American Zeitgeist & Multiple Citizenship
2011 - Is it even completely legal to be a dual citizen?
2015 - Why would I want or "need" 2nd citizenship?
2019 - 2nd citizenship is interesting, but not a priority
2023 - I want second citizenship NOW, but only from a cool country
2027 - Nearly any second citizenship is an enormous enhancer of my personal freedom
2031 - ?????
Passport Problems:
- It's lost
- It's stolen
- Your home government won't or can't issue one
- Your home government rescinded it
- It's damaged
- It's missing a visa stamp
- It's got an undesirable visa stamp
- Etc.
Citizenship Problems:
- Poor visa-free travel (yes, this is a CITIZENSHIP issue)
- Limited geographic area of residence rights
- Travel restrictions (e.g. Russia, Iran)
- Economic sanctions (e.g. Iran)
- Immigration restrictions (e.g. U.S. visa bulletin & India)
- Mandatory military service (e.g. Singapore, Iran, Israel)
- Mandatory tax reporting (e.g. U.S.)
- Etc.
Passport problems are documentary in nature.
Citizenship problems are much more expansive, deep and complex in nature.
The problems are totally different.
Therefore, we can easily surmise passport ≠ citizenship.
#passport #citizenship #PassportBros #dualcitizenship #freedomofmovement
Not your passport, not your travel.
Single passport - single point of failure.
Famous American dual citizens https://nostr.build/av/d1c7aac2de53d7e322febb781cf9fe93d6cb9475f993b9c76286d7f4149a691e.mov
When someone refers to citizenship as a “passport.” 
Shout out to all my immigration, citizenship and global mobility pros.
#mobilitymeme 
She was born on U.S. soil to a Yemeni diplomat father who claims he renounced diplomatic status before her birth.
She even had a U.S. passport that was revoked.
Mini lessons from this case:
1. Being born on U.S. soil makes one a U.S. citizen, unless he/she is the child of a diplomat. Many people already know this.
2. Having citizenship that's revoked is different from a govt. changing its position on whether you were ever citizen.
Her U.S. passport was revoked while the U.S. department of state is claiming she was never a U.S. citizen (her passport was issued in error).
A lot of people have difficulty wrapping their head around this concept.
3. Passport is not citizenship!
#citizenship #uscitizenship #dualcitizenship #ISIS
Questions Asked for Forthcoming ETIAS Requirements for Americans Visiting Europe
Starting in 2024, Americans are expected to be required to fill out an electronic travel authorization (ETIAS) to visit a number of European countries (assuming the absence of another bureaucratic delay of implementation).
This is a rude awakening for Americans who are used to not having to fill out any paperwork, electronic or not, to visit Europe.
According to the European Union website (linked below) the following questions will be asked:
"What information will I be asked to provide in my application?
You will be asked to provide the following information:
- Personal information including your name(s), date and place of birth, sex, nationalities, home address, email address and phone number(s);
- Your parents’ first name(s);
- Travel document details;
- Your level of education and current occupation;
- The country of your first intended stay and the address of your destination;
- Details about any past criminal convictions, past travels to war or conflict zones, and whether you have recently been the subject of a return decision."
Lots to unpack here.
First, millions of Americans have some sort of criminal conviction of some kind that they'll have to disclose, and learn whether it disqualifies them from ETIAS.
Second, some Americans who have traveled to conflict ones, whether for work or tourism, will have to disclose, and learn whether it disqualifies them from ETIAS.
Third, For the first time, Americans will be subject to judgment of their educational level and occupation, to be able to visit Europe visa-free.
I predict, we'll see a bump in Americans pursuing post-conviction relief (i.e. expungements, expunctions, vacates, etc.) more avidly, even for old convictions.
Also, adventurous Americans may have to decide whether an exciting trip to countries such as Yemen, South Sudan, Iraq, Syria, or Ukraine will be worth risking an ETIAS denial to visit Europe.
How to avoid all this?
Well, by pursuing European citizenship by descent, but of course (link in first comment) IF you qualify.
#europe #EuropeanUnion #visafree #dualcitizenship #freedomofmovement #America
Global Mobility Concepts
I've started a series of short mobility concepts articles on my website.
Each article is a short 300-600 introduction of basic, practical concepts related to multiple citizenship, passports, residencies, visa, etc.
I've 8 published mobility concepts articles, and have about 10-15 more coming down the pipeline.
These are real world concepts born from practice. No legal citations here.
Check them out below if you'd like. 👇
#mobilityconcepts #freedomofmovement #multiplecitzienship
https://www.malakoutilaw.com/immigrationarticles/categories/mobility-concepts-strategies
8 safeguarding qualities of the FBI background check
The FBI background check (IdHS) provides a formidable safeguard for CBI programs checking criminal histories of American applicants. @imidaily @UglobalOfficial @IMCouncil @LBurkeFiles
1. It can include a) arrest, b) charge, and c) conviction data. This includes even arrests and charges without a conviction.
2. It has criminal data from over 18,000 U.S. criminal justice agencies at the federal, state, and local levels.
3. An applicant has to submit fingerprints to obtain the report.
4. It's not easy to change, edit, or delete derogatory information on it. It requires a path to expungement/expunction/sealing/vacatur, provided by law.
5. it includes the name of the criminal justice agency that fingerprinted the applicant, thus making identifying and locating further relevant (court or police) documentation easier.
6. It includes dates the applicant was fingerprinted by the criminal justice agency, thus making it easier to reconcile corresponding court records.
7. It includes dates the applicant was "arrested or received" (not always the same date as fingerprinting), thus making it easier to reconcile & cross-reference with corresponding court records.
8. It's a document that the U.S. office of authentications will apostille or legalize, thus further strengthening its level of authentication.
Of course, these national background checks are just one part of the extensive due diligence process that CBI applicants go through...
#backgroundchecks #FBI #citizenshipbyinvestment
Shout out to all my immigration, citizenship and global mobility pros.
#mobilitymeme #immigration #citizenship #passport
6. So you're saying citizenship is what matters, not the passport?
No, I'm not saying that. Passports are very important for global mobility and residency, too.
Unfortunately, due to our modern nation-state system, people need passports (or a substitute) in order to cross borders without enormous difficulty.
A sovereign individual type needs multiple citizenships AND their corresponding multiple passports.
(7/8)
https://www.malakoutilaw.com/handcuffs-of-the-passport-system-mobility-concepts
Clarity of Thought, Economy of Expression
Passports are simply not citizenships.
As the global interest in multiple citizenship and freedom of movement is spiking, it's time to bin this ridiculous misnomer that's grown legs and run all around the world.
Let's call a citizenship a citizenship, and a passport a passport.
(8/8)
#citizenship #passport #dualcitizenship #freedomofmovement
4. But if you're a citizen, you can pretty much always get a passport from your country of citizenship, right?
No, not at all.
As any real immigration or citizenship practitioner knows, there are millions of people around the world who cannot get a passport for one reason or another (passport attack vectors). 👇
(5/8)
https://www.malakoutilaw.com/passport-attack-vectors-mobility-concepts
6. So you're saying citizenship is what matters, not the passport?
No, I'm not saying that. Passports are very important for global mobility and residency, too.
Unfortunately, due to our modern nation-state system, people need passports (or a substitute) in order to cross borders without enormous difficulty.
A sovereign individual type needs multiple citizenships AND their corresponding multiple passports.
(7/8)
https://www.malakoutilaw.com/handcuffs-of-the-passport-system-mobility-concepts
4. But if you're a citizen, you can pretty much always get a passport from your country of citizenship, right?
No, not at all.
As any real immigration or citizenship practitioner knows, there are millions of people around the world who cannot get a passport for one reason or another (passport attack vectors). 👇
(5/8)
https://www.malakoutilaw.com/passport-attack-vectors-mobility-concepts
5. But it's clear when people say "having multiple passports" they're referring to dual citizenship, right?
A passport is a travel document, in the form of a blue, burgundy, green or black booklet.
Here's an incomplete list of people who can have multiple passports without being a multiple citizen:
1. Vintage passport collectors
2. Holders of valid passports issued to non-citizens of the issuing country (see examples above)
3. Citizens of only one country with multiple valid passports from the same country
4. Citizens of only one country with a valid passport and expired passport (which may be used as ID or proof of citizenship even if not valid as a travel document anymore).
(6/8)
4. But if you're a citizen, you can pretty much always get a passport from your country of citizenship, right?
No, not at all.
As any real immigration or citizenship practitioner knows, there are millions of people around the world who cannot get a passport for one reason or another (passport attack vectors). 👇
(5/8)
https://www.malakoutilaw.com/passport-attack-vectors-mobility-concepts