Nationality
Why is citizenship, your passport or originating from a country seen as a privilege?
DEFINITION
Nationality is defined as a legal identification of a person in international law, establishing the person as a subject or national of a sovereign state. It affords the state’s jurisdiction over the person and affords the person the protection of that state against other states.
Why is having a certain nationality a privilege?
There is a hierarchy of nationalities where those nationalities that attribute more freedoms and rights are held at a higher level than others. Holding one or more of these nationalities is a privilege because you have more access in your country of origin and foreign countries. This nationality privilege means you have a nationality that results in more accessible access to employment, education, travel and healthcare, and citizenship benefits such as the right to vote.
What is your privilege?
- My passport allows me to travel around many parts of the world, and I generally have little concern about visa application processes when travelling.
- I can vote, access public services and apply for government jobs in the country where I was born or have been naturalised.
- I have never felt discriminated against, judged or denied work or housing because of national stereotypes linked with my nationality.
- If I move abroad, I will be considered an expat rather than an immigrant in the host country.
The stats don’t lie:
- 27% of African visitor visa requests made to the UK in the two years to September 2018 were refused, compared with the overall refusal rate of 12%. For both Middle Eastern and Asian applicants, the figure was 11%, while for North Americans, it was 4 % (Joint All-Party Parliamentary Group for Africa, 2019)
- Around 60% of our lifetime income is determined by country
- of citizenship (Milanovic, 2015)
- Median of 33% of Europeans believe that it is very important for a person to be born in their country to be considered a true national (Pew Research, 2017)
Everyday Realities
Nationality
Nationality can affect how easily people move through the world. For some, travel, work, education, healthcare, and long-term planning are relatively straightforward. For others, visas, immigration rules, restrictions, and uncertainty can create challenges. These differences are underestimated by those who do not experience them, yet they play a big role in everyday decisions and sense of security.
Quiz
We have a short quiz and invite you to reflect on how your nationality or citizenship status may have forged your experiences and its impact on your everyday life.
