Rights to citizenship for spouses of citizens.
Posted: Sun 13 Sep 2020 11:58 am
I realise this issue is somewhat 'niche' but it is a niche I find myself in.
As far as I have understood properly, the recent changes to the law have pretty fundamentally changed the rights of people married to citizens here. Whilst many aspects of the consequences of this new law on various categories of people have been widely discussed here I do not recall this particular category being covered ?
My understanding is that prior to this law change, there was a legal route to full citizenship for non citizens who married a Cypriot citizen. I know of quite a few non citizens who gained full citizenship, no different from mine as a citizen by birth right, via marriage to a citizen. I even know of one person who's full citizenship was granted having married a citizen who themselves was originally a non citizen who gained their citizenship via marriage to a citizen.
Since the law change it appears there is no longer any route to such full citizenship via marriage to a citizen at all. Only to the limited 'white card' citizenship. What is more in addition to such limited citizenship not conferring any rights to vote and needing to be 'reconfirmed' every 2 years, it also seems to be dependant on continuation of the marriage over time, unlike the full citizenship that was previously granted via marriage to a citizen previously that seemed to remain valid even in the event of subsequent divorce.
I assume but do not know and remain somewhat concerned, that 'death of spouse' does not constitute a change of circumstances that would lead to removal of limited white card citizenship granted, that divorce from spouse does ?
Overall it seems to me that the law changes impact this category of people more egregiously than any other vs how things were before the change ?
As far as I have understood properly, the recent changes to the law have pretty fundamentally changed the rights of people married to citizens here. Whilst many aspects of the consequences of this new law on various categories of people have been widely discussed here I do not recall this particular category being covered ?
My understanding is that prior to this law change, there was a legal route to full citizenship for non citizens who married a Cypriot citizen. I know of quite a few non citizens who gained full citizenship, no different from mine as a citizen by birth right, via marriage to a citizen. I even know of one person who's full citizenship was granted having married a citizen who themselves was originally a non citizen who gained their citizenship via marriage to a citizen.
Since the law change it appears there is no longer any route to such full citizenship via marriage to a citizen at all. Only to the limited 'white card' citizenship. What is more in addition to such limited citizenship not conferring any rights to vote and needing to be 'reconfirmed' every 2 years, it also seems to be dependant on continuation of the marriage over time, unlike the full citizenship that was previously granted via marriage to a citizen previously that seemed to remain valid even in the event of subsequent divorce.
I assume but do not know and remain somewhat concerned, that 'death of spouse' does not constitute a change of circumstances that would lead to removal of limited white card citizenship granted, that divorce from spouse does ?
Overall it seems to me that the law changes impact this category of people more egregiously than any other vs how things were before the change ?