At least 2,606 Bangladeshi citizens have surrendered the country's citizenship formally in the last eight years. Most of them availed of citizenship in Germany during the period under review. This is quite intriguing. What prompted these people to leave the citizenship of their birthplace? Were they not convinced of the growth story the ousted regime of Sheikh Hasina circulated? Though the number of people who took citizenship of other countries is smaller compared to the total population, it tells an altogether different story.
Over the decades, thousands of Bangladeshi migrated to North America, Western Europe, and Oceania for higher education, business, and jobs. Many migrants in those countries adopted permanent residency (PR) or green card status. For instance, more than 30,000 Bangladeshi have availed of PR in the last 10 years. Some of them have finally become citizens of the host countries. As some countries do not allow dual citizenship, one has to formally scrap the citizenship of Bangladesh and submit a proof of severance of domicile in origin.
Again, a large number of Bangladeshis who have citizenships in other countries also do not surrender their first-country citizenships formally. This is because there are no such requirements. Instead, some also avail themselves of dual citizenship formally. According to a news report published in a vernacular daily, some 33,000 have availed themselves of dual citizenship since 1988. It is hard to know the real numbers, for non-availability of genuine official record.
Despite being citizens of another country, it is also possible for a Bangladeshi to maintain their Bangladesh citizenship without availing of the formal dual citizenship. If they are a holder of Bangladesh's national identity (NID) card, it is proof of their Bangladeshi citizenship. Using the NID card, they can even get a Bangladesh passport, and many are doing so. The indirect dual citizenship allows them to easily maintain their inherited properties, assets and businesses in Bangladesh. Some of them also use Bangladesh passports for travelling purposes. For instance, some make their registration for Hajj using Bangladesh NID and perform the Hajj using Bangladesh passport to avoid high cost.
Bangladesh has also granted its citizenship to 452 foreigners so far. Most of them were granted citizenship by marriage. Legally, there is an option to obtain permanent residency in Bangladesh through investment. A foreigner must invest at least US$75,000 for a permanent resident permit. To obtain citizenship, the minimum required investment in Bangladesh is US$500,000. However, there is no updated data on this.
One may also want to know the number of Bangladeshi citizens who have given up their citizenship since the country's independence. Unfortunately, there is no official data in this connection, thanks to the reluctance of the home ministry to preserve the record carefully. The ministry was divided into two --- the Public Security Division and the Security Service Division--- in 2017. Since then, the Security Service Division has been entrusted with the citizenship issue. Officials of the ministry hold that all the data before 2017 had been lost due to the division. This lack of data hampers our ability to understand the scale and reasons for relinquishment of citizenship. But it is crucial to policy-making and understanding the socio-economic dynamics of the country.
Maintaining information and records of citizenship is a serious matter. By not preserving them properly and carefully, the ministry has already created a vacuum. The same ministry that is responsible for immigration and visas does not have full data on visa issuance and renewal.
In a globalised world, the right to migrate for a better life and work is a fundamental human right. The migration of Bangladeshis to the developed world and their pursuit of permanent residency is a natural part of this global landscape. However, it is crucial for the country to understand the underlying factors driving this migration in order to adjust its development policies accordingly.
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