Naturalization of Immigrants: The Australian Experience in a Longitudinal Survey, circa 1996 Eduardo Azmitia, RIIM-SFU

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• Naturalization of Immigrants The Australian
  Experience in a Longitudinal Survey, circa
  1996Eduardo Azmitia, RIIM-SFU

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Presentation Outline

• Background of Australian Citizenship
• Economic Theory of Citizenship
• Data
• Results

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Australian CitizenshipHistorical Background

• Australian citizenship was created on with the
  passage of the Australian Citizenship Act 1948.
• It describes the ways in which citizenship can be
  obtained and lost.
• Current eligibility requirements include 2 years
  of residency and basic English

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Australian CitizenshipBroad Numbers

• More 3 million immigrants have become
  Australian citizens since 1949
• Over 70,000 immigrants become new citizens each
  year
• Approximately 900,000 permanent residents still
  eligible to become Australian citizens

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Australian CitizenshipForeign Born Australian
Citizens
Birth Place 1996 Census 2001Census
U.K. 654,700 650,900
Italy 189,600 170,800
Vietnam 134,200 139,300
Greece 121,400 111,100
New Zealand 93,800 113,600
China 94,000
Philippines 76,600 84,500
Germany 84,800 79,000
Lebanon 66,300 65,200
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Australian Citizenship Economic Theory

• Immigrants decision to obtain citizenship is
  mainly based on a evaluation of the benefits and
  costs of citizenship.
• Yang, P.Q. 1994. Explaining immigrant
  naturalization. International Migration Review
  28(3) 449-77
• Devoretz, D. J. and J. Ma. 2002. Triangular human
  capital flows between sending, entrepot, and the
  rest of the world regions. Canadian Studies in
  Population 29(1)53-69.

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Australian CitizenshipBenefits

• Australian passport
• access to government labour markets and special
  programs
• registration of children born overseas as
  Australian by descent
• avoidance of deportation
• possible wage premiums and employment benefits

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Australian CitizenshipCosts

• possible loss of former citizenship
• restricted access to international labour markets
  country (residency requirement)
• reduced political, economic, civic, and social
  rights in country of origin
• application costs
• military service if necessary

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Australian CitizenshipEconometric Framework

• Demographic Socioeconomic Variables
• Age (curvilinear)
• Gender (positive for males)
• Marital Status (positive)
• Education (positive)
• Time since Migration (positive)
• Low Income (negative)

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Australian CitizenshipEconometric Framework

• Contextual Variables (country of origin)
• GNP per capita (negative)
• Refugee sending country (positive)
• Socialist country (positive)
• English Developed Country (positive)
• Dual Citizenship allowed (positive)Contextual
  Variables (host country)
• Urban concentration of immigrants

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Australian CitizenshipData

• Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia
  (LSIA-1). This is the most comprehensive and
  detailed survey of immigrants that has been ever
  undertaken on Australia. The complete LSIA-1
  sample consists of 5,192 individuals who arrived
  to Australia between September 1993 and August
  1995

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Australian CitizenshipReasons To Apply

• 1) To stay permanently 28,6662) To
  belong / feel Australian 9,152 3) Passport
  related 6,9134) To vote Get
  in politics 3,464 Top Reason Not To
  ApplyWant to retain citizenshipof former home
  country 2,603

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Australian CitizenshipSummary Concluding
Remarks