Citizen of the world?
In response to changes in US border regulations, many Canadians had to apply for a passport for the first time. Quite a few people who thought that they were Canadians were in for a rude surprise when they discovered that they were not. How did this happen? There were a few weird holes in immigration laws which left some “Lost Canadians“. The good news is that approximately 95% of the cases have been resolved through new legislation.
The bad news? You can’t please everyone.
Under Canadian immigration law, if a Canadian citizen has a child abroad, that child is a Canadian citizen. However, if that child has a child abroad, their child would not have Canadian citizenship. So … citizenship granted via a parent can’t be passed on.
Sharryn Aiken, a law professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.:
But with an estimated 2.7 million Canadians living abroad, Aiken said, the Canadian government needs to rethink its definition of citizenship in a world where people increasingly identify with multiple backgrounds.
“I think it’s retrograde to suggest individuals can only have one loyalty and one country,” Aiken said.
Really? It’s illogical to suggest that people can be loyal to more than one country. I also think that it’s silly to suggest that people should retain citizenship based on the citizenship of their grandparents. Think about it. My great-grandparents were German citizens. Should Germany grant me citizenship? Of course not. Actually, given the “multiple backgrounds” which are already prevalent, I’d have citizenship in at least four different countries.
It was bad enough when Canada was expected to rescue citizens in name only from Lebanon a few years ago. What if Canada were deemed responsible for the grandchildren of those same “Canadians” who had never lived in Canada?
My children are American citizens but, if they never live in the United States and have children somewhere other than the US with someone other than an American, my grandchildren will not be American citizens.
Hmm …
True about your children and passing on US citizenship to grandchildren. However, there is a process in the US where if you or your husband meet the physical presence test (I assume you do), then your grandchildren can apply to be naturalized US citizens.