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popular pagesWith U.S. in slump, dual citizenship in EU countries attracts Americans
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 07, 2008
For millions of Europeans who braved the Atlantic Ocean for a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and dreams of a lavish life, there was little thought of ever emigrating back.
Yet for a new generation of Americans of European descent, the Old Country is becoming a new country full of promise and opportunity.
Dual citizenship criteria Ireland: Automatically grants citizenship to the child of an Irish-born citizen. A person can also claim descent based on a grandparent or great-grandparent as long as a grandparent had also claimed descent on or before the date of the person's birth. Italy: For those born after 1948, citizenship is granted if their father or mother was a citizen at the time of the applicant's birth. Citizenship is also granted under these conditions: Father is an American and the paternal grandfather was a citizen at the time of the father's birth. If born after 1948, when the mother is American and the maternal grandfather was an Italian citizen at the time of the mother's birth. Paternal or maternal grandfather was born in America and the paternal great-grandfather was an Italian citizen at the time of the grandparent's birth. United Kingdom: Descent based on a grandparent allowable only in exceptional cases. Greece: Native-born parent or grandparent. Latvia: Native-born parent. Cyprus: Father was a citizen. Holland, Finland, Germany and Norway: Applicant must have been born in wedlock with one parent a citizen, or he can claim descent based only on the mother. All other European Union countries: A parent was a citizen of the given country. People who can't claim descent can apply after living in the country for a certain number of years.
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The creation of the European Union and its thriving economy is very appealing for Americans in a global economy.
"With an EU passport, I can live and work in 27 countries," said Suzanne Mulvehill of Lake Worth. "With a U.S. passport, I can live and work in one."
Americans can claim citizenship in any of the 27 European countries that are in the EU based on the nationality of their parents, or in some cases, grandparents and great-grandparents. Citizenship in one of those countries allows you to live and work in any EU nation.
Since the United States doesn't keep statistics on dual citizens, it's impossible to know exactly how many people have applied for citizenship in Europe. But it's estimated that more than 40 million Americans are eligible for dual citizenship, and a growing number of Americans want to try their luck elsewhere.
"I have to say that over the past few years, calls I never would have received before have been made to the office," said Sam Levine, an immigration attorney in Palm Beach Gardens. "It's not like a tidal wave, but it's certainly more substantial, and it's remarkable."
He's receiving calls from people like Mulvehill, executive director of the Emotional Institute, a Lake Worth-based company that trains entrepreneurs.
Mulvehill's mother was born in Romania, which became a member of the European Union last year.
She's obtaining Romanian citizenship, which she estimates will have taken about three years, a ton of paperwork, $750 in fees and a trip to the Romanian consulate in Washington.
But once she receives the passport, probably early next year, she'll be able settle anywhere in the EU.
"I recognized for the first time in my life that being American had limits," Mulvehill said, "and that if I really wanted to become what I call a global citizen, then I needed to tap into all my resources to expand my ability to serve entrepreneurs not just in Lake Worth, which is one town, and not just in Florida or in America or North America, but on the globe."
Globalization is a word on the mind of Lauren Berg, a recent college graduate from Michigan who is obtaining Greek citizenship based on her grandfather. She plans to move to Paris, brush up on her French and engross herself in the European business world.
"It's definitely a really good thing to have on your résumé with business going so global," Berg said. "I probably never would have done it if it wasn't for the EU, but at the same time I've always been extremely proud of my Greek heritage."
Dual citizenship once viewed as unpatriotic
But not everyone is so excited about this increasing trend.
"I understand the impulse: You can get a better deal over there," said Stanley Renshon, a professor at the City University of New York and former president of the International Society of Political Psychology. "Whether it's good for the American national community is quite a different question."
Renshon belongs to a faction of immigration experts that believes dual citizenship diminishes the American identity.
"The devaluation of American citizenship for the sake of comparative advantage strikes me as fairly self-centered," Renshon said.
Dual citizenship became a major issue during the War of 1812, when the British military tried recruiting, and in some cases forcing, British-born American citizens to fight on Britain's side.
For years, being a dual citizen was seen as unpatriotic, and until 1967 it was possible for the United States to revoke American citizenship for people who voted in foreign elections.
But in the 1967 Afroyim vs. Rusk decision, Supreme Court justices ruled 5-4 that it was unconstitutional to bar dual citizenship.
"It was the high point of the 1960s and individual rights," said Noah Pickus, the associate director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University. "So the notion that you could take a citizenship away from somebody would seem to violate the basic notion of individual choice."
Today, immigrants who become American citizens have to swear that they renounce their previous citizenship, but it's more of a symbolic gesture, and Renshon said it's actually difficult to renounce a citizenship.
One of the biggest advocates of dual citizenship is Temple University professor and author Peter Spiro, who believes that defining one's identity by his citizenship is a thing of the past.
"There are really no harms caused by individuals having additional citizenship these days," Spiro said. "It's the wave of the future, because more and more people are going to have it. It's going to multiply on an exponential basis going forward."
And as the value of the euro - the currency shared by 15 EU countries - rises and America's economy slumps, it's an attractive alternative for Amber Alfano, a recent University of Florida graduate who is becoming an Italian citizen like her father.
"I'm doing it as an exit strategy of sorts," Alfano said. "I like knowing that I have another place to go if things get even worse here, or if I just get tired of running on the American mouse wheel.
"My dad was actually the one who put a bug in my ear about the whole citizenship thing. He said that Europeans are more interested in the quality of life than the quantity, and that it was a good place to have and raise children because of the way their social systems work. I don't care much about the child-rearing part, but I would gladly trade in some of my material possessions for a little flat, a scooter and more vacation."
The grass might be greener ... for now
Levine, the Palm Beach Gardens immigration attorney, was born in Canada and has received calls from people also interested in obtaining Canadian citizenship. He also understands the European appeal. He said he's proud to be an American and proud of what the U.S. has accomplished on a global scale in the last century but that there are some advantages to living elsewhere.
"You have to look at things like how hard people work here and how little vacation time people get here," Levine said. "A lot of people who live in Europe might not make same amount of money as Americans, but in some senses it's a kinder, more gentle lifestyle."
When Alfano went to fill out her paperwork at the Italian consulate in Coral Gables, she said "the waiting room was full of second- and third-generation Americans (of Italian descent) picking up passports."
Pickus said he's heard stories of parents getting their children European citizenship as an 18th birthday present - "We didn't get you a car, but we got you an Italian citizenship."
Some, like seasonal Vero Beach resident Tony Monaco, who has been trying to get Italian citizenship based on his grandfather, bought property in Italy and learned that taxes would be much lower if he was a citizen.
For those who are moving for the EU economic boom, Hudson Institute senior fellow John Fonte - one of the nation's leading immigration experts and critics of dual citizenship - warns that it might not last.
"I think it's a short-term phenomenon," Fonte said. "I don't think the European economy in the long run will do that well because it's a heavy socialist welfare state in most of the countries."
Mulvehill, the Lake Worth entrepreneur trainer, taught a course at Lynn University and encouraged her students to obtain dual citizenship if they were eligible.
"Expand your possibilities. If you can get citizenship, why not?" she said. "The world is a bigger place than America. Look at what technology has done, creating a global economy. That, in my opinion, is what has created this phenomenon."
Every country has its own process for obtaining citizenship.
Ireland, Italy and Greece are among the most lenient in terms of letting an individual claim citizenship not just from a parent but from a grandparent or possibly a great-grandparent.
Even in countries that allow an individual only to claim descent based on a parent, in many cases the new citizen can pass the citizenship on to his child.
Eric Hammerle, a Vero Beach resident whose father was born in Germany, said it was easy for him and his 16-year-old son Nick to become German citizens.
They acquired the necessary documents - birth, marriage and death certificates - and took them to the German consulate in Miami.
"The whole process took about 20 minutes," Hammerle said. "They read over the documents, came back and said, 'Congratulations, Germany has two new citizens.' It was a fee of $85."
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Comments
By Mike
Jun 9, 2008 9:22 AM | Link to this
Edgar Montrose, it seems like you don't know what the communist is. Why don't you read a bit before you make a fool of yourself.
By SM
Jun 9, 2008 9:16 AM | Link to this
USA: the demographic winter is coming.
Aging workforce.
geocities(dot)com/demographic_crash
P.S. Also new website prowomanprolife(dot)org
By Jude
Jun 9, 2008 9:16 AM | Link to this
The only problem with Obama becoming president is that it's like 1998 all over again: The nuts come out of the woodwork complaining of (George Bush's) "new world order" and taxes. Hahah. God help us. Are they all still alive?!? Seems so... But at least, they seem worried - so hopefully that means McCain doesn't have a prayer.
I'm amazed that so many people enjoy living in the Dark Ages. But I wonder: when Bush steps down, will there be UN police ready to escort him to the Hague? One can only hope...
By Bill Hicks
Jun 9, 2008 9:10 AM | Link to this
I have dual citizenship. After I received my Masters I went into real estate and within 12 months owned a real estate investment company and a real estate brokerage. Combined both companies had revenues in excess of 5 million a year within two years. That would not have been so easy to accomplish in Europe. In order to do so, I probably would have needed a background in Science or Engineering that would have translated into a patent and new technologies being introduced, then many of the excellent business incubators here would have helped propel my business forward.
In 2005, I sold of my remaining assets in the US and moved to Europe as I saw real estate heading south. I secured a job in investment banking and man was it a great deal compared to the US. Instead of working 80 hours a week I worked about 45 to 50 hours a week (where I was considered to work too much by some of my European colleagues). The pay rate at the entry level was actually better in Europe and about the same as the US once taxes were figured in, except for I did not have to pay for health care.
Due to my “hard work” I was rapidly promoted to where I now command a director’s position. Today I earn about two thirds of what I could earn in the US, and my take home is about half of what it would be in the US once taxes are calculated. However, I still earn a strong 6 figure US dollar income. The advantage is, because there are so few people making more than 200,000 dollars a year, when salaries get to a certain level certain things become more affordable relatively speaking in Europe. For example, houses in the million to three million dollar price range are quite a good deal. Car insurance on exotic cars is very reasonable, I pay about half the amount on my F430 as I would in the US.
Maybe in Europe I don’t earn as much as I would in the US. However, I am still able to cook dinner for the family in the evening. We are given 6 weeks vacation and expected to use it. One can’t put a price on the value of family and having the time to spend it with them. My kids go to an international school taught in English and are getting an education that is better than most national curriculums whatever the country. Plus my kids get to network with the children of captains of industry and diplomats from around the world. Not bad for me, a small town white boy just trying to make ends meet.
Sure there are downsides to living in Europe. I am a life member of the National Rifle Association. I had to join a gun club here and then wait a year before I was able to import my firearms collection. I miss the utter convenience of everything and the relative low prices for that convenience.
In summary, I think Europe is the better choice to raise a family if you are focused on quality not quantity. America is better suited for the entrepreneur. My oldest son wants to go into the military, like the last four generations in his family, when he says military he means The US Marines, as President Reagen said about them…”Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem”. I really can’t see a European armed service giving my son the same opportunities as in the US armed forces. They just don’t do amphibious over the horizon operations the way we do. ;-)
By Jude
Jun 9, 2008 9:05 AM | Link to this
Richard L. Kent, Esq.: Do you think Europe owes you something? Ever hear of America's "post-war boom"? Or the "baby boom generation"? Boom is right. As in, Hiroshima. You got fabulously wealthy on those graves. But now it's over. Too bad, eh? Or will attempt a WW3 and try to strike gold again? Looks like it.
You should count the Russians' graves, saving Europe from the Nazis. Thank Stalin for that. Haha.
By Joe Blow
Jun 9, 2008 9:04 AM | Link to this
Jude:
Go uck your ignorant fearful socialist self.
Have a nice day.
By Bill Hicks
Jun 9, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this
I have dual citizenship. After I received my Masters I went into real estate and within 12 months owned a real estate investment company and a real estate brokerage. Combined both companies had revenues in excess of 5 million a year within two years. That would not have been so easy to accomplish in Europe. In order to do so, I probably would have needed a background in Science or Engineering that would have translated into a patent and new technologies being introduced, then many of the excellent business incubators here would have helped propel my business forward.
In 2005, I sold of my remaining assets in the US and moved to Europe as I saw real estate heading south. I secured a job in investment banking and man was it a great deal compared to the US. Instead of working 80 hours a week I worked about 45 to 50 hours a week (where I was considered to work too much by some of my European colleagues). The pay rate at the entry level was actually better in Europe and about the same as the US once taxes were figured in, except for I did not have to pay for health care.
Due to my “hard work” I was rapidly promoted to where I now command a director’s position. Today I earn about two thirds of what I could earn in the US, and my take home is about half of what it would be in the US once taxes are calculated. However, I still earn a strong 6 figure US dollar income. The advantage is, because there are so few people making more than 200,000 dollars a year, when salaries get to a certain level certain things become more affordable relatively speaking in Europe. For example, houses in the million to three million dollar price range are quite a good deal. Car insurance on exotic cars is very reasonable, I pay about half the amount on my F430 as I would in the US.
Maybe in Europe I don’t earn as much as I would in the US. However, I am still able to cook dinner for the family in the evening. We are given 6 weeks vacation and expected to use it. One can’t put a price on the value of family and having the time to spend it with them. My kids go to an international school taught in English and are getting an education that is better than most national curriculums whatever the country. Plus my kids get to network with the children of captains of industry and diplomats from around the world. Not bad for me, a small town white boy just trying to make ends meet.
Sure there are downsides to living in Europe. I am a life member of the National Rifle Association. I had to join a gun club here and then wait a year before I was able to import my firearms collection. I miss the utter convenience of everything and the relative low prices for that convenience.
In summary, I think Europe is the better choice to raise a family if you are focused on quality not quantity. America is better suited for the entrepreneur. My oldest son wants to go into the military, like the last four generations in his family, when he says military he means The US Marines, as President Reagen said about them…”Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem”. I really can’t see a European armed service giving my son the same opportunities as in the US armed forces. They just don’t do amphibious over the horizon operations the way we do. ;-)
By Mac-101
Jun 9, 2008 8:56 AM | Link to this
Why worry, The North American Union is on it's way, the EU (faceless bureacrates) making laws and soon President Obama with his US GNP tax for the UN. The New World Order is about here! Big Brother is already telling people what they can say and inprisoning people in Europe and Canada. We, in the US, are being indoctrinated with PC and hate crimes. It's almost 1984! You can change your underwear, you can change your country, but you can not hide.
By Richard L. Kent, Esq.
Jun 9, 2008 8:49 AM | Link to this
Since the United States doesn't keep statistics on dual citizens>>
We don't recognize 'dual citizens' (except for Winston Churchill).
As for Debbie, please note the large number of American soldier's graves in Europe and the complete absence of European soldiers' graves in the United States. Think about why that is so. And tremble.
By nick w
Jun 9, 2008 8:48 AM | Link to this
Dual Nationality is the latest mode of expressing the hybrid identity of all of us "hyphenated" Americans. We all have roots somewhere else - Dual Nationality is just another way to cash in on our cultural connections. And to the scholar who said that it erodes the national identity, tough. The death of the middle class American dream has done much more damage
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