Vin Diesel, the famous “Fast & Furious” actor, was recently denied a U.S. visa. He was born in New York and is a U.S. citizen. He recently applied for and obtained citizenship in the Philippines. He turned Filipino after his application for Philippine citizenship was recently approved. To be a Filipino is something great and Filipinos are nice people, according to him. Diesel wishes to continue his acting career in the Philippines, which he calls his second home. He stated that he is looking to shoot some of his next movies there.
After obtaining his citizenship in the Philippines, Diesel purchased a beachside property in Boracay, Central Philippines, a popular tourist destination. He was able to purchase the property only after he was granted Philippine citizenship as Filipino nationals alone can own property in the Philippines. Diesel now wants to travel back to the U.S. to work on his film projects. When he applied for a U.S. visa at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, he was denied a visa, according to TheAdoboChronicles.com.
The Philippines recognizes dual citizenship but the U.S. doesn’t encourage it. That may be the reason why his application for a U.S. visa was denied. A person can be a citizen of two different countries at the same time and this concept is called dual citizenship. Not all the countries recognize dual citizenship; different countries have different laws and policies related to dual citizenship. The U.S. recognizes the existence of dual citizenship but it does not encourage it as a matter of policy. U.S. citizenship laws do not require a person who is naturalizing to give up his previous nationality or choose one citizenship or the other. Likewise, those gaining foreign citizenship automatically may not lose their U.S. citizenship. But those voluntarily applying for and receiving foreign citizenship with an intention of relinquishing their U.S. citizenship may lose their American citizenship.
However, individuals who obtain citizenship in foreign countries without the intention of giving up U.S. citizenship may not lose their citizenship in the U.S. Such individuals may be allowed to hold dual nationality. Though the U.S. government does not encourage dual nationality, it may allow U.S. citizens to hold other nationalities. At the same time, the U.S. government is also concerned about the consequences dual citizenship may cause. Click here to read more about dual citizenship.
