Malawi Immigration tells Asian dual citizenship holder told to renounce or risk revocation
Immigration Department has warned Asian businessman Kassam Nurmahomed he risks arrest an and that his failure to voluntarily renounce his British citizenship would have his Malawi passport revoked because Malawi does not recognise dual citizenship.
Nurmahomed was recently arrested by the Immigration Department for contravening the Citizenship Act after he was found in possession of a British and Malawian passport when he was about to leave the country for South Africa.
But the businessman who is alleged in possession of several passports has not renounced the British citizenship and is also having the Malawian passport.
Immigration Department reportedly verified with the British authorities to establish his citizenship status.
Now authorities in Malawi are warning the Asian businessman to either renounce or risk revocation as there is no other way out for dual citizenship holders.
“It is an individual’s personal responsibility to renounce their Malawian citizenship after obtaining citizenship in another country,” said an Immigration official.
“Malawian citizenship can only be terminated through renouncement or revocation,” it said.
“Immigration department will proceed with revocation of citizenships as we have the evidence of breach of law,” said.
According to documents seen by Nyasa Times, Nurmahomed had acquired the Malawian passport number MA 867427on 26 April 2016 and started using it alongside his British passport.
Malawi laws prohit dual citizenship.
Immigration officials asked him to surrender the Malawian passport to use his British docuements or go to renounce the UK papers for the Malawian travel documents.
But Nurmahommed challenged that he cannot surrender any of the passports, saying he will use his “connections” to keep using both documents.
He reportedly told Immigration Department that he surrendered the British passport but sources says he had claimed to UK High Commission loss of a passport and he was issued a new booklet.
President Peter Mutharika is on record to have told the state controlled Malawi Broadcasting Corporation that the Ministry of Justice is currently working on the legislation which will enable Malawians hold dual citizenship.
The President said he will live to his promise he made in parliament e that government will review dual citizenship law.“We are currently drafting the legislation, very soon we will have the legislation,” he said.
But as the President promised, dual citizenship will come into effect when the law changes but those having dual nationalities in Malawi are contravening the law and deserve to be indicted.
Anyone, not only Asians, who are using dual citizenship before the legislation allowing more than single nationality, are committing an offence and can face charges.
Single citizenship is a national allegiance to a country s from the fact of having been born and raised in that country. This form of allegiance is sometimes turned into an entitlement which allows some people to make certain claims against the state.
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Well duel passport should be even for US diasporas not AMWENYE basi. Its not jealous but reality. AMWENYE dont bank their money in Africa. But we diasporas have sending money tog our relatives in a form of forex for years. We.contribute so why denying US dual citizenship while mwenye have it? My grandfathers were born in Malawi so do I. Married to a foreign change My passport But can not hold My nationality passport But mwenye NO root has three citizenship. India, Brittisk and Malawian. Are we still in colonial were Indian were holder of those citizenship But not Africans.… Read more »
What is the problem with dual citizenship? This is a trivial matter, rather check his tax records, since he is a businessman. Is his business a contibutor to the economy of the country, that is the information we should be discussing. Most Asians in and Europeans resident in Malawi , are citizens to other countries too. Did they qualify, well, find out. You will find that the problem is at the immigration office not the holder.
Malawi government can not police dual citizenship which cleary involves investigating worldwide, remember a passport is only a travel document issued to citizens who choose to have it, therefore not all holders of a second citizenship will reveal or carry the proof of their dual citizenship. We should not have laws which we can’t enforce and law which does help our security ,economy or democracy. In any countries if you work or do business or simply reside legally for 5 or 10 or more years you can apply for citizenship, Including in Malawi. Please understand amwenyewa or azunguwa they became… Read more »
Jealousy, there are a lot of Malawians enafe of black African ethnic groups we have passports, ena USA, eNA RSA, eNA , UK etc. The law SIMPLY STATES THAT IF THOSE CASES, PERSONEL SHOULD REVOKE THEIR MALAWIAN CITIZENSHIP, OR, LOGICALLY REVOKE THE SECOND CITIZENSHIP, HOWEVER IN THOSE CASES THE LAW DOES WILL NOT RECOGNISE THE SECOND CITIZENSHIP.therefore why are the police recognising his British citizenship as a second, this law drives away some potential investors and creates problems by denying Malawians living abroad with second citizenship a chance to migrate back home or a chance to acquire foreign citizenship. In… Read more »
The president himself has dual citizenship why punishing the Indian. Peter lied to hv surrendered the green card. He still holds it . I can not say much.
in the first place how did he get the Malawian passport…?
Ifenso a Malawi tikumagulitsa dziko lathuli kwa zi anthu zobwerazi in the name of money.
lets get rid of them all….!!
immigration wake up!!!
amwenye ambiriwa ali ndi malawi passport….
check ku transmaritine, skyaband, polyplast, global internet, a mma shop mu limbe, ndi bwalo la njobvu…
I wonder why our president wants legalisation of Dual Citizenship. I remember him telling the nation during the runup to 2014 election that he surrendered his American Green Card or something to that effect.
JUST IMPRISON OR DEPORT THIS LAW BREAKER.
SIMPLE ISSUE HERE
Kassam Nurmahomed’s issue is just a tip of the iceberg. Many Asians in Malawi have Malawi passports and another passport for another country i.e. India or Pakistan. Immigration, check each one of them!