Talk about Dual Citizenship

[harryc]

Seems to be a good idea - maybe an exception will be for EU countries.

But seriously doubt it would affect decisions already made.

[atas]

I knew it had to do with the Russians

[Honest]

I support the idea.

I think if law is changed people with dual citizenship will be required to choose between one of them. It also depends how the law is modified but I think there shouldn't be any exceptions, otherwise there will be again issue of "discrimination"

But I don't see any major changes in law in near future.

[Nimi]

If the law goes through what will be the position of the kids with a Finnish parent and a foreign parent that have already acquired both citizenships/dual citizenship? I think it will be of the interest of finland to still keep it the way it is now or just a little amendment to countries that do not allow for dual to decide on what national they want to be.

Also considering a lot of western/EU countries still allows for dual citizen, the decision to scrap it should be carefully weighed and not hastily done . At the short and long run it will be beneficial for Finland, population wise, international representation and otherwise.

[Rip]

If the law goes through what will be the position of the kids with a Finnish parent and a foreign parent that have already acquired both citizenships/dual citizenship?

I guess they would have to choose. Given a few years time to think about it, I don't see what would be the insurmountable problem. It is already a reality for some as there are countries that allow dual citizenship for children but force you to choose after you turn adult.

or just a little amendment to countries that do not allow for dual to decide on what national they want to be.

No. The change would have nothing to do with reciprocality and everything to do with our eastern neighbor.

At the short and long run it will be beneficial for Finland, population wise, international representation and otherwise.

I fail to see any significant benefit for Finland (to certain Finns yes, but the society as a whole, no) while the problem with it has become underlined lately.

[Upphew]

And they'd lose a conscript every time they force a child to choose. For kids born with more than one citizenship I'd find it quite sad to be forced to choose, surely it's their birthright.

How many generations to world citizen that has to have own suitcase for passports?

[Rip]

The people that they most want to stop from getting Finnish citizenship

That is a different issue. If our politicians wanted that, they could roll back the changes of the past decade and start demanding again that you'd be able support yourself, know one of the two language (no exceptions, sign language accepted) and stopped having the most relaxed nationality law in Nordic countries regarding criminal history. If one would want to be really strict one could start thinking who you give permanent residence permits too (I've noted news that Germany has been shipping back at least some former refugees from Balkans for no other reason than that the situation they run away from does not exist anymore)

And they'd lose a conscript every time they force a child to choose.

I don't think so. The natives either don't generally do their utmost to minimize the time they serve. For those to whom the "double" is a non-EU citizenship, becoming an "alien" would probably usually by a quite unattractive option. Anyway, the army is reducing the troop numbers as they don't have the money to properly armed them all anyway.

For kids born with more than one citizenship I'd find it quite sad to be forced to choose, surely it's their birthright.

Life is choices. Citizenship is supposed to imply loyalty (the armed service part is moot if you don't assume that). In the end you can really be loyal to one only (especially when the relevant nationalities are the two that would be in opposite sides in the only armed conflict that can justify having a conscript army in the first place in this country)

[harryc]

It appears YLE has dropped the ball again on this piece of news

Are you sure? - this seems to be a good case of 'double speak' - unless no one sees any connection between 'järjestelmä' and 'lainsäädäntöä.' --

Räsänen sanoo STT:lle, että hallitus tai hän itse eivät ole muuttamassa asiaa koskevaa lainsäädäntöä eikä asiasta ole edes keskusteltu.

Räsäsen mukaan Ylen uutisessa oikeaa tietoa oli se, että sisäministeriössä on tekeillä selvitys kaksoiskansalaisuuden tilanteesta. Selvityksessä pureudutaan Räsäsen mukaan siihen, kuinka paljon Suomessa on eri kansalaisuuksia, mikä on muiden maiden tilanne ja miten Suomen järjestelmä on toiminut.

Yhtenä selvityksen pohdintana on ministerin mukaan myös se, mitä järjestelmän mahdollisesta muuttamisesta seuraisi.

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and regardless of what happens in this case - it sshould be boted the EU is an official international constitutional union and citizenship issues CAN certainly be tied to who is a EU member etc.

think if law is changed people with dual citizenship will be required to choose between one of them. It also depends how the law is modified but I think there shouldn't be any exceptions, otherwise there will be again issue of "discrimination"

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[Rip]

It appears YLE has dropped the ball again on this piece of news

http://www.ilkka.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/ras ... -1.1670284

Not too sure. Note the very last sentence too. Minsters office is not an university, they don't study things from purely academic and scientific interest. Of course they'd pretend this has nothing to with Russia or Putin, or if it does it is just a coincidence.

(I see harry wrote largely the same bit faster)

[harryc]

Of course they'd pretend this has nothing to with Russia or Putin

That's the point - Finland again wants to reassure they are big buddies with (USS)R - newspapers were filled yesterday with Russia now considering Finland an enemy.

[harryc]

By the way - if a parent is a dual citizen - it's a L-O-N-G jump to think the kids will also be dual citizens. The dual citizenship has been awarded with very specific conditions by probably BOTH countries - and those conditions are often quite complex.

The simplest case is where the dual citizenship might be gotten via BOTH the mother and father and combined with an actual physical birth in a country (the latter doesn't always give citizenship in that country).

In any case I would suggest that dual citizenship being inherited by a child is more an exception.

[Rip]

By the way - if a parent is a dual citizen - it's a L-O-N-G jump to think the kids will also be dual citizens. The dual citizenship has been awarded with very specific conditions by probably BOTH countries - and those conditions are often quite complex.

There is obviously many potential combinations of nationality laws. The current Finnish law is relatively simple in that respect. If your parent is a Finnish citizen when you're born, your entitled to Finnish citizenship irrespective of what other citizenships that (or the other) parent may have and what you may be able to 'inherit' from him or her.

[harryc]

Yes - but it will be a can of worms if you try to also be a US citizen or have it applied to a child - and can well be the same 'can' for many other countries.

[DMC]

In any case I would suggest that dual citizenship being inherited by a child is more an exception.

Is that really true?
If one of my parents had dual citizenship, say Finnish and British, would I be entitled to Finnish citizenship being the son of a Finn and British citizenship being the son of a Brit? I don't know, just asking the question. (And no, neither of my parents actually had dual citizenship).

[Rip]

Yes - but it will be a can of worms if you try to also be a US citizen or have it applied to a child - and can well be the same 'can' for many other countries.

but that also has no real relevance regarding the interests of Finland.