In an era where identities are increasingly politicised, citizenship has become both a privilege and a problem. Citizenship can be defined as ‘the legal bond between a person and a state to which various rights are attached’ [1] and has provided a vessel to express one’s identity and integrate it into society. 

The increasing rise of dual citizens globally has prompted many countries to reform their laws to allow for those living within their borders and those who have emigrated from their nation to hold such a status. A dual citizenship holder has a unique identity and set of legal rights given to them by both countries of which they are citizens. As a result, they are entitled to enjoy the rights given to citizens of both countries. [2] Much of the opposition to dual citizenship is due to the view that it creates conflicting responsibilities thereby making it difficult to insist upon an individual fulfilling their obligations to one country over another, for example: taxes and compulsory military service. The question of how diplomatic protection to individuals who have dual citizenship would be applied has also been used as an argument against the introduction of dual citizenship in many countries, and there were concerns that such issues could create conflicts between states as well.[3]

Dual citizenship is often a result of either naturalisation while maintaining previous citizenships, being born to parents with different citizenships, or being born in a country which gives birth rights to become a citizen and your parents’ citizenship being from a country which grants citizenship based on blood relations. [4]

For many, it is a reflection of their complex and multicultural background which makes up their identity. As a result, dual citizenships can often encapsulate the identity of immigrants who still maintain ties with the country that they originated from. Dual citizenships are also viewed as a representation of one’s multicultural roots and identity. [5] Therefore, dual citizenship in addition to being a legal status can be considered to be an identity in itself.

There is a range of psychological benefits that the status brings. Through the acquisition of dual citizenship, individuals are spared from the emotional turmoil of having to choose their identification in favour of a particular country. For many the status of being a dual citizen is seen as recognition of their transnational background, which in turn enhances their self-esteem and respect. Studies have shown that it is easier for children to integrate into states which accept their dual citizenship as they feel welcome and that their different cultures are accepted in society. For example, German children who are dual nationals from birth, consider their dual citizenship as an important factor in enabling their assimilation into society. [6] Additionally, as Laura van Waas and Sangita Jaghai argue, it ‘is an enabler of social cohesion as it creates feeling of belonging and equality’. [7] It may also encourage greater assimilation among immigrants as empirical surveys indicate that immigrants may be more willing to acquire citizenship through naturalisation if the state allows them to keep their existing citizenship.[8]

However, for some dual citizens, their citizenship with a particular country is conditional on their behaviour, especially if involved in terrorist activity. In Britain 151 people were stripped of their citizenship between 2010 and 2017, all of whom were dual nationals. [9] This demonstrates how the policy of removing individuals’ citizenship as a part of counter terrorism efforts, disproportionately targets dual citizens. Laura van Waas and Sangita Jaghai argue that this policy may lead to indirect discrimination against minorities. [10] This is demonstrated by the fact that only naturalised citizens and dual citizens can be stripped of their citizenship as the Home Secretary requires ‘reasonable grounds to believe’ that they could acquire another nationality from another country, when they have committed acts which are ‘seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the United Kingdom’. [11] This also suggests that while a dual citizen may feel like they belong to both states they are citizens of, the state may not share this view and accept them as such. 

Just as the deprivation of citizenship is used as a tool to combat modern day conflicts, the provision of dual citizenship can also have a role in resolving identity-based conflicts and improving the integration of immigrants into societies. This is because citizenship can provide a collective identity for a diverse group of people. This is seen in Turkey where constitutional and dual citizenship is used as a tool to counter the religious and ethnic nationalist groups that threaten the unity of the state by recognising the diversity of the people within Turkey and its emigrant population and by giving them equal rights. [12] 

Dual citizens may also be in a uniquely privileged position given their ability to exercise their voting rights in two countries.  As a result, their interests are doubly represented as they have a voice in two countries and politicians may make an extra effort to formulate policies which they support, at the expense of mono citizens. As Barabantseva and Sutherland highlight, diasporic communities have a significant role in shaping regulations of citizenship. [13] This is in stark contrast to those who suffer from having no representation, or means to participate in the political process of the society they live in but are not a legal citizen of.

Overall, dual citizenship implies belonging and loyalty to multiple countries. In the ever-increasing age of immigration and globalisation, changes in citizenship have become more common and it has brought greater acceptance of dual or multiple citizenships. Dual citizenship has become a method of expressing one’s complex identity and acts as a marker of an individual’s transnational ties and a diverse background.  These differences should be celebrated as they bring diversity into the societies we live in. 

Sources

[1] Pudzianowska, Dorota. ‘The Complexities of Dual Citizenship Analysis’. Central and Eastern European Migration Review 6, no. 1( June 2017), p15

[2] Faist, Thomas and Jurgen Gerdes. Dual Citizenship in an Age of Mobility. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute, 2008. P4-5

[3] Pudzianowska, Dorota. ‘The Complexities of Dual Citizenship Analysis’. Central and Eastern European Migration Review 6, no. 1( June 2017), p17

[4] Sejersen, Tanja Brøndsted. “”I Vow to Thee My Countries”: The Expansion of Dual Citizenship in the 21st Century.” The International Migration Review 42, no. 3 (2008): 524 -529. Accessed July 24, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/27645265.

[5] Faist, Thomas and Jurgen Gerdes. Dual Citizenship in an Age of Mobility. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute, 2008. P10

[6] Faist, Thomas and Jurgen Gerdes. Dual Citizenship in an Age of Mobility. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute, 2008. P10

[7] van Waas, Laura and Sangita Jaghai. “All Citizens are Created Equal, but Some are More Equal Than Others.” Netherlands International Law Review 65, (2018): 418. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40802-018-0123-8.

[8] Pudzianowska, Dorota. ‘The Complexities of Dual Citizenship Analysis’. Central and Eastern European Migration Review 6, no. 1( June 2017), p19

[9] van Waas, Laura and Sangita Jaghai. “All Citizens are Created Equal, but Some are More Equal Than Others.” Netherlands International Law Review 65, (2018): 420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40802-018-0123-8.

[10] van Waas, Laura and Sangita Jaghai. “All Citizens are Created Equal, but Some are More Equal Than Others.” Netherlands International Law Review 65, (2018): 420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40802-018-0123-8.

[11] British Nationality Act 1981 (as amended on 28 July 2014), Sect. 40(2) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/61/section/40

[12] İçduygu, Ahmet, Yilmaz Çolak, and Nalan Soyarik. “What Is the Matter with Citizenship? A Turkish Debate.” Middle Eastern Studies 35, no. 4 (1999): 204. Accessed July 24, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/4284044.

[13] Barabantseva, Elena and Claire Sutherland. “Diaspora and Citizenship: Introduction.” Nationalism and Ethnic Politics 17, no.1 (2011): 1, https://doi.org/10.1080/13537113.2011.550242

Resources

Maarten Vink, Arjan H Schakel, David Reichel, Ngo Chun Luk, Gerard-René de Groot. “The international diffusion of expatriate dual citizenship.” Migration Studies, Volume 7, Issue 3, September 2019, Pages 362–383, https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnz011

Laia Colomer “Feeling like at home in airports: Experiences, memories and affects of placeness among Third Culture Kids.” Applied Mobilities (2018), https://doi.org/10.1080/23800127.2018.1436636