The government is preparing to register a new citizenship bill by removing the provision that requires foreign women married to Nepali men to wait for seven years to get naturalized citizenship.
The government is preparing to register the new bill in the House after it is endorsed by the Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet meeting on Tuesday had decided to withdraw the Citizenship Bill 2075 currently in the House of Representatives (HoR).
The bill was registered in the HoR on August 7, 2018. It was discussed in the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the HoR, and the report subsequently submitted to the HoR on June 23, 2020.
The bill has a provision that requires any foreign woman marrying a Nepali citizen to permanently stay in Nepal for seven years if she wishes to get naturalized citizenship.
Lawmakers from ruling Nepali Congress and Madhes-based parties have opposed the provision.
Law Minister Govinda Prasad Sharma Koirala said that a new citizenship bill will be registered by removing the provision that requires foreign women married to Nepali men to wait for seven years to acquire naturalized citizenship.
According to Minister Koirala, the new citizenship bill will also have a provision to grant citizenship by descent to the children of those who received citizenship by birth through a one-time arrangement after the Janaandolan II in 2006.
Citizenship by birth was granted to persons born in Nepal before mid-April 1990, and having permanent domicile and been continuously resident in Nepal throughout their life through the one-time arrangement.
However, CPN-UML Chief Whip Bishal Bhattarai said that the decision to remove the provision requiring foreign women to wait for seven years for naturalized citizenship would not be acceptable to them. He said that UML will oppose if a new bill is tabled.
