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Comment by graemep | Hacker News Reader

I really cannot understand why people who are permanently settled in a country would not apply for citizenship.

It is not a matter of trust. Unless you are a citizen your right to remain in a country is always subject to the approval of the government and rules can change. it is the point of the distinction between "indefinite leave to remain" and citizenship.

I have noticed that only white people commit to living in the UK without becoming citizens. Sindhu Vee is very funny about that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8DNgi5Tok4&t=90s

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> I have noticed that only white people commit to living in the UK without becoming citizens.

Alas, you've not discovered a hidden pattern, except maybe a hidden pattern in the kinds of people you socialize with. Chinese nationals cannot hold dual citizenship, and renouncing their Chinese citizenship creates very serious complications, including around property and inheritance when parents die, which you would be aware of if you knew any Chinese person well enough to have had this conversation with them.

Based on gov.uk immigration system statistics data and tables, among those with indefinite leave to remain, the most likely to seek citizenship are British Overseas Citizens, Austrians and Lithuanians. The least likely are Moroccans and Venezuelans.

> The least likely are Moroccans and Venezuelans

Weird in the Venezuelans case, as there is no restrictions for double nationality and having only Venezuelan citizenship doesn't have many advantages. I would guess that it is because most Venezuelans living there already have an European passport due to parents/grandparent, so no need/can't get a third

Cannot only if the other European country does not allow dual nationality.

If they are permanently settled in the UK surely it would be better to have British citizenship rather than that of a country they do not live in?

The nationalities listed are all very small groups in the UK. maybe they are not really permanently settled? Someone who moves somewhere for work might end up living there a decade (and in the UK that would mean getting indefinite leave to remain) and then returning.

I admit not knowing a lot of Chinese nationals, but I do know a very wide range of people. Of course, issues with property and inheritance only apply to people who have sufficient for it to be a major issue.

Could you link to the stats showing that? What about all the other countries? What is the position of BNOs?

Indefinite leave to remain is not the same as permanently settled - there is a difference between long term and the rest of your life.

Apart from the fact that some countries don't allow dual citizenships so you would loose the other one:

- cost: ~2k

- time: 2 exams

- paperwork required to keep other nationalities in some cases

- after feb 2026, you can only re-enter the UK with a British passport (more cost) or with extra paperwork to enable your other passport (more costs ~500)

Countries that do not allow dual citizenship is a good reason, and maybe the cost and paperwork required by other countries (although, unless you really cannot afford it its worth getting it to cover yourself in case rules change). I did it myself.

The same goes for the cost of British citizenship. once you have it its just the cost of renewing passports (about £100/decade at current rates) for the rest of your life. That £2,000 is much less than the cost of renewing some types or residence visa and gives you the security of being a citizen.

Cost is a big reason.

My personal reason is that I travel a lot, so I never meet the physical presence within the country requirements.

Some countries don't allow dual citizenship, which means you'd no longer be a citizen of your country of origin, you know, where your family might live.

I have plenty of friends who otherwise would apply, and ILR should be sufficient in a democratic government following social and political contracts.

Is that true for any EU countries?

Yes: Austria and Slovakia still do, possibly others as well. And Germany only stopped preventing it within the last year or two.

The UK will help circumvent this for current British citizens when they acquire new citizenship in one of those countries (eg. America famously makes you hand over your old passport, but the UK will happily ship you a replacement in an unmarked envelope), but that doesn't really work so well in the other direction.

this was true until a few years ago for Italy and France too, getting one nationality would instantly lose you the other. I think this isn't true anymore, but I do have a friend who lived in the country for decades and never picked up the nationality because of this.

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