The Directorate of Immigration and Emigration will speed up the approval for Rwandan citizenship following a presidential order that transferred the services from Ministry of Justice to the directorate, its officials said.

A presidential order issued on May 29 placed the responsibility of approving foreigners interested in acquiring Rwandan citizenship to the department of Immigration and Emigration.

"The reason is not only because of security, but it was realized that Immigration is the only department that has a foreigners’ data-base and thus the institution best placed to do it.

And, even in other countries, like the USA, nationality is handled by immigration,” Damascene, Rusanganwa, an official of the department said.

"From the first of June, we started receiving applications but we haven’t yet given out any because of the long process involved,” Rusanganwa added, noting that 10 applications have already been received and many other people are visiting the office, inquiring about the process.

The application process includes reception of application files, interviews, cabinet approval and even taking an oath for successful applicants.

Rusanganwa noted that there have been several amendments to nationality laws in the past and that the new legislation particularly highlights elements like special consideration given to a foreigner in the interest of Rwanda.
 
"There are special considerations to foreign experts and, unlike in old laws where only a child born to a Rwandan father was eligible, now children born to either a father or a mother can be given nationality.”

The purpose of the July 2008 law, a copy of which The New Times has, is to determine the conditions of acquisition, enjoyment and deprivation of Rwandan nationality.

Under the law, "majority age” or the authorized age for anyone applying for nationality is at least 18 years and, any foreigner born on Rwandan territory from alien parents may acquire nationality if he or she applies for it.

Article nine of the law notes that a child born in Rwanda, to unknown or stateless parents or who cannot acquire the nationality of either parent shall be Rwandan.

Foreigners can also become Rwandan nationals by naturalization as well as after three years of a legally registered marriage to a Rwandan upon application. 

The law outlines several conditions relating to naturalization including ownership of sustainable activities in Rwanda and respecting Rwandan culture and being patriotic.

Article 19 states that no person shall be deprived of Rwandan nationality of origin but stresses that one may be deprived of acquired nationality if nationality was illegally acquired or if one acquired it "with the intention of betraying the country.”

This, however, as noted in article 21, cannot have adverse effects on the deprived person’s spouse and children if they subsequently acquired it.

Meanwhile, article 22 underlines that a Rwandan or his or her descendant who was deprived of their nationality between November 1959 and December 1994, shall upon return to Rwanda re-acquire their nationality of origin "without applying.”

The recovery of acquired nationality, however, is applied for and the applicants must provide proof of their earlier status, reasons why it was lost and why they want to recover it.

A foreigner born in Rwanda of foreigners residing in Rwanda as well as one who is married to a Rwandan will pay Rwf 20,000 while a naturalized foreigner shall pay Rwf 100,000.

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