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Life in a Foreign Land

    Perhaps most of you dream to travel to different countries and some of you might also want to live there. But once you get to a foreign country, can you immediately reside there? Can you automatically live there? Well, before you can attain that dream, you need first to apply for that particular country’s citizenship before starting another life there.

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Citizenship

It is a status of being a citizen of a certain country. There’s also called dual citizenship wherein an individual is a citizen of two countries.

There are two general types of Citizenship

1. Natural Citizenship

This when a person is born on a particular country. This makes him automatically a citizen of that place. For example, if you are born in the states then you are considered an American citizen.

2. Naturalized Citizenship

This is when a person wants to change his citizenship but this is not easy to do and it would take a long process to change your citizenship.

Relevance to the topic

    I have cousins who live in Canada and their mother is my aunt from my dad’s side. They are half Canadians since their father is an emigrant of  Canada. This makes them have a natural citizenship in Canada since they are born there. 

On the other hand, I’ve also interviewed their mom (who is my aunt) about her citizenship and this was her response:

1. What is your citizenship at present?

  Canadian citizen

2. Do you have a dual citizenship?

    No

3. If your answer in Q#2 is yes, what other country are you currently a citizen of?

    n/a

4. What process did you undergo just to gain that citizenship?

a) must be a permanent resident

b) Be in Canada for 3 years before you can apply for citizenship

c) Study the Canadian history

d) Write and pass the test

e) Pass the interview then

f) Swear the Oath to the Queen and accept your citizenship certificate

5. What were the challenges that you encountered in gaining your citizenship ?

  waiting, uncertainty and putting your life on hold while waiting for the decisions

6. Are you an active citizen of either country? (e.g. Personally Responsible Citizen, Participatory Citizen,    Justice-Oriented Citizen)

  Not active in Philippines just Canada

7. What are your roles as an active citizen of that country?

 I can work legally, obey Canadian laws, participate in the Democratic process ( vote); respect the rights and freedoms of others; respect Canada's two official languages (English and French) and multicultural heritage

      My aunt now lives in Canada with her family. And she also shared her experiences and struggles in getting a Canadian Citizenship. Indeed, getting a new citizenship is hard because you still need to go through a long process. But despite  being in a foreign country, she could still show her loyalty in that place by being an active citizen.

Active Citizenship

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What is Active Citizenship?

A citizen who actively does his role and responsibilities in the community.

Looking back to her answers on my questions about active citizenship:

6. Are you an active citizen of either country? (e.g. Personally Responsible Citizen, Participatory Citizen, Justice-Oriented Citizen)

Not active in Philippines just Canada

7. What are your roles as an active citizen of that country?

I can work legally, obey Canadian laws, participate in the Democratic process ( vote); respect the rights and freedoms of others; respect Canada's two official languages (English and French) and multicultural heritage

      I can say that she’s doing her role as a personally responsible citizen and participatory citizen. Based on what she said, she works legally and obeys Canadian laws. So even if she’s in a foreign land, she could still fulfill her responsibilities as a citizen of that country even if that’s not her motherland. She also participates in their democratic process through voting and respects the rights and freedom of Canada, their languages and multicultural heritage. So here, she participates in voting for a worthy candidate that can help and benefit the people of Canada. She also shows respect to them by being involved in events that are related to the well-being of Canada.

    Now that I’ve explained a background about Citizenship and cited some examples about it, you will now have an idea on how citizenship works and how it can help you go to a country you want to live in, it’s significant to study about their history and complete their requirements too. It may also take a long process, so remember patience is a virtue. And once your citizenship gets approved, you can now start a new life on your chosen country and might also find your true love there.