citizenship news stories on Newser

Bachmann Ditching Swiss Citizenship

Matt Cantor — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:15:05 CDT

If you were concerned that Michele Bachmann's Swiss citizenship meant she'd given up on America, worry no longer: She's getting rid of it. "Today I sent a letter to the Swiss Consulate requesting withdrawal of my dual Swiss citizenship, which was conferred upon me by operation of Swiss law when...

Bachmann: I've Been Swiss All Along

Kevin Spak — Thu, 10 May 2012 08:14:56 CDT

Michele Bachmann today tried to downplay the revelation that she'd become a Swiss citizen , saying she has actually been a Swiss citizen for 34 years, but just hadn't bothered to tell anyone. "I automatically became a dual citizen … in 1978 when I married my husband, Marcus. Marcus is a...

Third of US Wouldn't Pass Citizenship Test

Matt Cantor — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:52:05 CDT

Nearly all applicants for US citizenship pass the civics section of the naturalization test. But native citizens should be thanking their lucky stars they were born here. If they were to take the exam, more than a third would fail, a study finds—this despite the fact that 77% of...

France Toughens Citizenship Gauntlet

Kevin Spak — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:28:52 CST

Bad news, Francophiles: It just became harder to become French. Nicolas Sarkozy’s government has just thrown up some tough new hurdles for would-be French citizens, requiring them to pass a difficult language test (foreigners will need to speak French at the level of a French 15-year-old) and swear allegiance to...

Canada Bans Veils at Citizenship Ceremonies

Rob Quinn — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:09:55 CST

Authorities in Canada have decided that anybody taking the country's citizenship oath must show their face to do so. A rule introduced yesterday requires women wearing a burka or other face-covering veil to remove it during the ceremony, reports the Toronto Star . "The citizenship oath is a quintessentially public act....

Bobby Jindal Releases His Birth Certificate, Too

John Johnson — Sat, 07 May 2011 17:25:38 CDT

Keep your hands off Bobby Jindal, birthers. The Louisiana governor has released his birth certificate to prove he is a US citizen, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune . The certificate shows that Jindal—given the first name Piyush— was born in Baton Rouge on June 10, 1971, to Indian immigrants. Both...

Superman Renounces US Citizenship

Evann Gastaldo — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 19:00:05 CDT

OK, so technically he's an alien, but really, what's more American than Superman? Heck, even his outfit is red and blue. But after years of fighting for "truth, justice, and the American way," the Man of Steel announced he's going to renounce his US citizenship in Action Comics #900 . It...

California Man Creates Fake Army, Fleeces Enlistees

John Johnson — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:16:05 CDT

He gets points for imagination: A Chinese national living in California created a fake Army Reserve unit of his very own, then tricked about 100 Chinese nationals into paying for the privilege of enlisting, reports KTLA-TV . Yupeng Dang turned his office into a fake recruitment center in 2008 and doled...

World War II Vet Discovers He's Not a US Citizen

Kevin Spak — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:07:05 CDT

Leeland Davidson is a 95-year-old who fought for the US in World War II—and he's just learned that, technically, he’s not an American. He was taking a trip to the DMV to apply for an ID to visit relatives in Canada, when he got the surprising news. “We went...