Immigrant integration and access to citizenship in the European Union: the role of origin countries

Abstract

This position paper addresses the following research question: “How do actors in sending countries influence the integration of immigrants in the European Union, with regard to the access to citizenship?” The paper argues that the access to citizenship can be viewed as an important factor in the process of integration of immigrants in the destination country. The role of actors in third countries, while only one of the factors that determine citizenship take-up among integration, is crucial as particularly by allowing dual citizenship, countries of origin can take away a major constraint for immigrants in the naturalisation process. Research shows that naturalisation rates are positively impacted by tolerant policies towards dual citizenship. The report discusses the state-of-the-art on the propensity to naturalise among immigrants, as well as on the relation between citizenship and integration. It also presents some key findings from the literature and outlines the relevant questions for further research.