Comparative Regional Report on Citizenship Law Oceania Anna Dziedzic 1. Introduction The citizenship laws of Oceania reflect the complexities of colonisation, decolonisation, nation building and globalisation. In Oceania’s citizenship laws, we can see the significance of the connections between land and peoples in Indigenous custom and law; trace the movement from self-governing peoples to colonies to independent states; and discover innovative responses to the exigencies of small states in a globalised world. The region of Oceania encompasses the island states and territories situated in the South Pacific Ocean. It includes fourteen member states of the United Nations. This report compares the citizenship laws of twelve of these states: the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Australia and New Zealand, the two other United Nations member states of Oceania, have their own Country Reports in the GLOBALCIT series.1 This comparative regional report is divided into five parts. Following this Introduction, Part 2 outlines the historical and geographic features of Oceania that have informed the development of its citizenship laws. Part 3 compares the citizenship laws of the twelve states, highlighting general approaches to the acquisition and loss of citizenship, as well as significant differences between states. Part 4 discusses three current trends in the region: the increasing acceptance of dual citizenship, citizenship by investment programs, and the gradual removal of gender discrimination. Part 5 concludes with some reflections on the contribution that the study of Oceania can make to global and comparative debates on citizenship. 2. Historical background Without minimising the significance of diversity within and between the states of Oceania and the variety of experiences of Pacific peoples and places, it is possible to draw out four shared experiences that have affected the design of citizenship laws. 1 Rayner Thwaites, ‘Report on Citizenship Law: Australia’ GLOBALCIT Country Report 2017/11; Kate McMillan and Anna Hood, ‘Report on Citizenship Law: New Zealand’ GLOBALCIT Country Report 2016/09. RSCAS/GLOBALCIT-Comp 2020/1 - © 2020 Author 1