Dual Citizenship. A Gift Or Curse?

[Guest guest37336]

(Quote)I was born in Australia and lived here for my first 22 years. When I finished uni i went to the UK for 18 months (as you do) and stayed for 18 years. I always planned to return home but now I have I am not sure where home is. When I was in the UK, I was called an Aussie, here I am called a Pom. I missed Australia whilst I was in the UK and now I miss the UK. I love everything about Australia but I still miss things about the UK. Where do I belong? (Quote)

 

 

 

 

I am starting this thread in relation to a previous thread (Above) started by Ravensfield concerning 'Where Do I Belong', the thread did indeed get me thinking and in no small measure tugged at the old heart strings. Basically Ravensfield in a very thorough and educated way was asking where he/she truly belonged, Australia or the UK. They had come to the point where when in Australia they felt as if they belonged but still missed things about the UK, a sentiment that I truly understand and one that has often played a huge part in my life.

 

If only I had the answer I would be a millionaire many times over. I am exactly the same, only in reverse, born in UK, etc. And to this day I still don't truly know where I belong. When in Australia I have a sense of utter 'belonging', but still miss the UK, and vice versa.

 

We are very lucky people in a way that we have a 'choice' through the visa process, PR, Citizenship, etc, that we are 'able' to choose which country to live in. There are many in both countries that have little choice but to remain where they are, often unhappy and craving the green pastures of the new. As much as many people envy me, in the ability to flit backwards and forwards as time and money allows, I also envy those that have 'chosen' to make their homes in either country.

 

Some have come to the realistation that either Australia or the UK is the place to be and are very happy with their decision. I truly envy these people, the ability to come to a reasoned and educated decision about their future and live as if there is no tomorrow. OK, some hitches and hurdles to overcome, but to be able to come to a decision about your future AND be happy with that is something I admire greatly in these people.

 

The key to the issue, I think, is the ability to say to yourself, 'Yep, I DO have a choice', because of dual nationality, and be thankful for that. Even though at times it can be very difficult to live somewhere your not WHOLLY happy in it must be remembered that those of us fortunate enough to be in such a position are far more well off than the poor buggers who have little choice in the matter.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying you to teach anyone to suck eggs, I know only to well the emotional turmoil, stress and worry that this 'choice' puts upon you and for your loved ones, it's not a particularly nice place to be, BUT.

 

When I look at some of the peoples stories on here about peoples efforts, tears, heartbreak, etc, and how hard they are trying to become 'happy', I am truly grateful for the 'CHOICE' I have.

 

Though at times this choice can seem a stone around ones neck I have come to realise that even though I am totally confused and indeed very unhappy at times I still have the ability to say, 'Right, we're off again', that is a choice very few are afforded and one that I feel truly blessed with, no matter the pitfalls.

 

My heart goes out to the people who because of certain issues with DIAC, family etc have had to put their plans on hold and in some cases realise that they will never be afforded their dream of living in either country.

 

Like I said, and in particular relation to Ravensfield, I know EXACTLY what you are saying mate, I honestly do. But when the old whinging and moaning has stopped I have come to realise that because of a 'choice' I have a far better chance of becoming happy than those poor buggers who have had that choice ripped away from them.

 

Very, very, few people are afforded the opportunity to say, 'Well, I'm off to Australia/UK'. For many reasons some people have no choice and when I look at these stories I feel truly blessed with the ability to say that we are going to Australia or the UK, AND realise that unless we do something really silly we will ALWAYS have this choice, I know which position I would rather be in, but do acknowledge that at times this choice can make us a little unhappy.

 

So in essence I would have to say that the opportunities and amazing things dual nationality has afforded me far outweigh the occasional niggle or moan about my life. To me it is a gift that I am truly thankful for, and I will be grateful even when I have boarded the aircraft for the 300th time because I stlll can't make my bloody mind up about where to live, but at least I have the CHOICE, unlike a lot of other poor sods who have little choice in their future.

 

Hope I haven't offended you Ravensfield, I just know exactly what you mean and hope I have explained it properly.

 

Cheers Tony.:wink:

[Guest Magnetic6]

Definitely a gift x

[BritChickx]

I'd say a gift too. So wish I had the opportunity!

[PontePom]

I'd agree and say it's a gift...

 

I love having both myself

 

Howard

[Petals]

Yep, its a gift

[Salma]

gift it gives you options!

[BuddysMum]

Got it.

 

Love it (and very proud of it)

 

 

It's a gift!

[wakeboard1980]

I would say a gift. Im within 16 months of citizenship here in the UK off the back of my ancestery visa, but have had a hard time this year and am going home to Aus with my new wife. I think I will miss the UK cause its changed my life being here and I think I will miss it when we go back, and try to fit back in in Aus after being away for almost 5 years.

 

Will be back in the UK at some point and will probably be here long enough to get citizenship then.

[Guest siamsusie]

Choice is always a gift!

[whopperdaisy]

Mostly a gift but can be a curse at times. I think it is possible to belong in different places at different times in life. Right now I don't feel like I belong where I am but I figure I'll just have to grit my teeth and wait for the tide to change. When it comes to it, to live in either the UK or Australia is very fortunate when you look at some other countries.

[Eera]

I'm not inclined to say it's either; born and raised in Surfer's, lived in Southampton for most of my life, moved back here as I was pretty sick of doing site investigations in the sleet but with pretty much nothing but good memories of Southampton. Frankly, if it wasn't for the lack of opportunity in my field in the UK, and a husband who's never been outside Australia and not inclined to give it a go, would be back there like a shot. Saying that, they say you can never go home again.

 

I feel that if I had no choice, it wouldn't be an issue, but because I do the alternatives play on my mind.

 

I know there are loads of people who would love what I've got, but then I'd love a mansion in the Bahamas and I'm sure those who have one want one in Antigua too.

 

Feeling very, very tied down with the weight of opportunity. If that makes sense.

[Parley]

I am a dual citizen, though it all happened without any effort on my behalf.

I wondered what would happen to us dual citizens if there ended up being a war between the two countries you are a citizen of.

 

My other question which would be a good subject for a post, is how many take citizenship with the mindset of making a commitment to the country they are becoming a citizen of.

Or are they just seeing it from what personal benefits they think they can get - such as ease of travel etc.

[dufont]

I am a dual citizen, though it all happened without any effort on my behalf.

I wondered what would happen to us dual citizens if there ended up being a war between the two countries you are a citizen of.

 

My other question which would be a good subject for a post, is how many take citizenship with the mindset of making a commitment to the country they are becoming a citizen of.

Or are they just seeing it from what personal benefits they think they can get - such as ease of travel etc.

 

I have definitely made a commitment to Australia, and see being allowed to be a citizen as a gift. If I had to choose one over the other, I would choose my Aussie citizenship over my UK citizenship.

[swifty99]

I am a dual citizen and to me and my famiy it is a gift and a chance for a new life oppotunity that we are very grateful for.

Thanks Dad for your last present to me asutralian citizenship by descent

[Bobbsy]

It's definitely a blessing!

 

I'm in a very fortunate position. I was born in Canada but my father was born in Britain and, through the old Patriality rules, I had dual UK/Canadian citizenship and moved to London ("for a year or two") back in 1976. I discovered I loved living in the UK and ended up staying more than 30 years.

 

I remarried in 2006 and my wife, though a proud Welsh woman, was a "ten pound Aussie" in the 1960s and, through her, I got PR on a spouse visa. I plan to change that to citizenship next year when I've lived here for 4 years.

 

I'm retired (early) and love living here in Australia. The opportunity to move here came along at about the time I was starting to have issues with the modern UK. My step daughter had just been beaten up by bullies at school in Bedfordshire--and the lovely Sri Lankan woman who owned the local shop near my house was driven out by racist thugs after the 7/7 bombings...even though she wasn't Muslim. There's still lots great about England--but some things need sorting out.

 

I took my wife to visit Canada for a couple of months last year. She loved it and can see herself living there. I'm still loving Austalia so the only hope is a huge lottery win and houses on three continents!

 

I'm joking...but probably wouldn't be if we actually HAD that lottery win!

 

Seriously, having the choice of three continents to live on is the greatest blessing I can think of. I can appreciate the good things about all three--and go elsewhere if I choose to avoid the bad bits. Due to a minor "accident" we have a nearly-six-year-old son, and I can't think of a great gift to leave him with than the choice of living where he wants. By the age of five, he'd been around the world a couple of times and the start we're giving him is amazing.

 

"Belonging" is fine--but I prefer to belong to the world--and appreciate wherever I'm living at the time. Don't worry about the differences in the wonderful world of ours--embrace them! Enjoy wherever you are! It's a great planet and, if you're lucky enough to have a choice about where to live, embrace that as well!

 

Bob

[Guest guest37336]

Hi all.

 

Some great thought provoking posts. I guess they have in all there own ways answered the initial OP. It is indeed a blessing, yep, some hiccups along the way, some hurdles to overcame, but in the main dual nationality does facilitate us having a CHOICE.

 

Something that many, many people are not afforded the opportunity to do so.

 

Thank you all again for your replies, really appreciated.

 

Many thanks

 

Tony:wink:

[rivergum]

A gift - however I think it's normal to feel torn between countries and to wonder where you actually belong, especially when you have spent years residing in both countries. I spent 20 years living in Italy and although ( looking Italian ) I felt accepted and perfectly at home I did have to adapt myself a lot. When I returned to the UK I felt foreign again in many ways and took a long time to settle. Whatever country I was in at the time though I always missed the other. I always feel that if I could live 8 months in one country and 4 months in the other then life would be truely perfect!! I am 3 months here in Oz and no doubt will feel like that again but in my heart I feel this country has the most to offer me.

[londonpaul]

Dual Citizenship! It is a Gift !!

[Guest guest36187]

I`d say it can be both,

 

Im a `dual citizenship` person and I consider that it is a gift. My chosen country has allowed me to become part of it.

 

However what if you have to give up citizenship of your birth country......could be a curse then?

[Guest chris955]

I have had dual citizenship for over 20 years and it has been useful in that time, it makes entering either country easier. I wouldn't have taken out Australian citizenship if I had to renounce my British citizenship. I don't really see it as either to be honest, it is just something I have.

[olly]

I never thought too much about being a dual citizen until I stood as a candidate for the Federal election in 2001, where I was asked to sign away my right to another citizenship. Then I did think about it and boy that was hard. I did get round it (sent away the papers, then wrote later on to cancel them) No it's a gift (so is being able to stand as a candidate for my country too by the way).

[Guest SimplyMoi]

Having the right to live freely in more than one country should be a gift, as you can choose where to be (within reason) that suits your circumstances at any given point in time.

 

Don't like the UK weather? Move to Oz.

Need more cultural activities? Move to the UK.

Want to travel around Europe regularly? Move to the UK.

Want to travel around Asia regularly? Move to Oz.

... etc. etc. etc.

 

However, every silver lining usually has a cloud, and I believe in the case of dual nationality that cloud is divided loyalties.

 

As has been mentioned earlier in this thread, if there was a war between the two countries you hold dual citizenship for, who would you support? The country of your birth or your adopted country?

 

When The Ashes or any other sporting activity is taking place, who do you support? I have known 3rd generation Jamaicans who still support Jamaica at cricket. Is that a cultural thing, or do they still feel their heart belongs to 'the mother country', no matter how many generations there are between them and their historical heritage?

 

And it is not just Jamaicans, but virtually every nationality. Can another country really ever usurp your place of birth in your heart?

 

When in Oz, do you avidly read everything you can about the UK; read UK papers online, buy from online UK shops, and are still totally immersed in UK life even though living on the other side of the world?

 

And ditto for when in the UK.

 

My personal opinion? With dual nationality, you can very rarely commit to one country or another....a foot in each camp, in effect, although the heel on one shoe is invariably higher than the heel on the other shoe.

 

So...both a gift and a curse.

[Bobbsy]

However, every silver lining usually has a cloud, and I believe in the case of dual nationality that cloud is divided loyalties.

 

 

For me, having divided loyalties is certainly not a curse.

 

Blindly following any country's policies strikes me as being very long. It's far healthier to be realistic and see the good and bad points of everywhere. Being doggedly "loyal" to any one place is to risk prejudice and bigotry.

 

I'm much happier having a "foot in each camp" and not "committing" solely to any one place--though, for day to day stuff I'm happy to throw myself into wherever I'm hanging my hat at the moment.

 

As for sports, I have to admit I'm not a huge fan and quite enjoy being able to wind up both sides equally!

 

Bob

[Guest SimplyMoi]

For me, having divided loyalties is certainly not a curse.

 

Blindly following any country's policies strikes me as being very long. It's far healthier to be realistic and see the good and bad points of everywhere. Being doggedly "loyal" to any one place is to risk prejudice and bigotry.

 

 

Bob

 

Divided loyalties does not equate to "Being doggedly loyal to any one place is to risk prejudice and bigotry".

 

There is no dictum I have ever seen that says: 'Thou shalt love thy country and be blind to its faults'. One can live in a country and love and loathe parts of it in equal measure, even if one is a "native".

 

What I am referring to with dual nationality is that either one country or the other usually has first pull on your heartstrings. Which means that one country is really just a means to an end - you acquire the citizenship, but you have a much stronger connection to the other, and it is very difficult to let go and embrace life in your new country completely because of divided loyalties.

 

But if you have taken out citizenship of a new country, why should it always be a lesser player in your heart than your country of origin?

 

Hence my original post of:

 

My personal opinion? With dual nationality, you can very rarely commit to one country or another....a foot in each camp, in effect, although the heel on one shoe is invariably higher than the heel on the other shoe.

 

So...both a gift and a curse.

[Les Mighalls]

As for me, being born in the UK and living in Australia with citizenship of both countries, I never give it a thought.

 

I read the Daily Mail and The Guardian on line most days as I do the Herald-Sun and The Age.

 

Even though I am a citizen I don't think I can ever be "Australian", yet at the same time I doubt whether I could ever live full time in the UK any more. I've just been away too long.

 

Sometimes I think it would be quite pleasant living back in the UK but then I remember the weather between November and May...