With the resettlement of immigrants to South Africa, the traditions that they had been used to in their country of origin might change and effect their application for South African citizenship.
Citizenship in South Africa has three main types that include citizen by birth, naturalisation, or descent. By birth, a child can be regarded as a South African citizen if his parents are South African citizens or permanent residents of the country during the time that the child is born.
A person is required to submit the BI-529 form, Determination of Citizenship Status, to determine an individual’s claim to South African citizenship. Any child who is born in South Africa and is adopted by the citizen of South Africa in terms of the Child Care Act of 1983 and is registered in the country is also a citizen of South Africa by birth. A foreign child who is born in the country and has no claim to any other citizenship can also obtain citizenship in South Africa by birth. By descent, a child who is born outside the country can also claim his citizenship as a South African, provided that at least one of his parents is a citizen of South Africa at the time that he is born. The birth of the child must have been registered in South Africa for him to acquire South African citizenship. Aside from birth and descent, foreign individuals can also acquire South African citizenship by naturalisation, as long as the requirements for such have been met.
Migrating to South Africa is not just transferring to that country; it also involves an individual deciding whether to take on South African citizenship and its responsibilities.