Dual Nationality?

dusty_bin · Post by **dusty_bin** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 4:59 pm

So, Tiina and others, what do you see as being the advantages of regaining your Finnish citizenship? It might help others in a similar situation to understand. I think that there are some here who are thinking of applying or who have already done so without actually thinking about what it means.

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sy · Post by sy » Wed Oct 29, 2003 6:50 pm

tiinajk wrote:People are confusing 2 issues here. Ari and others have and are applying for Finnish citizenship by declarations, not citizenship by application. Changes to the citizenship laws this summer means (among other things) that former Finnish citizens and their offspring are able to apply for Finnish citizenship by declaration.

I think you're confusing others here. Technically and legally, in your case, you're not "apply" for Finnish citizenship by declaration, because the form you filled is not an application (kansalaisuushakemus), but a declaration (kansalaisuusilmoitus). So the right term for you is to acquire Finnish citizenship by declaration (or sometimes notification is used).

So in my previous post, I said that if you apply for the citizenship (i.e., acquire the citizenship by application), the waiting period is longer, and the fee is higher. Just to tell somebody when they complain something, some others are in worse situation.

As for the benefit of regaining the Finnish citizenship, for non-EU citizens, the greatest advantage is the possibility to go "social shopping". That is, when people are young, they can come to Finland for the cheaper day-care, elementary and university education, after that they can go back to the other country in which they have another citizenship, e.g. USA, to work and earn big bucks. After retirement, they can come back to Finland to enjoy the social welfare.

JasonS · Post by **JasonS** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 9:51 pm

I just want to give Finland a gold medal in the 2004 Wife Carrying World Championships!!!!!

(that reminds me we better start training)

j o h a n n a · Post by **j o h a n n a** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 5:09 am

tiinajk wrote:The window for this declaration is 5 years from June 2003 and processing time varies greatly. I have a cousin in Australia who applied through the Embassy there and already has his citizenship AND passport. I applied in Espoo in July and am still waiting but have been told that I should have my citizenship by the end of the year.

I read somewhere when the Act was just passed that they were anticipating processing times of 4 years & up! I'm jealous that your cousin got processed already. My mom & I went to the Embassy here in New York in June, & as she was just reclaiming her former Finnish citizenship it was a lot quicker & she's gotten it. I'm still waiting! I really hope it doesn't take four years... if only because if my application somehow gets lost inside the system, four years is a long time to wait & then ask them to track it down. Arrgh.

tiinajk · Post by **tiinajk** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 9:01 am

Hi again...

I'm sorry if my semantics are a problems for people. Applying/Aquiring citizenship by declaration are the same thing for me.... If it makes you happy I'll say "getting". The point is, I fill in a form and submit some papers, they process it and I get citizenship. The differentiation I was trying to make was betweeing declaration and application...

I'm applying because I'm Australian and have to go thought all the hassles of residence permits etc to stay here. I have also lived in The Netherlands and Sweden and EU-citizenship would make my life much easier. As for the social benifits it makes no difference for me. Because I'm working full time and paying taxes, I already have rights to all Finnish social services and my status as a "Palumuuttaja" (sp?) means that I can stay here even if my work ends.

To note... Until the dual citizenshp laws in Australia and Finland changed, I had no interest in taking citizenship. I would not give up my Australian passport but being able to have both, I'm going straight for it.

Tiina

mrshourula · Post by **mrshourula** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:25 am

My huband filed a declaration for citizenship through the Finnish Consulate in Los Angeles on September 1, 2005 and received notification of approval from the Directorate of Immigration on October 12, 2005.

We did our homework and made sure his father's information was up-to-date in the Population Registry and with the uvi12 form we submitted certified copies of all the required documents to prevent delays with processing.

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Dual Nationality?