Naturalization

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Naturalization is the process by which a citizen of one nation obtains citizenship in another country. In the early twenty-first century, the naturalization process was entirely within the control of the various nation-states comprising the international system. Each state determined for itself the requirements it would utilize to permit foreigners to join its citizenry. Consequently, there was considerable variation from country to country.

Under this system, each state must first determine the number of immigrants it will permit to enter its land, for each immigrant is a potential citizen. The laws establishing immigration quotas are based on a prior determination of the national interest, and that policy can change over time or with different political leaders. For example, throughout the nineteenth century the United States placed virtually no restrictions on immigration from Europe because the American leadership wanted to populate the country with people from those lands. Simultaneously, United States's policy excluded Asians (except for contract laborers) because Americans wanted to create a European-oriented society.

Because the United States is no longer an underpopulated country, American policy in the early 2000s imposed a numerical quota on yearly immigration, and within that quota priority was given to those individuals who possessed skills most useful to the American economy and to those who sought to be reunited with their families. Given these basic objectives, U.S. immigration policy no longer had a geographic emphasis; it was essentially available to anyone who met the stated criteria. Other countries maintain an open-door (unlimited) immigration policy for those individuals they wish to attract; that is how, for example, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania encourage the return of people who can trace their ancestry to those countries.

Naturalization occurs within the context of a country's immigration policy. Those nations that conceive of citizenship in ethnic terms have a virtually automatic naturalization process for immigrants who share their common group identity. Thus, countries such as Germany, Israel, and the Baltic States bestow citizenship on individuals who are perceived as returning to their native land. Nations that have aterritorial conception of citizenship bestow citizenship on those immigrants who can demonstrate allegiance to their new homeland and are likely to make a positive contribution to its welfare. These characteristics are usually shown by residence in the country for a period of time, knowledge of the nation's basic institutions and practices, and a personal history devoid of criminal activities. In the United States, for example, an individual must live in the country for five years, demonstrate an understanding of the constitution and the principles of American government, and show the absence of a criminal record.

Because naturalization entails the bestowal of citizenship on those who satisfy specified criteria, controversy can arise about either the meaning of those criteria or whether a particular individual has truly satisfied them. In Israel, for example, the perennial issue of "who is a Jew" revolves around different understandings of that ethnic and religious grouping. In the United States, the government periodically seeks to expatriate (i.e., denaturalize) individuals who are believed to have lied about their pasts.

Despite variations among countries, naturalization processes always have the same objective: Each nation seeks to have a citizenry with shared attachments and common loyalties.

Citizenship; Immigration and Immigrants.

Aleinkopf, Thomas. Between Principles and Politics: The Direction of U.S. Citizenship Policy. Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1998.

DeSipio, Louis, and Rodolfo De la Garza. Making Americans, Remaking America: Immigration and Immigrant Policy. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1998.

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