New Zealand is a desirable country with picturesque landscapes, a warm climate and friendly people. Many Chinese want to settle down here and get permanent residency or citizenship in New Zealand. Some, however, make a different choice. They renounced their New Zealand citizenship and reverted to Chinese citizenship. What are they for?
NetEase - Discover New Zealand interviewed one such person, his name is Joe (pseudonym), and he told us his story and thoughts.
Joe is a Chinese who has lived in New Zealand for 17 years, and he is a former New Zealand citizen with a New Zealand passport. He completed his studies, work, and family in New Zealand. Around 2015, he and his wife exchanged their permanent residency for New Zealand passports in order to consider going to Australia for development.
However, he didn't stay in Australia long and began to want to return to China. "I think New Zealand is too boring for lying down and retirement, but that's not what we want," he said. His parents, who live in a first-tier city in China, were reluctant to move to New Zealand, so they suggested that he return to China to try.
After returning to China, he found that China had changed too much, and he quickly adapted to life in China and saw the joy of China. He has a very interesting food business in China. He experienced the death of his father, but he also cherished the company of his family even more. "It's really stressful in China, everyone is working frantically, but it also gives me passion and challenge," he said. I've paid a lot of taxes in New Zealand for so many years, but I've never enjoyed any benefits. The harder you work, the more you pay taxes, and you raise a lot of lazy people. ”
However, he also experienced a lot of inconveniences in his life in China, mainly because of his New Zealand passport. He needs a visa every time he enters or leaves the country, he doesn't have an ID card, he can't open a bank card and can only use a passbook, he needs a guarantee and a certificate of no criminal record at every turn, and so on. "At that time, I couldn't even play a game because I couldn't authenticate my real name. He laughs.
In the end, he decided to restore his Chinese nationality and renounce his New Zealand citizenship. It was a long and complicated process, which took 8 months, during which time I had to go back to New Zealand to go through the relevant formalities and not be able to leave the country, which delayed a lot of things. "Restoring Chinese citizenship is not an easy task, but a rather complicated and cumbersome process," he said. I hope that by sharing my experience, I can help those who wish to restore their Chinese nationality, and at the same time remind those who are considering becoming a foreigner to consider carefully. ”
He also mentioned that while restoring his Chinese citizenship, he also retained his permanent resident status in New Zealand, so that he could return to New Zealand at any time without worrying about visas. He said: "The biggest role of the New Zealand passport is that there are many visa-free countries, but it is not troublesome for the Chinese passport to apply for a visa. Besides, many Chinese foreign passports are actually Chinese visas at most. ”
I was shocked by Joe's story of how he renounced his New Zealand citizenship and returned to China, and his reasons made me think deeply. Some people can't understand why they want to give up their New Zealand citizenship and go back to China. But there are also many more who express understanding and support, and even some people feel the same way. Joe has received a lot of private messages asking how to transfer back to Chinese nationality, mostly Chinese from Five Eyes countries. Among their "expatriate groups", the largest number are Chinese Canadians, accounting for about 60%. Like him, many people have successfully regained their Chinese nationality, and they have said that they still live comfortably in China.
Some people haven't even quit yet, but they are already planning to quit, or dissuading family members who want to quit foreigners. Many people want to go back, feeling that no matter how long they live abroad, they don't have a sense of belonging, and they plan to wait until their lives in China are stable before quitting abroad.
For those who are undecided, Joe said, "Everyone has their own answer to choose to live in **, and someone else's model may not apply to you." In general, the restoration of nationality can only be returned to the place of origin, if it is China.
First- and second-tier cities are worth considering, but it is more important to consider whether to decide whether to make the child's descendants completely foreigners or Chinese, and nationality does not only affect the person. ”
Joe's story made me think about the question: Is the moon really rounder abroad? Perhaps, for some Chinese, it is still the Chinese moon that is more intimate.
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