Washington dc: The Philippine Embassy in Washington DC has reaffirmed that the United States continues to allow dual citizenship, countering circulating rumors that holding dual citizenship could threaten an individual's American citizenship status.
According to Philippines News Agency, recent months have seen a rise in online claims suggesting that the US would impose new restrictions requiring the renunciation of other citizenships as part of an intensified immigration crackdown. However, the embassy has made it clear that there have been no changes to the existing policy. In a statement, the embassy asserted, "The United States continues to allow dual citizenship, and there have been no changes to this policy."
In an effort to dispel misinformation, the embassy encouraged eligible individuals to apply for dual citizenship at the Philippine Embassy or Consulates in the United States. This statement coincided with the embassy's welcoming of 15 new dual citizens who had previously lost their Philippine citizenship upon naturalization as US citizens.
The embassy highlighted that Filipinos who have lost their Philippine citizenship through US naturalization can still apply for dual citizenship. Additionally, those born in the United States to at least one Filipino parent are considered dual Filipino-American citizens at birth and should report their birth to the Philippine Embassy or Consulate. However, dual citizens who voluntarily renounce their Philippine citizenship cannot reacquire it under Philippine Republic Act 9225, making such renunciation an irreversible legal action.
A bill aimed at ending dual citizenship in the US is currently pending in the US Senate. Nonetheless, the embassy noted that the bill would require several stages of lengthy deliberation and its future remains uncertain, contingent on the decisions of the US Congress.
In past clarifications, the Philippine Embassy emphasized that previous challenges to dual and multiple citizenship have not come to fruition. Historical legal precedents, such as the US Supreme Court's 1952 statement in Kawakita v US, affirm the longstanding recognition of dual citizenship by law. The court stated, "A person may have and exercise rights of nationality in two countries and be subject to the responsibilities of both. The mere fact he asserts the rights of one citizenship does not mean that he renounces the other."
