Children born in Fiji automatically receive citizenship, and no approval from the Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration, Pio Tikoduadua, is necessary for this process. This statement comes from the Grace Road Group in response to the ministry’s claims about the issuance of “unauthorized” Fiji passports to a child of two Grace Road Church members.
Minister Tikoduadua announced an investigation to determine how the child was granted a Fiji passport and why the father was able to leave the country with the child and her sibling. The mother of the children reported that she and her husband moved to Fiji from Korea around eight years ago, and the four-year-old was born at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva. She noted that the child had not been registered in Fiji for the entirety of her life.
The mother described her past experience as one of “slavery” under the Grace Road organization, claiming she had to escape from a location known as True Mart in Navua. The Grace Road Group asserted that, according to Section 6 of the Citizenship of Fiji Act 2009, the child is a citizen simply by being born in Fiji. They maintained that the father acted appropriately by applying for a passport for his child, a born citizen of the nation.
Additionally, Grace Road Group expressed concerns that the ministry’s recent announcement was intended to distract from ongoing legal matters involving their president currently in front of the High Court. The organization has also reached out to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration for clarifications.
This situation highlights the complexities surrounding citizenship laws and the rights of children born in a country, as well as the potential conflicts between governmental actions and individual circumstances. It underscores the importance of clear communication and understanding of legal rights, particularly for families navigating challenging situations.
Overall, as this investigation unfolds, it could lead to a clearer understanding of the legal framework regarding citizenship in Fiji and possibly prompt improvements in how such cases are handled in the future.
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