Dual Citizenship - The process starts today

Time to add some content to this blog, some new and different content because new and different times have arrived. I'm applying for Australian Citizenship and I'm going to document the process here. The application process will mark the beginning of my very first official interactions with the Australian government and honestly I'm not sure what to expect. I'm hopeful that this will be a smooth process and completed in a timely manner because I'm excited about getting to the next step, the impetus for my decision to become an Australian citizen, going down under.

My mother was born in Australia to my Australian grandmother and American grandfather who had been stationed in New Guinea during World War II. After my brother and I had turned 18, my mother told us she had learned that as minors we would have been eligible to apply for dual citizenship. Sadly, however, after we passed the age of 18 and became adults it was too late to apply. Many times over the years I lamented this missed opportunity to officially, publicly, and proudly embrace my Australian heritage. So much so that even now, in my mid-40s, I find that my mind has turned to these thoughts frequently. So one day while sitting at the computer and procrastinating work, I decided to let my fingers do the walking as it were and asked posted a question about the possibility of my achieving citizenship on reddit.com (reddit.com/r/ameristralia/). It's hard to convey the sense of elation and possibility that I experienced when a kind Ameristralian redditor directed me to the Australian government's website where I discovered and read the rather nebulous and generic sounding "Form 118."

Apparently the law that had previously prevented me from applying had changed with the Australian Citizenship Act of 2007 and now I, and untold other citizens of so many other countries born to Australian citizens abroad, am free to apply for "Citizenship by Descent." The form has been downloaded, printed, and all spaces filled out by me, not coincidentally using a pen given to my by my Australian cousin as a gift for graduation from grad school in 2009. Red tape is clearly not an American invention. But I understand the care and caution that necessarily underlies my request so I am patient and eager to begin.

Today I begin Step 1 - gathering the necessary documents and having them certified by an authorized person. As a person living outside of Australia, and more than 500 miles from the Australian Consulate in Washington, D.C., I must have my documents certified by a person who is not related to me, has known me for more than five years, and is employed in one of 38 listed professions. I was completely heartbroken and discouraged until I got to number 37 on the list. So now the process can begin and I think I'll start it today with a hair cut. I want to look nice for the "True and original photograph" of myself that I must have certified and attached to Form 118.

More soon!