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The Human Rights committee of the British Parliament concerned about the power to strip citizenship of naturalised Britons

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In a Report published today, the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) expresses significant concerns about the possible use of new powers contained in Clause 60 of the Immigration Bill to deprive naturalised UK citizens of their UK citizenship and leave them stateless.

In its report, JCHR:

– expresses surprise at the Government’s refusal to inform Parliament of the number of cases in which the existing power to deprive of citizenship has been exercised while the UK citizen is abroad, or of the number of cases in which the Secretary of State’s decision was taken wholly or partly in reliance on information which in the Secretary of State’s view should not be made public.   Parliament is entitled to know this information in order to assist it to reach a view as to how the new power is likely to be exercised in practice;

– considers that there was time to hold a public consultation on the controversial new power in clause 60 which would have made for better informed parliamentary scrutiny of the Government’s proposal;

– is not persuaded that there are sufficiently weighty reasons to justify the new power being made retrospective, and recommends that the Bill be amended so as to prevent it having retrospective effect; and

– is concerned about the impact of the new power on children and recommends an amendment to the Bill which requires the Secretary of State to take into account the best interests of any child affected when deciding whether to make a deprivation order under the new power.

Source: UK Parliament

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German Federal Constitutional Court rules that 3% threshold for EP election in Germany is contrary to the principle of electoral equality in the German constitution

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The Federal Constitutional Court found that the 3% threshold which the German parties have to overcome at the elections for the European Parliament violates is unconstitutional. according to the judges this is a serious interference with the principles of electoral Read More …

Italy considers naturalisation of second generation immigrants

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In his inaugural speech at the Italian Senate, the new Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi committed himself to reforming the citizenship law in order to provide better access for the children of the country’s many immigrants. He urged the political parties to find a compromise between advocates of ius soli for all children born in the country to legally resident parents and those favouring naturalisation based on completing school education in Italy. In his speech, Renzi referred to his belief that a shared identity is a basis for integration. He asserted that the opposite of integration is not identity but disintegration.

Read more details in Stranieriinitalia.it

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Austria: Slight increase in absolute numbers of naturalisation, stagnating naturalisation rate

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By EUDO citizenship expert Gerd Valchars

Naturalisation numbers in Austria remain at a low level. In 2013 7,418 persons obtained Austrian nationality. Compared to 2012 their number increased by 4.4 per cent (plus 311 in absolute numbers). The naturalisation rate – the number of naturalisations as the percentage of the total number of resident non-nationals in the country – reached again 0,7 per cent, as it did in 2012. Regional figures show a diverse pattern: While in some provinces the number of acquisitions increased significantly compared to last year (Styria: +31.8 per cent, Carinthia: +24.2 per cent) it decreased in others (Vienna: -2.7 per cent).

36.7 per cent of all naturalisations in 2013 concerned non-nationals born in Austria (2012: 35.7 per cent). 37.8 per cent of all naturalised persons have been under the age of 18.

Naturalisation in Austria had reached an all-time high in 2003, both in absolute numbers and in relation to the non-national population. In that year the number of naturalisations peaked at 45,117 with a naturalisation rate of 5.96 per cent. After 2003 and due to several amendments to the law, numbers massively dropped and reached a low point in 2010 (6,135; 0.67 per cent). Last year’s amendment, which inter alia introduced an alternative track towards citizenship with higher requirements but a shorter residence period of six years for those considered to be ‘exceptionally well integrated’ (in force since 1 August 2013), seems to have had no effect on naturalisations yet. Only 12 applicants obtained nationality under this new provision in 2013. 

Read the press release from Statistics Austria (in German) and a short version in English.

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Russia considers an investor citizenship scheme

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Following the experience of many EU countries, Russian government also considers an investor citizenship scheme. The Ministry of Economic Development together with Federal Migration Service drafted a bill which would allow naturalisation of foreigners who invest about 10 million rubles (about 285,000 EUR). The daily Kommersant aptly notes that this is the price of a good apartment in one of the big Russian cities and that more than half of the EU states already have such schemes.

 

Read full story in Kommersant (in Russian), RT (in English) and the Voice of Russia.

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Spanish dual citizenship offer for Sephardic Jews creates huge interest among Israelis

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Spain amends its law to allow the descendants of the Sepharadic Jews expelled in 1492 receive Spanish citizenship while retaining their current citizenship. While there is little interest in returning to their ancestral homeland today, Israeli citizens consider the benefits of free movement in the EU a Spanish passport gives. According to one of their organisations in Israel which is already receiving applications, some 3,5 millions may apply. Organisations of the descendants of the Moors (who were also kicked out soon after the Jews), support the measure, but called for equal rights for all those who were expelled. 

 

Read the full story in Reuters and in The Local here and here.

Read the statements of the Spanish Minister of Justice made during his visit in New York in the New York Times and the Jewish daily Forward. 

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German coalition partners at odds on dual citizenship for children born in Germany

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Germany debates amendment to its law to allow dual citizenship for the children of immigrants. Currently, the second generation immigrants can lose their German passports on their 23th birthday if they have not renounced any other citizenship they have. Tolerance of dual citizenship for immigrants was an important campaign issue for the social-democrats but upon forming the coalition with the Christian-Democrats they agreed to allow it only for second generation immigrants. Now the CDU insists on restricting this further with additional conditions for them to retain German citizenship only if they have 12 years of continuous residence in Germany.  According to EUDO Citizenship Co-Director Rainer Bauböck such a condition may violate EU law since if it leads to EU citizens losing their EU citizenship as a result of having made use of their free movement rights. This would be the case if a child born in Germany to third country national parents settles in another EU member state at an age where he or she has not yet had 12 years of residence in Germany and may not be eligible for naturalisation in the state of residence.

Read the full story in Spiegel Online (in English).

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