Document #1308331
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
The following information was provided by
the first secretary of the Embassy of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in
Washington, DC in a telephone interview on 19 October 1994.
A child born in PNG is not granted
citizenship unless either the parents or the grandparents are PNG
citizens. The first secretary was unsure whether both parents or
both grandparents had to be PNG citizens in order for the child to
be granted citizenship. A child born in PNG to foreign parents is
not granted citizenship if the grandparents are also foreign.
An individual can apply for PNG citizenship
if he fulfills a number of conditions, including residency in PNG
for at least seven years, and can demonstrate the ability to speak
one of the national languages. However, citizenship is not
automatically granted.
Please consult the attached copy of article
66 (citizenship by descent) of the PNG constitution for additional
information.
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
Embassy of Papua New Guinea, Washington,
DC. 19 October 1994. Telephone interview with the first
secretary.
Toleris, Angela et al. September 1985.
"Papua New Guinea," Constitutions of the Countries of the
World. Edited by Albert P. Blaustein and Gisbert H. Flanz.
Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana Publications, p. 72.