly and smiling in the street at a stranger doesn't get me flipped off).

That's a Southern thing. We're pretty friendly as a general rule here.

I guess the majority of the opinion on here is "it takes more work to lose it than keep it, so keep it."

lol.

[Y&E 12]

Dual citizenship great. It makes travel and airports so much easier. I don't intend to give up either my NZ or British citizenship. It also means that if you choose to reestablish residency in one of your countries of nationality you don't have to pay international fees if you go to university, you have access to whatever healthcare they provide without extra fees... If you can keep both what's the reason not too. As another poster mentioned, you never know what is going to happen in life or where you'll end up.