Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, David Nakhid, has assured that a thorough and proper vetting process will be implemented for applicants seeking citizenship under the proposed Constitution Amendment Bill 2025, also known as the Grandparents’ Citizenship Law.
The law seeks to allow individuals with Trinbagonian grandparents to claim citizenship, even if their parents are not citizens.
Mr. Nakhid sought to dispel misconceptions about the Bill, stressing that it does not offer automatic citizenship to all applicants.
“They also believe that this was something that’s citizenship for everyone. As I stated before, it’s not. There are legal, legislative safeguards. There are administrative safeguards. For example, even if someone applies, they are going to be vetted, and they will be vetted in a way that is strict and in line with all our administrations that are there. It’s going to be something that’s not going to be, ‘Okay, you applied and you get through.’”
Opposition Senator Faris Al-Rawi recognised FIFA’s regulation as it relates to the acquisition of citizenship by descent. He argued that it does not allow citizenship by descent through a grandparent.
“The mischief for us comes about in the need for greater analysis of the impact of grandparents by way of descent. The analysis is required in consultation with the Elections and Boundaries Commission. The analysis is required with some of our international players as it relates to anti-terrorism laws. The analysis is required in respect of, perhaps, taxation laws as well.”
Meanwhile, Independent Senator Dr. Marlene Attz called for clarity. She expressed that while amendments to the bill were brief, the consequences are far-reaching and must be matched by administrative capacity.
“We should be clear what standard operating procedures will guide this vetting process. We should be clear on what data-sharing arrangements exist between Immigration, National Security, Foreign Affairs, and our Overseas Missions. And most importantly, we should be clear on what is the resourcing plan to manage what could be hundreds and thousands of lineage-based applications without grinding our system to a halt.”