Holding Dual Nationality
Marrying your foreign fiancee does not automatically qualify you for dual nationality just as she is not automatically entitled to Canadian citizenship. You, like her, must go through the immigration process to acquire citizenship should you so wish. There are a few points you need to consider before starting the process to become a citizen of your foreign wife’s country.
Canada allows all of its citizens to hold dual nationality however your foreign wife’s country may not allow citizens to hold more than one nationality.
Travelling under your foreign passport could bring difficulties particularly if there is confusion over which nationality you used to gain entry. You may find that immigration checks become long and complex because you hold two passports and in some countries a second passport may be confiscated or you may be fined. Likewise, your Canadian citizenship may not be recognized because you opted to use your other nationality to enter. The Canadian government recommends that all dual nationality citizens use their Canadian passports when they travel abroad. If you fail to do so the Canadian government may not be able to help you should you need assistance.
As a citizen of your foreign wife’s country you may also have certain legal obligations like military service; this is still compulsory in many countries and you may be called to serve there if you hold citizenship despite the fact that you may not live there. If you fit the national criteria for military service in your foreign wife’s country you may be drafted whilst you are there on a short term visit. In some instances men above military age have been treated as defaulting military service because they were considered citizens of a particular country and failed to register when they were supposed to. If you fail to comply with compulsory military service you may be imprisoned.
Dual citizenship may also provide you with tax obligations in that country regardless of the contributions you make in Canada. You may also be held liable for secondary education fees for courses you took both inside and outside of the country of your second citizenship. Some countries also forbid the transference of inheritances to citizens with dual nationality.
Further repercussions for dual citizenship can result if you and your foreign wife separate or divorce. Whilst Canada recognizes marriages and divorces conducted abroad, your foreign wife’s country may not recognize a marriage or a divorce, which took place in Canada. This may have adverse repercussions on issues like child custody. Child abduction occurs most frequently with parents who hold dual nationality and in many of these instances, the Canadian government have been powerless to act because the parent concerned has been protected as a citizen of the other country.
There may be some benefits to becoming a citizen of your foreign wife’s country such as job opportunities, the ability to own property there, uninhibited residency, pension entitlements and rights to certain social security programmes. However, any Canadian citizen considering dual nationality needs to ensure that they are well informed about the other countries requirements and obligations for its citizens before they decide to take on dual nationality and that they have such information in writing from a legal source.