Hi
Im an Australian citizen, born and bred. My grandfather is Polish - emigrated to Australia in 1949, gained Australian citizenship in 1958. My dad was born in Oz in 1951. My grandfather never renounced Polish citizenship.
Ive been told I am eligible to apply for polish citizenship, which means I can apply for a Polish passport. Anyone know anything about this and if this is indeed true?
thanks
Kay

 

Kay here -

Well Ive applied and awaiting outcome. Hard work. I got my granfathers polish birth certificate (and luckily could locate his parents also) and any documents I could of his - ie his Australian naturalization, the papers he arrived in Australia in and on ie. what 'migranrt program'... I had to include mine, my fathers details (passports and brith certificates) and write a biography of my grandfathers life...ALL IN POLISH! Hard work. Sent it to the Australian Polish consulate who inturn sent it to the Warsaw Vovoidship in Poland. Its been almost 2 months since I sent it away, no news yet....fingers crossed

 

To the person who was enquiring if they could get Polish citizenship..you maybe in luck..I found this below..rgds Kay

Poland welcomes returns from the diaspora
There are signs that Poles are returning from Western Europe, and the government has introduced new provisions to encourage Poles living in the former Soviet Union to come back.

Over half the 10,000 foreigners who apply for Polish citizenship each year are returning Polish emigrants. Although the net flow is still outwards, with 25,000 departing each year, the balance is tipping towards return. An unrecorded number of people with dual citizenship, who never surrendered their Polish passports or who retain their German citizenship, are also returning. There is a high representation of educated and skilled Poles among those coming back. With rising wages in and the prospect of EU membership, Poland has become relatively more attractive to skilled workers.

One region to suffer from out-migration in the post-Communist era was Silesia. Perhaps 10 per cent of the region’s population, 500,000 people, left after 1990. At the time German citizenship was easy to obtain for Poles of German heritage. Now some are coming back, permanently or temporarily. Some live in Poland but commute to Germany for work.

The Polish lower house (Sejm) passed a law to assist the repatriation of Poles who were left behind on the territories of the former USSR. Sources calculate that 20,000 of the 60,000 Poles in Kazakhstan will seek entry into Poland, just as Kazakh Germans repatriated. To qualify, a person must demonstrate that a parent, grandparent or two great-grandparents had Polish nationality. They must also show evidence of links with Polishness. The law excludes those repatriated from Poland between 1944 and 1957 to Belarus and Ukraine. Under the provision, the government will pay travel costs, the costs of setting up home, of educating children and a daily allowance.

In September it was announced that, for the first time, Poles living abroad will be able to vote in the second round of the presidential elections. The Foreign Ministry reckons there are 800,000 to one million eligible Polish citizens abroad.

When Poland joins the EU, in 2003 or 2005, the border with Belarus will become the EU’s eastern boundary. Germany and Austria are pressuring Warsaw to create a high-security, fenced border in anticipation of membership. But the Polish authorities are anxious not to offend their neighbours or jeopardise the significant (though falling) amount of cross-border trade, much of it informal. The Bialowieski Forest will prove particularly hard to police. Officials are already discovering networks of tunnels in the area designed to help smuggle migrants across.

Polish Parliament adopts law enabling repatriation of Poles from East, BBC Monitoring Service 20.7.00; Poland's emigres find the grass is greener at home, John Reed Financial Times 22.7.00; On the soon-to-be eastern frontier, The Economist 26.8.00; Poles abroad able to vote in runoff Presidential ballot, BBC Monitoring Service 20.9.00

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Hungarians continue to debate citizenship status
Pressure from the diaspora on Hungary’s government to extend citizenship rights to Hungarians abroad continued throughout the summer (see traces #10).

At a convention of the World Federation of Hungarian Calvinists in July, a statement from nine organizations representing Transylvanian Hungarians called on the government to move towards dual citizenship for the diaspora. It also requested more funding from Budapest for the diaspora, above the current 0.13 per cent of the national budget.

The Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) repeated its dissatisfaction with the government’s draft bill on the status of Hungarians abroad. Chairman Bela Marko called for the diaspora to receive the right of entry, but not the right to residence or to vote. Among the UDMR’s complaints is that the Hungarian authorities unfairly punish Transylvanian Hungarians caught working in the country illegally, but do nothing to punish the employers.

The President of the World Federation of Hungarians, Miklos Patrubany, undertook a cross-country tour of Hungary to campaign for the enhanced status, which he has compared to British alien citizenship more than full dual citizenship. Patrubany met with the general secretary of Austria’s governing People’s Party in Vienna to press his case. The WFH has support from junior parties in Hungary’s governing coalition, the Hungarian Democratic Forum and the Independent Smallholders’ party.

The government’s bill is scheduled to go to parliament in November. Hungarians in Transylvania (Romania) and Vojvodina (Serbia) began a petition campaign to influence the legislation and call for external citizenship.

In August Moldova enacted its new citizenship law allowing dual nationality in cases where there is a bilateral agreement with the citizen’s second country. President Lucinschi announced that the new law was in keeping with the European Convention on Citizenship, which Moldova accepted in March.

Hungary’s policy on ethnic Hungarians is to keep them at home – official, BBC monitoring service 17.7.00; Transylvanian Hungarians concerned over impact of Hungary’s EU entry, BBC Monitoring service 17.7.00; Federation leader campaigns for special citizenship for ethnic Hungarians, BBC Monitoring Service 19.7.00; World Federation of Hungarians leader proposes alien citizenship for ethnic kin, BBC Monitoring Service 21.7.00; Romanian Hungarians unhappy over Hungary’s bill on status of ethnic kin abroad, BBC monitoring service 25.7.00; Moldova enacts new citizenship law on dual nationality, BBC Monitoring Service 11.8.00; Romanian Hungarian official criticizes Hungary’s treatment of illegal workers, BBC Monitoring Service 25.9.00; Junior government party wants citizenship for Hungarians abroad, BBC Monitoring Service 28.9.00; Romanian Hungarians campaign for special Hungarian citizenship status, BBC Monitoring Service 28.9.00; Hungarian minorities official opposes citizenship for Hungarian diaspora, BBC Monitoring Service 4.10.00

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Lawsuits filed in USA by ‘comfort women’ and forced labourers
In August a group of Chinese forced to labour for Japanese companies during World War II filed suit in a Los Angeles court demanding compensation. The claim was exceptional in including Chinese citizens alongside US citizens of Chinese descent. Among the 20 companies named are Mitsui and Mitsubishi.

It was the latest of 30 similar lawsuits brought in the past year, The rise in suits comes as a result of the state of California extending the limit on filing to 2010. Non-US nationals and bereaved relatives may file suit. Not only Japanese companies, but also German firms have been the target of court actions in the USA.

A group of women claiming that they were forced to serve as ‘comfort women’ for the Japanese army in World War II brought a class action suit against the Japanese government in a Washington DC court in September. This was the first suit on this issue brought in the USA, and was brought under both US and international law. Among the group of 15 women are Koreans, Chinese, Filipinos and Taiwanese nationals, none with US citizenship.

The suit claims that the Japanese government set up hundreds of brothels and staffed them with 200,000 women brought by force from other Asian countries – so-called ‘comfort women’. The Japanese government responded to the suit by expressing remorse but stating that the matter was closed after the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty. In 1995 it set up the Asian Women’s Fund, which ahs paid out over two million yen to 170 women in compensation.

In a related development, the Korean Council for Women Drafted into Military Sexual Slavery by Japan called on the Korean government to challenge Japanese textbooks’ account of the war. The call coincided with a visit to Japan by President Kim Dae-jung.

Chinese to file forced labor lawsuit in U.S. court, Kazuo Ishii The Yomiuri Shimbun 23.8.00; ‘Comfort women’ lawsuit to be filed in U.S. court, The Yomiuri Shimbun 17.9.00; Wartime sex slaves take Japan to US court, Michael Ellison The Guardian 20.9.00; Korean comfort women appeal over Japan ‘distortion’ BBC Monitoring Service 22.9.00

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Tax havens and money laundering
The OECD and G7 stepped up their campaigns against tax havens and money laundering, led by the French and US governments.

Michael Camdessus, former head of the IMF, states that money laundering is equivalent to 2-5 per cent of global GNP. Oxfam reported that developing countries were losing $50 billion a year to tax havens, equivalent to the world’s total aid budget.

In late June France co-hosted a major international summit on tax havens, drawing together OECD member countries and others, 60 in total. France has taken the lead on tackling what it regards as harmful tax practices, meaning countries that seek to attract investment seeking to avoid tax in home countries. The OECD published a list of 35 such jurisdictions, giving them a year to reform. None of the countries named attended the summit. But they included territories linked to OECD members such as Gibraltar, Monaco, and the US Virgin Islands. Other British territories include Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Guernsey, the isle of Man, Jersey, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Failure to adopt more transparent practices within a year will lead to the countries being listed as ‘unco-operative tax havens’. The loss of reputation would endanger legitimate financial investment, it is argued.

In a separate report, the International Financial Action Task Force (FATF) against money laundering named certain countries as failing to co-operate sufficiently. They included Cyprus, Israel, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Malta, Liechtenstein and Mauritius, the Bahamas, Cook Islands, Dominica, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Panama, the Philippines, St Kitts and Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Russia was also listed. FATF member countries were urged to pay close attention to transactions originating from these places. It warns that failure to reform may lead to the rest of the world refusing to do business with tax havens. The FATF was set up by G7.

The G7’s finance ministers also issued a declaration about money-laundering and global financial crime at their meeting in Japan in July.

The US authorities are particularly keen to crack down on e-commerce companies using the internet to avoid sales tax. The US Treasury claims that it already has strong evidence that this practice is happening. In July Canada adopted a tough new law against money laundering to come into effect at the end of 2000. It will bring the law into line with the USA. Canada’s stable currency and good banking system have made it attractive for organized crime looking to launder money.

There was a strong reaction to the OECD and G7. A meeting of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in July rejected the OECD’s criticisms and accused it of running an ‘orchestrated campaign’ against them. They complained that Caribbean countries were not represented in the report process and argued that the FATF’s threats were against international law. At the United Nations in September, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Lester Bird, accused the rich world of breaking international law and trying to throttle efforts of small countries to improve themselves. In 1999 British and American investors were warned to be suspicious of transactions from Antigua, resulting in a sudden decline in the level of investment.

Cyprus promised to reform its offshore banking sector and stop tax evasion and money-laundering. The finance minister offered to submit reform proposals to the OECD for clearance, thereby avoiding being listed among the 35 unhelpful tax havens, as well as escaping the FATF list of 15. There are over 40,000 offshore companies registered on the island, but only 1,200 carry out day-to-day operations there. Among the rest are a large number of Russian and Yugoslav front companies.

Industrial world tightens net around tax havens, Sue Kendall Agence France Presse International 26.6.00; France co-hosts 60-state meeting on tax havens, Agence France Presse International 29.6.00; All havens in a storm, the Economist 1.7.00; Business centre or tax haven?, Kerin Hope Financial Times 3.7.00; Caricom summit rejects OECD calling some Caribbean nations ‘harmful tax havens’, BBC Monitoring Service 6.7.00; Making clean work of dirty money, Michael Peel Financial Times 7.7.00; OECD takes aim at 'harmful' tax havens, Michael Peel Financial Times 7.7.00; Sun, sea, sand and the occasional hurricane, Stephen Arthur Financial Times 7.7.00; Main points of G7 statement, Agence France Presse International 8.7.00; US seeks to stop net becoming an offshore tax haven, Peter Spiegel Financial Times 11.7.00; Money-laundering laws in Canada get some starch, Sandra Rubin Financial Post 13.7.00; Idylls where the jet set find life not too taxing, Patrick Jenkins Financial Times 29.7.00; Small states, big money, The Economist 23.9.00

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Serb diaspora meets to back Milosevic
In August representatives of the Serbian diaspora met in Belgrade to offer support to the tottering Milosevic regime. The assembly, known as Convention Diaspora 2000, formed a council of 11 members. It backed Milosevic’s candidature for the Presidency after he had addressed the assembly. Among its other decisions was an initiative to require every adult in the diaspora to contribute 100 Deutschesmarks a year to the Council’s activities. The delegates also criticised the UN for its policy on Kosovo. The diaspora convention first met in August 1999. The delegate’s flights and expenses were paid for by the Serbian government, ensuring a friendly reception for Milsoevic.

Around 50,000 Serbs were expected to return to the country to vote in September’s Presidential elections. There were no provisions to cast ballots in Yugoslav diplomatic offices abroad.

Also in August the Second World Congress of Montenegrin Emigres was held in Cetinje, Montenegro.

Milosevic sets out policy goal in talks with disapora, BBC monitoring service 6.8.00; Serbian diaspora pledges to spread ‘truth’ about Serbs, BBC Monitoring Service 6.8.00; Montenegrin diaspora offers support for ‘free and democratic’ Montenegro, BBC Monitoring Service 13.8.00; Yugoslav NGO head sees about 50,000 diaspora Serbs voting against Milosevic, BBC Monitoring Service 18.9.00

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hwa

Thanks for your post. I think Im on the right track as I sent in all my details to 'confirm citizenship': http://www.poland.org.au/site/index.php?id=241

What I found odd - the application form asks for no contact details for you. I added a separate sheet with my home address, how do they contact you with this "confirmation"? Did the polish consulate you posted your details to send you something? Just wanting an idea of what to expect.
Asyou are now at the passpot application stage, did you also have to get a PESEL thing..looks like a social security card/ID card?

Kay