How to Get Foreign Citizenship
Someone might choose to obtain foreign citizenship for many reasons. These may include economic advantages, cultural reasons or simply a desire to reunite with a loved one without having to deal with multiple visa applications and fees. If you are a United States citizen, you can obtain foreign citizenship without fear of losing your U.S. citizenship status. U.S. Immigration laws recognize dual-citizenship status. However, some countries do not recognize dual citizenship status. As of January 2011, these include Sweden, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and Norway.
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Instructions
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Conduct research. Study the foreign country you are interested in becoming a citizen of, making sure you are willing and able to live in the country for a considerable length of time. Most, if not all, countries require foreign nationals interested in becoming citizens to become permanent residents first. In addition to requiring you to become a permanent resident, most countries have residency requirements that you must meet before becoming eligible for citizenship by naturalization.
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Apply for a visa that offers you non-temporary status. One way to do this is by securing employment in the country. Most countries have programs in place that provide immigration incentives to foreign workers interested in seeking permanent residency status and subsequently citizenship status. One example is the United Kingdom, which has a "General Migrant" category in its Tier 1 points-based system.
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Learn as much as you can about the country. Learn about the various rights and responsibilities that permanent residents as well as citizens must uphold. This may include learning the official language of the country, if it has one, as well as knowing the country's history. For example, to become a naturalized Canadian citizen, as of January 2011, you have to pass a citizenship test, which includes "your knowledge of Canada and your language abilities."
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Obey the laws of the country. Most countries have provisions barring foreign nationals with criminal backgrounds from becoming naturalized citizens.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Pile of passport image by Marek Kosmal from Fotolia.com
