A research project undertaken by James Eastman-Timmons, an MA student from Carleton University in Ottawa, has been expanded to include volunteers from across Canada. Interviews can be done via phone, and I believe James is hoping to have all interviews completed by the end of this month. I have participated and encourage others to do the same. Following is an invitation from the researcher:

I am looking for current and former American­-Canadian dual citizens residing in Canada to participate in a study. The study is on the extent to which current American-­Canadian dual citizens consider their status to be inconvenient or burdensome. This study also examines whether former American-­Canadian dual citizens (and are now Canadian citizens only) perceived their status to be inconvenient or burdensome, and whether this perception influenced their decision to renounce (give up) their US citizenship. The study will also explore how current and former American-Canadian dual citizens feel about the US tax laws. The researcher for this study is James Eastman­-Timmons, an MA student at Carleton University, in the Sociology & Anthropology department.

Individuals interested in participating in this study, will participate in a 60 minute interview. During this time participants will be asked questions that are designed to determine the perceptions of American and Canadian citizenships and American­-Canadian dual citizenship status. These questions will also examine what former and current American-­Canadian dual citizens consider to be the benefits and burdens of this status, what their experiences are with filing U.S. tax returns, and what their sense of identity is; that is, whether they identify as American, Canadian, or both American and Canadian. Former American­-Canadian dual citizens will be asked questions intended to determine why they have renounced their U.S. citizenship, and current American­-Canadian dual citizens will be asked questions intended to determine why they have chosen to maintain this status.

If you choose to participate in the study you do not have to answer questions or discuss sensitive financial information, and you have the right to withdraw from the study at any point in time, for any reason up until February 28th 2015. All efforts will be made to ensure that the identity of all participants is protected. All individuals who participate in this study will remain anonymous in the final research project, and their responses will be non-attributable to them. By participating in this study, you will be able to share your dual citizenship stories and raise awareness about the potential financial insecurities and other difficulties that may be associated with this status.

This project has been reviewed and cleared by the Carleton University Research Ethics Board. For questions regarding ethics, the REB may be contacted at 613-­520-­2517 or ethics@carleton.ca. For those with further questions/concerns, the researcher may be contacted by email at: jameseastmantimmons@cmail.carleton.ca

Sincerely,
James Eastman-Timmons