Dual citizenship: arguments for and against

¶ … Dual Citizenship

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When an individual possesses citizenship of two nations he or she acquires dual citizenship. The idea of dual citizenship confers that a person might have and exercise nationality rights of two nations and his citizenship responsibilities might be applicable to both the nations. In real terms this might imply having multiple passports in possession. Even though U.S. officially do not accept the notion of dual citizenship, there are no laws that prohibit dual citizenship. Current U.S. nationality laws in force do not particularly declare dual citizenship, but U.S. administration recognizes the same in individual cases. While supporting the presence of dual citizenship and allowing Americans to acquire citizenship of other nations, U.S. government is not in favor of dual citizenship as a policy matter due to the problems it might bring.

Discussion

Dual Citizenship should be allowed because of considerable rise in global migration as an important dynamic of globalization. It is a fact that migration to the U.S. has phenomenally increased during the later part of the twentieth century and the trend is likely to accelerate further. Since an increased intensity of migration has witnessed a rising demand for dual citizenship, the political settings in receiving nations as also sending countries, has become increasingly receptive to the concept. Allowing dual citizenship in receiving nations is seen as a means to assist immigrants to integrate with greater ease into the nation as also participate more in the political process of the nation. Permitting dual citizenship would help creating favorable conditions for the integration of foreign citizens who come as newcomers where immigrants become citizens of their receiving nations and permit them to be significant participants of the democratic process. The rise in the instances of dual citizenship as also its recognition can be ascribed to the lowered dangers dual citizenship once created.

Apart from the economic benefits, dual citizenship also encourages the preservation and development of language and culture. Retaining citizenship of the home nation is also an emblematic expression of sustaining links between states and its emigrants as also a realistic means of reinforcing these links. For instance, it was recognized that Mexican citizens residing in the U.S. were unwilling to sever their Mexican citizenship to get U.S. citizenship access as it would snap their connection with their home country and its consequence will be identity loss to them. It was also acknowledged that the absence of dual citizenship made more awkward the activities like remittances and it made more problematic for the citizens of Mexico may be for vacation or on a permanent basis. Consequently this meant that citizens of Mexico residing in the U.S. enjoyed the legal, employment, administrative and political inconveniences of not being natural citizens of U.S. But they have a say in the U.S. economy and society.

Basically dual citizenship is an identification of border-crossing ties of citizens in certain life worlds that encourages bi-national partnerships, socialization in a different country, or national minorities. It is fundamentally a type of symbolic policy with genuine benefits in case of dual citizens regarding freedom of movement, inheritance, purchase of property and political participation as well. The most tangible advantage of dual citizenship over other present forms of membership beyond the sovereign states for instance European Union citizenship is that it does not influence the connection between the governing and the governed. It leaves the ideal of popular sovereignty integral and does not create more problems of democratic accountability and legitimacy issues. Dual citizenship as a membership overlapping distinctive political communities instead targets at the acknowledgment of links in transtate spaces occupied by mobile and sedentary citizens.

Dual citizenship confers major benefits on American society in general. Apart from the economic advantages inclusive of taxes generated by a population with a lot of dual nationals, there are more social and political benefits. Dual citizenship possibly enables as also reflects the integration of people landing in America by imparting a feeling of open welcoming and belonging, strengthening their attachments to American values and enhancing their English language skills as well. Dual citizenship also assist in legitimating the exercise over them of governmental power, it lowers the risk which they will be subject to discriminatory treatment. To the extent that a liberal dual national policy supports long-term immigrants to naturalize is a causal relationship recognized by majority of opinion makers.

A liberal dual policy involves costs, but they should be accounted for in evaluating its advantages. Some of these costs are quite of routine nature and not likely to have much importance in any overall assessment of the merits of dual citizenship. U.S.-based companies also profit from dual citizenship. It is also benefits employees, as they, by acquiring dual citizenship, becomes more valuable to their respective companies as they can go on tours and work abroad with increased mobility, and are more likely to be bilingual, and can more readily build transnational market networks which becomes advantageous for the company. Considering in the same light, other states and their citizens benefit from the liberal availability of dual citizenship in the U.S. Conferring the rights of dual citizenship lowers the danger of statelessness that every country have powerful interest in reducing -- the international community of states benefit. Dual citizenship eventually accords major advantages on American society in general.

Those who are opposed to the idea of dual citizenship contend that there is an impending risk for Americans as it can lead to dual loyalties which at times may be conflicting. But their concept is based on major misconceptions. First of all immigrants endeavor to make improvements to their homelands signify misplaced loyalties which are not good for the U.S. And secondly that immigrants linkages to their nations of birth are something novel. Practically, dual citizenship is advantageous for America by helping to foster the ideals and values of America across every corner of the world. It helps in the promotion of U.S. understanding of and linkages to the world, to the benefit of U.S. On the political as well economic front and eliminates practical hindrances to naturalization. Across history, the involvement of U.S. immigrants has been vital to the economic and political advancement in their homelands. These linkages also benefit the U.S. By building connections which promote American product items and political leadership overseas. In a more and more networked world, it is in the best interests of America that citizens who have newly acquired citizenship prefer to be having knowledge regarding the outside world. More importantly, the idea of dual citizenship never weakens U.S. loyalty but on the other hand, it reinforces the feeling of immigrants that they are welcome by encouraging them that they will not receive punishment for loving their motherland.

Conferring dual citizenship rights foster a higher predisposition to naturalize and a more strong attachment to the labor force. This outcome is vital considering the increasing number of nations that have amended their respective laws to allow their citizens to keep their nationality regardless of naturalization in other places. This is germane from the policy point-of-view of the receiving nations also, since they are often entangled in bilateral agreements with governments of dispatching nations which are in the process of conferring dual nationality rights to their expatriates. The calculated positive influence of dual citizenship rights on the rates of naturalization also recommends that some of the comparative gains in employment might be somewhat because of the citizenship acquisition of America. There are more ways than one in which American citizenship might deliver better job opportunities, but if and the manner in which naturalization impacts the performance of labor market remains basically an answered question.