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Four surprisingly valuable citizenships

Four surprisingly valuable citizenships

While it’s obvious that European and US citizenships are among the world’s most powerful, there are also some more surprising entries on the list.

In a world with ever-changing political and economic circumstances and uncertainty, the ability to move freely between countries is becoming even more valuable.

Most countries require non-nationals to get a visa before crossing their boarder, some countries offer each others’ citizens a quick visa on arrival while others request extensive entry and exit information and a hefty fee.

Also read: Five hardest countries to become a citizen

Below are four countries for which it is surprisingly valuable to be a citizen.

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South Korea

South Korea has enjoyed an amazing success story – some 15 years ago it was simply a migrant country, but today it is one of Asia’s wealthiest, exporting high-end goods such as Samsung electronics and Hyundai vehicles.

According to Passport Index, South Korea’s citizenship and passport is ranked second – alongside Germany and France – with unrestricted access to 145 of some 219 countries.

The low crime rates, wealth of job opportunities, diverse and cheap food and accessible and affordable healthcare have also driven a hike in the number of expats in the region to well over one million.

South Korea offers expats the opportunity to get permanent residency via naturalization after five years or by investing in a local Korean business.

Also read: Five easiest countries to become a citizen

Singapore

According to Passport Index Singapore’s passport is ranked fourth – alongside Japan, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, and Luxembourg – in terms of freedom of travel, or the number of countries one can visit without an advance visa or by purchasing a visa on arrival (143 countries).

Aside from the ease of travelling with a Singapore passport, expats are generally drawn to the country by its tax relief and benefits, education, healthcare, housing and employment benefits.

It takes two years of residence after obtaining permanent residency to qualify for naturalization, or you can simply set up a local company to qualify.

However, a significant drawback to consider is that dual citizenship is not recognized in Singapore.

Japan

Japan sits alongside Singapore, ranked fourth in terms of its passport power rank, with the ability to access 143 countries visa free.

Citizenship for Japan gives the added bonus of a visa-free travel to the Republic of China – which most other G7 countries don’t have.

Also read: ACCC warns migrants, visa holders about deportation scam

Naturalisation for Japan requires continuous residence for five years, and similarly to Singapore, requires applicants to give up their current citizenship.

Canada

Canadian passports are considered to be the fifth more powerful – alongside Switzerland – with visa-free access to 142 countries.

Amongst the most valuable is the ease of which a Canadian passport can get tourist access to the notoriously picky United States – Canadians are even eligible to work in the US if they meet NAFA provisions.

Also read: As refugees arrive in Australia, what will they get?

Applicants for Canadian citizenship must be English or French speaking and have been a permanent resident of Canada for three years.