Tatiana Maria
Majesty
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2013
- Messages
- 7,466
- City
- St Petersburg
- Country
- United States
Would there be any practical difference? If it is not recognized by the state you are a citizen of, there seems to be no practical difference between between being a citizen or not because they were treated by the state as if they weren't citizens (until they would comply).
One practical difference is that because the family members technically have had Greek citizenship all along, they did not need to fulfill the conditions for acquiring Greek citizenship. A foreigner seeking to acquire Greek citizenship through naturalization would need to reside in Greece for a certain amount of time, for example. But because the family members were technically already Greek citizens (even Pavlos' children, who have never lived in Greece) and simply applying to have their existing Greek citizenship recognized, they did not need to undergo the same processes as non-citizens seeking to acquire Greek citizenship.
It also answers the question of why spouses were not included in the published decision: The spouses cannot ask to be recognized as Greek citizens because (other than Chrysi) they do not already have existing Greek citizenship. (Since 1984 a foreign woman can no longer become a Greek citizen simply by marrying a Greek man.)
But I agree with your point that the personal experience of being undocumented citizens who were treated like non-citizens was probably not much different than what they would have experienced if they had been non-citizens.
It is not true:
What is not true? What you have written seems consistent with what is written above.