Lucas_Dad

I've been here over four years now so I think I'm eligible to go for citizenship. What are the pros? Any cons? Worth it in general?

Cheers

Beoz

You can never have enough passports as you never know what's around the corner or what can change in the future.

Pro's

Haven't got all day to list them all.

Con's

Filling in the forms is a bit tedious
The test does require a small amount of revision
The ceremony has to be attended. Largely boring but the one I attended had a load of hot russian women so that made it kind of interesting.

Lucas_Dad

Cheers. Sounds worth the effort.

Got thinking about this as my 5yo already has UK + Oz passports, but 16mo has only Oz and I reckon getting him a UK passport would be handy for him too. Wife has Oz + Italian passports. Make travel so much simpler.

Beoz

We travelled to the UK where wife and I were on British passports and child on Aussie. We got a lecture from immigration about not leaving child in the UK.

Its best just to passport them up as soon as possible. You never know, they could change the rules at some point.

Pollyana

Always a good idea to have the same citizenship as your kids.

Say for instance you all head back to the UK. In years to come the Aus kids can move back here. If you have citizenship you can come too if you wish - no need for parent visas etc. Lots of stories on here of people who wish they had done the deed when they had the chance.

Amazulu

Lots of pros

No cons

astera

Hang on there, if the wife has an Italian passport, can you and the kids get them easily too? Not sure how Italian citizenship law works, but it would secure your EU rights if the wraith back home continues with her plans and wrecks things for the rest of us.

Almost entirely true, as there as some passports out there that are to be avoided for various reasons, such as compulsory military service. The worst passport (of the "Western" world that is) is that of the US, where any earnings above a certain amount require you to pay taxes back in the US even if you are non-resident. No other Western nation holds its citizens as "economic hostages" in such a way.

Tr1boy

I've done the Syd-UK return over 35 times, Syd-SG return over 20 times, Syd-lncheon return about 20 times and Syd- SF 15 times.

I guess there are some other pros but the best one for me was the short queue at Kingsford-Smith!

Also, I would say, you never know what will happen in the future. We've been in the UK for 6yrs now, only really thinking it would be three. Daughter born in UK and we are all dual citizens. Coming back (at least immigration wise) is as simple as hopping on a plane.

Apart from the cost and admin of keeping them up to date, there are no real downsides to having more options. IMO, adding a passport to what you have is a no brainer, giving up a passport for another needs more consideration (as was the case for Mrs TB and her Korean passport).

Lucas_Dad

Wife is Aussie with Italian dad, that's how she gets her Italian passport. The perk doesn't pass on down though her to our sons.

Very weird thing happened to her recently though - she called the Italian consulate in Sydney to inquire about getting hers renewed. They said something like "we a hava no record ofa you having a passaporta". She said "I have the passport, here, in my hand, now". They said "you'lla have a to come a to Sydaney to sort it outa".

Hehe

A 7 hour drive each way or overpriced Rex flight from Albury, plus accommodation, is not high on our priority list at the mo, but I still think it'll be worth her while in future.

Am certainly looking more seriously at getting citizenship myself. What will I become? Braussie? Damn could cause some internal conflict when the Ashes are next played.

BritInParis

All things being equal it should do.