The Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration, Pio Tikoduadua, informed Parliament that the Department of Immigration has processed and approved 3,807 former Fiji citizenship applications from January 2007 to December 2022. This was made possible under Section 5 of the 2013 Constitution, which permits dual citizenship for individuals born in Fiji who have acquired citizenship in another country.
Mr. Tikoduadua noted that the number of citizenship applications approved does not necessarily match the number of passport applications processed and issued to former Fiji citizens. He explained that some individuals chose to hold only one passport while updating the details of their other passport in the system. Currently, the department does not have records of former citizens holding Fiji passports but assumes that many will apply for a Fiji passport after regaining their citizenship.