Second nationality - potential non white country

[FeelingGuilty151]

My ancestral homeland is Pakistan and my birth country and nationality is the UK. Does anyone have any suggestions on which country to permanently reside in and become a naturalised citizen? I was looking at Singapore and Malaysia (preferably Singapore) but they’d unfortunately expect me to renounce my British citizenship and that’s not something I’d be willing to do as I was born here.

Why do you want a second nationality unconnected to you?

Good question. I love the UK, but it’s just too cold for me at certain times of the year 😂and Pakistan is not an option for various reasons. This is why I was hoping for suggestions of a second country, preferably Asian countries, particularly one that is a bit warmer but not too warm.

This depends massively on your skill-set and what you have to offer your potential adopted country!

You can't just pick a nationality and country and roll up to collect your citizenship papers.

You're looking at this from an unrealistic perspective I suspect, if you just want to pick a new homeland based on dominant skin colour and weather.

Are you well qualified and experienced in a shortage occupation like medicine or IT?

Thank you for your comment. Yeah of course, those weren’t the only reasons but just the main reasons I’d want to move to another country as PP asked why I’d choose a country unconnected to me, so I mentioned the weather and the fact they’re culturally similar so it wouldn’t be too much of a shock.

In terms of skill set I’m a trainee nurse, I have an interest in working abroad (as well as the UK but that goes without saying, those would be more along the lines of bank shifts but someone else might message and tell me how it actually works) and I’m aware that I most likely have to take further tests to have my qualifications recognised in the same way as the nurses abroad.

You can't just pick a nationality and country and roll up to collect your citizenship papers.

^^ This.

You generally can't just rock up at a country of your choice and "take" citizenship.

I’m aware of that, my family came from Pakistan so I understand immigration processes and requirements.

But I’m hoping for suggestions. Particularly those for nurses. People here will be a lot older than me and more knowledgeable about things like this so just a bit of guidance really :)

I'm dual national British/NZ. I moved to NZ for work and ended up living there so long that I was able to get citizenship. I had to have residency first. All this costs a lot of money and time. It was 3 years residency when I got citizenship but I think this has changed to 5 years now, plus you have to have enough skill points to apply. Add people have said you can't just pick a country and apply for a passport.

I know you can’t just pick a country and apply for one, I thought that went without saying cos I definitely don’t think my nana and grandad did that lol which is why I referred to permanent residency then becoming naturalised implying I understand that you have to apply for visas, have the skill set to get approved, and live in the country for a specified period of time prior to an application for naturalisation.

Singapore is prioritising citizens over immigrants right now. PR is very tough.

FeelingGuilty151 there's a living abroad section on MN under homes and gardens - that might be a good place to post too.

I'm sorry to have misunderstood you and assumed that you were being very naive, but my impression was based on the way you posted. If you'd led with the fact that you're looking to emigrate to somewhere in Asia as a qualified nurse in a couple of years time you'd have created a different first impression.

I think that you would probably do well to start with some search engine investigation of which countries in Asia are offering visas to qualified nurses, or similar.

Yes, you have drip fed. Lead with wanting to get a nurse visa.

Sorry for that, I should have put all the details and context in the original post.

Gibraltar or some of the crown dependencies or territories might allow entry without renouncing UK citizenship?

I would imagine nursing is a sought after skill in many countries

Actually I wonder whether the US might not be worth considering - they pay the highest nursing salaries in the world and depending upon where in the US you go you can find a state with the weather you prefer and a big Asian population. Obviously it's not easy to get citizenship, but you don't have to leap straight to that.

I wonder how much time you've spent in the countries you're considering - in Malaysia there's definitely an amount of racism/ racial discrimination/ inequality based on which Asian heritage you have. There are still commonly job adverts stipulating that they're looking for Chinese applicants or Malay applicants (not just stipulating language skills - though sometimes that too, but race).

How about India?

Phuket in Thailand?

If you are a nurse you probably have a better chance than most of us in many many countries

Australia? As a nurse you will probably have your pick of countries!

Fuji
Mauritius
Caribbean nations