Should you be born in a country for it to be your nationality?

[Langin]

I need to agree....

 

[Overman1977]

The definition of the word 'nationality'....enough said.

 

[popoffka]

I personally think that nationality should be something that you choose by yourself, and one of the main factors should IMHO be your native language.
For example, I was born and live in Latvia, however, I'm a native speaker of Russian and consider myself Russian.

 

[Cyan]

No, I disagree.

There are a lot of ways to acquire the nationality of a specific State.
Each country have their own laws about that, but the first and I'm sure common one for every country is : You have the nationality of your parents, wherever you are born.
(There are very few case where the child is without nationality (Statelessness), some country can "adopt" them when they enter the country by according them their nationality)

My birth place is Monaco, and yet I'm French because my parents are.
That doesn't give me the right to ask for the Monegasque nationality.


Now about Canada, imagine your parents where traveling while being pregnant, and you born by accident on another country, oh what a shame ! you can't come back to Canada because you are not proud of it, you are a foreigner and need a Visa ! your parents must leave you in the forest for the wolves because you are not a Canadian !

You see the point here ?



PS : I'm working with the French Civil States and know laws about French nationalities. I can tell you there are many ways to gain or acquire it.
And the laws changed a lot from the ancient time to now.
For example, during Wold War II, they prohibited the automatic nationality for an "enemy countries" woman who married a French man while the allied country where privileged.
Law are changing, you must look more globally instead of thinking only about the country borders and the rights it gives to be born on it.
Think also about colonization of other countries or islands, which become their own nation later, would the people must lose their Canadian nationality while they born on Canadian territory ?

It's just a very few example of the complexity it can be.



Maybe you talk about the way the people are acting and are or are note considered Canadian because of their origin and race.
but I would say like _Chaz_ :
If you're raised in a country, follow its rules and regulations, and its customs are your customs, than that should be your Nationality.

The real meaning of nationality is mutual agreement with people and the State. The state provide protection to the people, and the people agree to the state's laws and provide assistance (like doing the army, defending the country, voting, participating in political act, etc.)
So, nationality is more a feeling and a way you act than being born on a certain place.

 

[George Dawes]

Your "nationality" is wherever you happen to live.

Don't like the regime/scenery/people in the country you are? Move to somewhere you do like. What does a country want more - a bunch of citizens who hate the place and want to leave or someone who has actively decided to become part of the country?

I agree with cyan, pointless thinking so small-minded; think internationalist.

 

[Rydian]

Saying yes is like saying you have to love Nintendo if you started with a Gameboy.I wasn't aware having a country as your nationality meant you loved it.

QUOTE(George Dawes @ Jun 25 2010, 07:06 PM) Don't like the regime/scenery/people in the country you are? Move to somewhere you do like. What does a country want more - a bunch of citizens who hate the place and want to leave or someone who has actively decided to become part of the country?

Yup, most people seem to forget they have a pair of legs on them.

 

[TrolleyDave]

To me nationality will always be the country you were born in, except in case like what Cyan pointed out about children born in other countries while their parents are on holiday. Their nationality should then be the country of residence of their parents as it's where they'll be brought up and it's the culture they'll adopt. Citizenship is a different matter though.

 

[rastsan]

I may be born canadian but I do not consider myself canadian. I consider myself international.

 

[naglaro00]

I think there's a specific law for this...
on-topic:
no
should be on the parents' nationalities. yes its flawed i know

 

[Michishige]

I agree. If you're not born in that country then it's not where you ORIGINATE from. A piece of card can say you are a whatever citizen but you'll always be form somewhere else. (I wasn't aiming that at anyone in particular).

Technically, being born in a country doesn't exactly mean that you originate from that country. An example I often like to use is; if a dog is born in a stable, is it a dog or a horse?

If an African couple move to Canada and give birth to a baby, that baby still doesn't originate from Canada, the baby originates from his/her parents, which are African.

However, there is a problem with the definition in this example, how many generations would have to be born and raised in a country for their origins to be of that country and not another country?


In my opinion, it's not important where you 'originate' from, we're all human beings and we all live on earth (until I go to live on the moon).

 

[Cyan]

However, there is a problem with the definition in this example, how many generations would have to be born and raised in a country for their origins to be of that country and not another country?

In France, it only needs 2 generations to be born in France to become French.
It's automatic, no personal administrative act needed to be done.

Though, if there is only 1 generation like you are born in France and your parents are both born outside of France, starting 13 years old you can ask for the French nationality by providing clues you lived/went to school at least 5 consecutive years in France.

I think France is a very easy country to acquire its nationality. There are a lot of possibilities. and yet, people are always crying that it's difficult, that we ask to many papers, administrative paper are hard to make, They don't like France ... but they are happy to be here, else they would go back in their country !
And you know what ? That's mainly French people which are crying, foreigners are happy and always give the good papers we asks.
French people think they should deserve to have anything without giving anything !