Imaguan nationality law

Citizenship Act Legge sulla cittadinanza
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Parliament
Imaguan Citizenship Act of 1917
Enacted by	Lower House
Date passed	28 September, 1917
Enacted by	Senate
Date assented to	1 October, 1917
Legislative history
Bill introduced in the Lower House	L.H. 7/14
Introduced by	Bernhard Powall Peter Hansson
First reading	2 April, 1917
Second reading	13 April, 1917
Third reading	1 June, 1917
Committee report	25 May, 1917
Bill introduced in the Senate	S. 9
Introduced by	Elmer Callan Robert Langhorne
First reading	8 June, 1917
Second reading	15 June, 1917
Third reading	28 September, 1917
Committee report	5 September, 1917
Amends
Citizenship Act of 1938 Citizenship Act of 1947 Citizenship Act of 2005
Summary
An act to regulate citizenship, permanent residency, and nationality in Imagua and the Assimas
Status: Amended

Imaguan nationality law is governed by the Citizenship Act of 1917, as amended by the Citizenship Acts of 1938, 1947, and 2005. Historically governed by Estmerish nationality law, as a colony of Estmere, Imagua began creating its own nationality laws in 1917.

History

Origins

Under Estmerish rule, residents of the Colony of Imagua were Estmerish subjects, by virtue of their connection to the Estmerish colony. However, as the colony was granted more and more self-government from 1892 onward, calls were made by left-wing organisations such as the Labour Party and the Democrats to establish a separate Imaguan citizenship, and restrict participation in the Imaguan legislative council to those who bore that status. However, the governing Conservatives consistently opposed the measure, as it was perceived to be disloyal.

Following the election of Peter Hansson as Premier in 1917, and the establishment of a Democratic-Labour coalition, the legislature tabled the Citizenship Act of 1917 which would establish a status of Imaguan citizenship, dependent on the holder being an Estmerish subject. After a lengthy process, the governor granted royal assent on 1 October, 1917.

For nearly two decades, the Citizenship Act of 1917 remained as was. However, with Imagua being granted "equal partner" status with Estmere, calls were made to separate the two nation's citizenships, so that Imaguan citizenship was no longer dependent on Estmerish citizenship.

Citizenship Act of 1938

Thus, in 1938, the Citizenship Act of 1938 was passed, which formally separated Imaguan citizenship from that of Estmerish citizenship: thus, children of Estmerish personnel stationed at Mordred Naval Base were no longer to be considered Imaguan citizens, and Imaguan citizens born after its passage no longer had Estmerish citizenship, unless they met the relevant sections of Estmere's nationality law. This officially established an Imaguan nationality, as opposed to an Estmerish nationality. Thus, the Citizenship Act of 1938 allowed for dual citizenship and dual nationality.

The passage of the Citizenship Act of 1938 was hailed as a triumph for Imaguan nationalists, as it was seen as politically distancing Imagua from Estmere, and thus ensuring that Imagua and Estmere "were truly equal" on the international stage. However, with the outbreak of the Solarian War, Imagua's main objective was to seize the Assimas Islands from the Etrurian Revolutionary Republic, and integrate it into the territory of Imagua. As the Solarian War drew to a close, in 1945, Dunhelm Island was seized by Maracanese forces, and following the defeat of the Imaguan colonial militia in 1947 at the Battle of Dunhelm Island, these became the two main pressing issues facing Imagua.

Citizenship Act of 1947

In 1947, the Citizenship Act of 1938 was amended with the Citizenship Act of 1947, which formally extended Imaguan citizenship to those born on the Assimas Islands and those who resided there on 29 November, 1946 (when Etruria surrendered and lost the Assimas to Imagua), as well as prohibited any children born to "enemy occupiers" from ever gaining citizenship. As well, with Imagua due to become independent in April 1948, the Citizenship Act of 1947 declared that Imaguan nationality was completely separate from Estmerish nationality, and that all references to "Estmerish subject" or "Estmerish citizen" in Imaguan legislation were to be treated as Imaguan nationals or Imaguan citizens, depending on the context of the legislation in question.

Over the next half-century, as the Estmerish colonial empire disappeared, and the Council of Estmerish Language States established, the Citizenship Act of 1947 became even more outdated, as subsection d of the second article stated that foreigners belonging to "Estmere, and its dependencies" were eligible for Imaguan permanent residency. As early as the 1970s, courts ruled that member states of the Council of Estmerish Language States were also eligible under subsection d, and beginning in the late 1990s, some courts were applying subsection d to include Asterian Forum for Development and Cooperation citizens. As well, calls for gender equality emerged, especially during the 1970s, and 1980s, as feminist groups criticised the fact that women cannot pass down citizenship.

In addition, the rights of adopted children were becoming an issue, particularly after 38-year old Joe Curtis was deported to Nuvania in 1993 after committing a murder: many criticised the decision to deport him as Curtis was adopted at a young age.

Finally, another issue was although the Native Integration Act did grant Native Imaguans citizenship, it was unclear whether Native Imaguans were legally citizens of Imagua under the Citizenship Act. Thus, shortly after the election of Agnes Ingram, she committed to addressing the issues with the Citizenship Act of 1947.

Citizenship Act of 2005

First introduced on 10 January, 2005, the Citizenship Act of 2005 was designed to address the concerns with the Citizenship Act of 1947. Over the next several months, the legislation made its way through Parliament, eventually being signed into law by President Erico D'Antonio on 3 May, 2005.

This act granted citizenship to children adopted on or after 11 January, 1987, officially clarified the status of Native Imaguans as Imaguan citizens, granted gender equality by allowing female citizens to pass on their citizenship to children born after the act's passage, and granted easier access to both permanent residency and citizenship to citizens of both Asterian Forum for Development and Cooperation and Community of Estmerish Language States.

Since its passage, with the outbreak of the Mariranan Civil War, there have been calls to further amend the act so that refugees no longer have the right to apply for permanent residency in the country.

Text

Article 1: Citizenship

• §1 A citizen of Imagua and the Assimas shall be defined as being:
  • §1a Any person born in the jurisdiction of Imagua, without qualification, excluding:
    • i) Children born to foreign military personnel
    • ii) Children of foreign diplomats or foreigners employed by any institution who has diplomatic immunity in Imagua
    • ii) Children born on occupied territory to non-Imaguan citizens
  • §1b Any person whose parent was:
    • i) An Estmerish subject, either by virtue of their connection to the colony of Imagua, or present on the day this bill went into effect
    • ii) A citizen under this act
  • §1c Any person who is naturalised via the procedures in the third article of this act
  • §1d Any person who was born on the Assimas Islands, and those resident on the island on 29 November, 1946
  • §1e Any person adopted by an Imaguan citizen on or after 11 January, 1987.
  • §1f Any Native and their descendants

Article 2: Permanent residency

• §1 A foreigner shall be eligible to be a permanent resident of Imagua and the Assimas by:
  • §1a Being sponsored, either by:
    • i) A family member, or
    • ii) An employer
  • §1b Being a foreigner investing a minimum of 250,000 shillings into the country
  • §1c Having refugee or asylum status
  • §1d Being a citizen of any CELS member state
  • §1e Being a citizen of any AFDC member state
• §2 For persons not meeting the qualifications listed in subsections d and e of the first section of this article, the person must:
  • §2a Be of sound mind and of good moral character
  • §2b Demonstrate knowledge of an official language of Imagua
  • §2c Have an understanding of Imaguan laws
• §3 For persons meeting the qualifications listed in subsections d and e in the first section of this article, the person must:
  • §3a have an understanding of Imaguan laws
• §4 Should the applicant meet all of these requirements, he or she may apply to the Ministry of Immigration for a permanent residency permit
  • §4a The Immigration Minister has the right to use his or her discretion to grant unconditional permanent residency, grant conditional permanent residency, which would need to be renewed after three (3) years, or deny the application

Article 3: Naturalisation

• §1 Foreigners wishing to naturalise as Imaguan citizens, excluding refugees, as well AFDC and CELS citizens must meet at least four of the following criteria:
  • §1a Be married for three (3) years to an Imaguan citizen
  • §1b Reside in Imagua and the Assimas for five (5) years as a permanent resident
  • §1c Have knowledge of the Constitution
  • §1d Have a source of income to be able to support themselves
  • §1e Be of sound mind and character
  • §1f Be able to understand both official languages, unless elderly or disabled
• §2 Refugees wishing to naturalise as Imaguan citizens must:
  • §2a Reside in Imagua and the Assimas for three (3) years
  • §2b Be of sound mind and character
• §3 Citizens of CELS and AFDC member states must:
  • §3a Be married to an Imaguan citizen for one year, and/or
  • §3b Reside in Imagua for one year as a permanent resident
• §4 Should these requirements above be met, the applicant shall be required to take a test to verify their knowledge of:
  • §4a The Imaguan constitution
  • §4b Both official languages
  • §4c Imaguan governance and politics
  • §4d A basic understanding of national laws
• §5 If the applicant passes the test with sixty percent or higher, the applicant shall be sworn in and be granted citizenship rights as outlined in the Constitution

Article 4: Nationality

• §1 All Imaguan citizens are Imaguan nationals
• §2 Imaguan nationals are allowed to be dual nationals

Article 5: Relinquishment

• §1 An Imaguan citizen may relinquish his or her nationality if they:
  • §1a Become a citizen of a foreign country that does not permit dual citizenship
  • §1b Sworn an oath of allegiance to a foreign country
  • §1c Entered or served in a foreign armed forces, and is a commissioned or non-commissioned officer
  • §1d Employed by a foreign government
  • §1e Have renounced their citizenship at an Imaguan diplomatic mission abroad
• §2 An Imaguan citizen will have been considered to have renounced his nationality without applying if they:
  • §2a Entered or served in a foreign armed forces engaged in hostilities against the Republic of Imagua and the Assimas, and/or
  • §2b Engaged in treason, rebellion, or terrorism against the Imaguan government
• §3 The applicant must demonstrate:
  • §3a That they are over the age of eighteen (18) years of age, and are of sound mind
  • §3b That they are aware of the constitutional rights that they will give up
  • §3c That they voluntarily intend to renounce citizenship
  • §3d That they are applying to be a citizen of another country
  • §3e The ability to pay the 255 shilling fee

References

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