Law:The Umpteenth Immigration Reform Act

35RZ22 — The Umpteenth Immigration Reform Act

WHEREAS the process and procedures appertaining to immigration into the Kingdom of Talossa could use some clarification and reform, and

WHEREAS let's just leave it at that, now

THEREFORE be it enacted by the Ziu that immigration by any and all persons into the Kingdom of Talossa shall, without exception, be conducted as follows:

Clause 1. Prospective immigrants shall be directed to the Minister of Immigration. The Minister of Immigration shall act on every request received by that office, without discriminating on the basis of party preference, religion, or other personal information.

Clause 2. The Minister of Immigration shall ascertain to his own satisfaction, through correspondence or conversation, that the prospective immigrant is a real human being with genuine interest in becoming a citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa. The Minister shall be free to inquire of the applicant on any and every subject, and shall be required to collect the name, postal address, telephone number, and e-mail address(es) of the candidate, which information the Minister shall communicate to the Secretary of State. Additionally, the Immigration Minister shall be required to collect an essay, written by the applicant, entitled "Why I am Interested in Becoming a Talossan."

Clause 3. The Minister of Immigration, working with the Seneschál, shall cause the prospective immigrant to be granted an account on Wittenberg, allowing said prospective immigrant to converse with the subjects of the Kingdom gathered there. The Immigration Minister shall verify that the said account is fully-enabled, and that the candidate is able to communicate using this forum with the citizens of the Kingdom. The Immigration Minister shall then begin a single thread on Wittenberg introducing the prospective immigrant to the nation. The "Why I am Interested in Becoming a Talossan" essay shall be published by the Immigration Minister in this introduction. The Immigration Minister is further directed to remind his fellow citizens from time to time that the initiation of new citizens into Talossa is a serious matter and that questioning a prospective citizen is a patriotic obligation of all who love their King and Country.

Clause 4. An examination period shall begin with the prospective citizen’s first posting to Wittenberg after his introduction by the Immigration Minister. At any time at least fifteen days after the beginning of the examination period, any current citizen of Talossa may petition the Secretary of State requesting that a Royal Grant of Citizenship be issued to the prospective citizen. If no such petition is laid before the Secretary of State within the first forty days of the examination period, the examination period shall end, the immigration process for the prospective citizen shall be terminated, and his Wittenberg account shall be disabled; in addition, the Secretary of State shall notify the Government and the prospective citizen of the termination of the process, and shall post a notification to the effect on Wittenberg.

Clause 5. If, at any point during the process, either before or after creation of the Wittenberg account, the Immigration Minister determines that the prospective immigrant shall not be considered further, the prospective immigrant shall be informed of this decision, and shall be made aware that a Grant of Citizenship may yet be obtained by the disappointed applicant if an act of the Ziu be passed directing that such a grant be issued. Any account created for the applicant on Wittenberg shall then be terminated.

Clause 6. If the prospective immigrant is not a user of the Internet, such that he will not be able to participate in the process on Wittenberg, the process as described above shall be followed regardless, except that a Wittenberg account shall not be created for the prospective immigrant, and that the Immigration Minister shall be responsible for communicating all postings on Wittenberg to the prospective immigrant, receiving responses thereto from the prospective immigrant, and posting them on Wittenberg in reply. Additionally, for such persons without Internet access, ten days shall be added to the minimum and maximum time allowed in clause 4 for the presentation to the Secretary of State of any petition for the issuance of a Grant of Citizenship.

Clause 7. The Secretary of State shall, on a date of his choosing, but within a period of ten days after receiving a petition to issue a Grant of Citizenship as described in clause 4, determine the provincial assignment of the prospective immigrant and issue a Royal Grant of Citizenship to the immigrant. This Grant shall be issued under the Royal Seal, either as applied by the Chancery, or, should the Majesty request, by the Sovereign under his or her own hand. If requested by the Government, the Grant may also bear the signatures of the Seneschál and/or Immigration Minister. The Royal Grant shall be promptly issued coincident with the candidate affirming his fealty to the Royal House and his allegiance to the Kingdom by taking any Oath of Talossan Citizenship specified by law. At the time this Royal Grant is issued, and from that point forward, the applicant shall be a full citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa. The fact of the issuance of this Grant shall be posted on Wittenberg by the Secretary of State, that the new citizen may be welcomed by his compatriots. Any and all objections raised to the immigration made after this Royal Grant will be moot.

Clause 8. At any time before a Grant of Citizenship is conferred, the Sovereign, or members representing at least one-third of the Cosâ by seats, or members representing at least one-third of the Senäts, or any single Justice of the Uppermost Cort may petition the Chancery that the said Grant of Citizenship shall not be issued until such issuance shall be ordered by an act of the Ziu. The Secretary of State shall be required to grant all such petitions, and shall withhold any issuance of a Royal Grant of Citizenship to the prospective immigrant who is the subject of such a petition until such time as an act of the Ziu directing the issuance of such a grant becomes law.

Clause 9. Any and all pre-existing statutes pertaining to the process of immigration into the Kingdom of Talossa, including but not limited to 34RZ2, its amending act 34RZ5, and 34RZ29, excepting only 34RZ9, are hereby repealed and rendered null and void, their provisions wholly replaced by those of this act.

Clause 10. The Seneschal may only in exceptional circumstances petition the Secretary of State to exempt a named immigrant from the requirements and/or provisions (including but not limited to, the introduction by the Immigration Minister and the examination period) of this Act or any other Act, save the requirement to take a Oath of Citizenship and to immediately issue a Royal Grant of Citizenship to the named immigrant, upon receipt of such a Oath. Such a petition may instruct the Secretary of State to assign this named immigrant to a specific province or shall leave it to the Secretary of State to determine the provincial assignment of the prospective immigrant according to any applicable law.

Uréu q'estadra så:
Mà la Mhà (Senator, Vuode)

Scribe's Notes

1. This Act repeals The Talossan Immigration Act of 2005 (as amended) and The Notification of Parties, Etc., Act