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moneyoriented
Joined: 11 May 2008
Posts: 76
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 Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:34 am Post subject: What other passport(s) would you like to have? |
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I always thought it'd be cool to have dual citizenship... no make that "multiple citizenship". Maybe it was all those spy films, like "The Bourne Identity".
I have US, and I guess I'm eligible for Iranian, but that's worse than worthless at this time, so for now I'll pass on that one. I'd love to aquire some European citizenship, and perhaps one from South America, or "down under"...
How 'bout you? What citizenship(s) do you have now, and which one(s) would you most like to aquire? And why? |
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denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
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| Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 6:46 am Post subject: |
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For working purposes, an EU passport. But only for work--I'm quite happy being who I am and have never wished to be anyone else (I don't wish I had been born somewhere else, etc.). I do wish, though, that I'd had the fortune of growing up in a bilingual house. No such luck. 
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:26 am Post subject: |
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I have dual citizenship (Canada and UK), I didn't grow up in a bilingual house. But then, those Canadians who DID grow up in a bilingual house (in the Toronto area at least) are non-native speakers of English -and it actually shows for some/many of them- and so if/when their EFL employers find out, they may give them the big stamp of disapproval (denial) on their job contracts.
If I could get another citizenship (actually, I could get Irish citizenship now, but with a British passport, really, what would be the point?) I'd get Japanese (for work purposes). But because Japan makes people give up all other citizenship, then I won't be doing that any time soon. But does anyone know if Japan actually checks? I've met people in Canada who had dual Japanese citizenships- they only need to give one up if they decide to work for the Japanese government, like in the JET program. Canada allows for people to have multiple citizenship, though.
Actually, when I was first applying to university to study TESL, then I was thinking of putting that EU passport to work by going to Europe to teach, but I was thinking I'd do it after being someplace in Asia for a few years first. The plan now is to be in Japan until I retire but maybe go to the EU for vacations...MAYBE. |
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fladude
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432
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| Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:48 am Post subject: Re: What other passport(s) would you like to have? |
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| moneyoriented wrote: |
How 'bout you? What citizenship(s) do you have now, and which one(s) would you most like to aquire? And why? |
Right now I have a US passport. If I could pick a dream 2nd passport it would be Russian. Realistically though I'd like to get a passport from a Central American country without extradition. The reasons are fairly obvious. |
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jpvanderwerf2001
Joined: 02 Oct 2003
Posts: 1117
Location: New York
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| Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 6:23 am Post subject: |
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| Just curious: Why would you want a Russian passport? |
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Marcoregano
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 872
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 6:36 am Post subject: |
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| jpvanderwerf2001 wrote: |
| Just curious: Why would you want a Russian passport? |
Indeed. Or a Central American one? |
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moneyoriented
Joined: 11 May 2008
Posts: 76
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| Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:47 am Post subject: |
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| GambateBingBangBOOM wrote: |
If I could get another citizenship (actually, I could get Irish citizenship now, but with a British passport, really, what would be the point?) I'd get Japanese (for work purposes). But because Japan makes people give up all other citizenship, then I won't be doing that any time soon. But does anyone know if Japan actually checks? I've met people in Canada who had dual Japanese citizenships- they only need to give one up if they decide to work for the Japanese government, like in the JET program. Canada allows for people to have multiple citizenship, though.
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Wow - I wish I were in your situation - I'd definitely get the Irish citizenship, even if you don't see a *need* for it at the moment - things change, and it may be very beneficial someday.
As for Japanese, there's an American guy who became a Japanese citizen - you can google "Debito" to find his website (that's the Japanized version of his English name... which I forget). He formally renounced his American citizenship, but only after some hack in the US embassy in Japan threatened to tell the Japanese authorities that he still hadn't given up his US citizenship. (Unbelieveable).
You have to be a permanent resident of Japan for 5 years, then pass some other requirements, like language and lifestyle... I think you have to formally change your name too. You're supposed to give up your other citizenship(s), but I don't know if they really check, or care. I guess you could take the chance, and if worse came to worse all they would do is revoke your Japanese citizenship, but you'd still have Canadian, right? |
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Never Ceased To Be Amazed
Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 3500
Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...
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| Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 5:34 pm Post subject: |
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| moneyoriented wrote: |
As for Japanese, there's an American guy who became a Japanese citizen - you can google "Debito" to find his website (that's the Japanized version of his English name... which I forget). He formally renounced his American citizenship, but only after some hack in the US embassy in Japan threatened to tell the Japanese authorities that he still hadn't given up his US citizenship. (Unbelieveable).
Unbelieveable??? A-holes at any American embassy/consulate ANYWHERE in the world??? Ha! 
It's PAR FOR THE COURSE!!! 
What'd be "unbelieveable" would be someone at any of the glorious places giving a flip about Americans abroad. They're not there for "American Citizen Services"! Thry're GLORIFIED TRADE MISSIONS! FULL STOP!!!
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fladude
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432
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| Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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| jpvanderwerf2001 wrote: |
| Just curious: Why would you want a Russian passport? |
Well for one, it's a hard passport to get. For another Russia is a country with great national wealth, tied up in resources admittedly, and I believe that it will pull out of the world recession and move back to becoming a world power house. |
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fladude
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432
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| Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Marcoregano wrote: |
| jpvanderwerf2001 wrote: |
| Just curious: Why would you want a Russian passport? |
Indeed. Or a Central American one? |
Well if you get in trouble in the US, for some absurd offense, there is a good chance you could just go to Central America without being extradited (if you are a citizen). I know that most people don't worry about the Government prosecuting them. But that's because most people don't know much about the Government. I have worked as a criminal defense attorney for the past five years and some of the actions taken by the government, the police, and the prosecutors in the US absolutely terrify me. I could easily list hundreds of people who I have seen go to prison for victimless offenses, such as possession of drugs, resisting arrest, driving without a driver's license... etc.... After you watch that for a couple years you get paranoid. While it's true that other countries have laws against this sort of thing too, it's also true that most of those countries spend far less time and energy enforcing the majority of those laws. Most people, whether they know it or not, will commit several felonies during their life times. Often, you don't even know that the act is a criminal offense, since the US has a zero tolerance policy and prosecutes everything, it's only a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, and you too could be charged with a felony.
I'm representing a client right now who is facing a 5 year minimum mandatory federal stay in prison for buying 10 boxes of sudafed and giving them to a meth dealer. Is that the kind of offense most people can easily avoid? Sure but I bet most people don't know it carries a 5 year min man sentence.......... And what about other crimes? I've seen dozens of construction workers charged with working without a license.... I've seen people go to prison for driving with a license suspended for not having insurance. I've seen people go to prison for not answering a police officer's questions politely enough. I've seen people go to prison for possession of marijuana (and not even a lot of it). I saw a woman charged with negligent homicide for driving at night with bad eyesight and running over a homeless person (which might make some sense until you find out the homeless guy was standing in the middle of a freeway in an area without lights in the middle of the night).
I dunno, I think you are better off having a 2nd passport so that you can leave the US if needed. This is even more true today than in the past. There has been a move afoot for years to criminalize debt. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw borrowers who default on loans being rounded up for Federal prisons within the next ten years. |
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Chancellor
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
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| Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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| fladude wrote: |
| I dunno, I think you are better off having a 2nd passport so that you can leave the US if needed. This is even more true today than in the past. There has been a move afoot for years to criminalize debt. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw borrowers who default on loans being rounded up for Federal prisons within the next ten years. |
Especially since neither the Obama Administration nor the Democrat-controlled Congress appears inclined to repeal the Patriot Act and FISA any time soon.
If I find a country I like, I might be tempted to give up my American citizenship and become a citizen of that country. No country is perfect; so I guess it's a matter of which problems you're more comfortable with. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:39 pm Post subject: |
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I'm in the process of getting Peruvian citizxenship, acutlaly got the naturalisation cert, just need the passport. Not too happy about it, but did it to save me time and money.
I'd like to get Romanian, seeing as though I've been trying for about 8 years, I'm hoping to get it soon. |
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moneyoriented
Joined: 11 May 2008
Posts: 76
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| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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| fladude wrote: |
| There has been a move afoot for years to criminalize debt. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw borrowers who default on loans being rounded up for Federal prisons within the next ten years. |
Oh man - I hadn't heard this! Would that include student loan debt?
What countries send debtors to prison? Recently I heard of an expat imprisoned in Dubai for not paying his mortgage after losing his job. (!) |
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moneyoriented
Joined: 11 May 2008
Posts: 76
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| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Chancellor wrote: |
| If I find a country I like, I might be tempted to give up my American citizenship and become a citizen of that country. No country is perfect; so I guess it's a matter of which problems you're more comfortable with. |
It's not always necessary to give up American citizenship to aquire another. The US government doesn't require it. It all depends on the other country - most Western countries (including the US) now allow dual- or plural-citizenship. Some countries that require you to give up former citizenships: most of the Germanic countries (except Sweden & Switzerland), Japan and just about all Asian countries & most Muslim countries. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:57 pm Post subject: |
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| moneyoriented wrote: |
| Chancellor wrote: |
| If I find a country I like, I might be tempted to give up my American citizenship and become a citizen of that country. No country is perfect; so I guess it's a matter of which problems you're more comfortable with. |
It's not always necessary to give up American citizenship to aquire another. The US government doesn't require it. It all depends on the other country - most Western countries (including the US) now allow dual- or plural-citizenship. Some countries that require you to give up former citizenships: most of the Germanic countries (except Sweden & Switzerland), Japan and just about all Asian countries & most Muslim countries. |
That's true. I didn't have to give it up to get Peruvian cit. And if I ever get Romanian cit, I won't have to give it up either. |
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