Difference between revisions of "Citizenship and immigration in Ariddia"

Revision as of 09:03, 20 June 2006

This article deals with the facts and policies pertaining to immigration, citizenship and nationality in Ariddia.

Immigration: overview

The People's Democratic Social Republic of Ariddia witnessed a significant inflow and outflow of people in the years that followed the implementation of socialist policies by the Democratic Communist Party. Many fled, before the government could seize their savings, but many others immigrated, drawn by the promise of better living conditions, free health care and education, and guarenteed housing.

When the island of Limea seceded from the Republic and became the Sovereign State of West Ariddia, a new two-way flow of massive proportions was witnessed. At first, all travel between the two countries was all but blocked by both sides, then gradually opened up with the creation of Fraternity Sealines, and finally opened up completely. Ariddians aspiring for a return to capitalism crossed over to Limea, while millions of West Ariddians fled the new economic order, its inequalities and hardships, and settled throughout the nineteen islands still under socialist control.

Today, emigration has slowed to a trickle, and is dwarfed by the importance of immigration. Most immigrants are welcome, and most are granted citizenship, on the basis of various criteria:

Acquisition of citizenship

Under Ariddian law, there is a distinction between nationality and citizenship. A citizen is any person of Ariddian nationality, aged 16 or above (1), residing in Ariddia on a permanent basis. Ariddia recognises dual nationality, but does not grant citizenship to persons living abroad.

Nationality is acquired in several ways:

Persons born in Ariddia and of Ariddian descent

Any person born on Ariddian territory - including overseas provinces and dependencies - automatically acquires Ariddian nationality, provided one of the child's parents at least has Ariddian nationality.

Persons born in Ariddia of foreign parents

A person born in Ariddia of two foreign parents acquires Ariddian nationality if one of his or her parents subsequently acquires Ariddian nationality, provided the child is still on Ariddian territory at that point.

If the child is still residing in Ariddia three years after his or her birth, but his or her parents have, for whatever reason, not acquired Ariddian nationality, the child may be granted Ariddian nationality at its parents' request.

Persons born abroad and of Ariddian descent

Any person born abroad and who has at least one Ariddian parent automatically obtains Ariddian nationality.

Wymgani

Any person who can prove he or she is Wymgani may obtain Ariddian nationality automatically upon request, even if that person was born abroad, is residing abroad, and/or was born of parents who did not have Ariddian nationality. Proof of Wymgani identity entails proof of ethnic descent, and recognition by a Wymgani community in Ariddia.

Immigration

Any person settling in Ariddia may obtain Ariddian nationality and citizenship after three years of residence, provided he or she has not broken any laws within that timeframe. Committing an offence prior to acquiring nationality may lengthen the waiting time by as little as three months, or, in the most serious cases, be grounds for immediate expulsion from the country.

Prior to obtaining Ariddian nationality, candidates must undergo a simple "cultural test", in which they are seen to have understood and to accept the basic tenets of Ariddia's communist, vegetarian, ecologically-minded society. As Michelle Selva, Secretary for Education, once explained:

If you come here, and you want to settle and make a living here, it means you want to adopt our way of life. It means you believe in the same essential principles and values as we do. If you settle here, you will work freely, for the benefit of the community, without pay - like any other Ariddian. You will behave in a responsible manner towards your fellow citizens and towards the environment that nurtures you. You will leave behind selfishness and greed. They have no meaning here. We don't ask that you agree with us, but we demand that you abide by our laws. And if you come here, we assume that you do agree with what we believe in.

We are not asking for you to give up your own way of life. Ours is an open, multicultural society, which values its cultural diversity. It's our strength, our richness. We welcome you with open arms, and we hope to learn from you, from your culture, your beliefs, your traditions and your way of life. You can respect our laws and values and be an Ariddian, while still being more than that. You can be an Errinunderan-Ariddian or a Vegan-Ariddian, a Biotopian-Ariddian, a Pacitalian-Ariddian, a Burungi-Ariddian or a Knootian-Ariddian, or whatever you are and wish to be, and we will welcome you and respect you as you are.

Upon obtaining Ariddian nationality, new Ariddians must undergo free courses in one of the three national languages (Wymgani,French or English), the choich of which being up to them. Any person already speaking one of these languages, of course, is exempt. New Ariddians must also hand over all their money to the National Treasury; immigration is thus one of the country's main sources of income.

Refugees

An immigrant may claim refugee status on arrival, and request Ariddian nationality. If the person is recognised as a refugee, he or she will usually be granted nationality after eight months of residence.

A refugee, under Ariddian law, is any person fleeing persecution or "intolerable living conditions". Thus, any person immigrating from a brutal dictatorship or from a country suffering from war or famine will almost inevitably qualify as a refugee. A person immigrating from a capitalist country will be deemed a refugee if he or she can prove they suffered socio-economic hardship from living under a capitalist regime. In general, the Ariddian authorities are sympathetic towards those denouncing the horrors of capitalism in their country of origin.

The same general provisions apply to refugees as to immigrants.

Renouncing Ariddian nationality

There are few restrictions on renouncing Ariddian nationality, for oneself and for one's legal dependents. The child of a person having renounced Ariddian nationality may reclaim Ariddian nationality upon reaching adulthood, if the child had Ariddian nationality prior to his or her parent(s) renouncing it.

Notes

1. Under Ariddian law, in villages, towns and districts of cities where a majority of the population is Wymgani (i.e., Indigenous), traditional Wymgani customs apply, and inhabitants may vote in local elections upon reaching puberty, instead of having to wait until the age of 16. This also applies to immigrants settling in those areas.