Deported to the Wrong Country...

**KukriKhan** · 11-24-2005, 19:05

If he could somehow travel to France, and produce a French birth certificate, would he be entitled to French citizenship?

Stated another way: Does being born in France automatically confer citizenship?

**Louis VI the Fat** · 11-24-2005, 19:32

Hush, Kukri...

I'm not an expert, but If I'm correct nowadays in order for an appeal on the jus soli the parents need to have been residents in France for five years. Even if this were the case, he cannot now appeal for naturalization. As an adult, you need to be a resident of France and be of 'good moral character'. Neither applies.

Mr Jovicic arrived in Australia from France with his Serbian-born parents in 1968 when he was just two.

His parents could've been anything from tourists to settled immigrants. I see no reason to consider a Serbian-Australian French just because he spend two years of his early childhood in France in the 1960's, to be quite honest.

**Red Harvest** · 11-24-2005, 19:42

That is a difference with the U.S. If born in the U.S. or to the parents of U.S. citizens (while overseas) you automatically have U.S. citizenship IIRC.

If he was not born in France, and his parents were Serbian citizens, then Serbia would indeed be the correct place to deport him to I believe.

Sounds like the real problem is that he effectively has no nationality. He made the problem worse by failing to behave where he was, so nobody wants him now.

**KukriKhan** · 11-24-2005, 19:47

I bet the Canadians would take him. Put him to work on one of Beirut's crews.

**solypsist** · 11-24-2005, 20:04

a guy doesnt spend all but two years in a country and then get deported without first getting noticed by the authorities - this is no doubt where his extensive criminal record comes in. he played the ends against the middle too many times and now has been pinched.

**el_slapper** · 11-25-2005, 11:59

...which doesn't mean Serbia should have that guy as a burden. That's a complex issue.....

I'm pretty sure a child must have been resident for 5 years to get the naturalization(at the age of 18) in France. An adult MUST be resident since 5 years to be allowed to ask.

**Red Harvest** · 11-25-2005, 19:06

What this points out is a huge hole in citizenship. Sounds like it is rather easy for people to never have citizenship in any country. If you aren't granted citizenship at birth, or due to your parents citizenship, then you don't really have a country at all, do you? We could end up with "hordes" wandering through europe again...

Sounds like we are going to need some sort of international agreement on how to assign the nationless types when disputes like this arrise. With nations pushing to remove birth as a citizenship criteria, this is going to get really complex.