VKB could offer pathway for diaspora to regain citizenship
Immigration Minister Viliame Naupoto says the proposal could help members of the iTaukei diaspora reconnect with their ancestral communities in Fiji.
Thursday 22 October 2026 | 17:00
Minister for Immigration Viliame Naupoto addressing the public consultation on the review of the 2013 Constitution Amendment in Nakasi, Nasinu, on October 22, 2026.
Photo: Rariqi Turner
Fijians living abroad who have lost their citizenship could have a pathway to regain it under a proposal by Immigration Minister Viliame Naupoto to link the Vola ni Kawa Bula (VKB) to citizenship.
Mr Naupoto raised the proposal during the consultation on the review of the 2013 Constitution Amendment in Nakasi, Nasinu, today.
He said Parliament should be allowed to consider legislation enabling people registered in the VKB to access citizenship.
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He said the proposal was partly inspired by conversations with members of the iTaukei diaspora who had lived overseas for years but continued to identify with their ancestral communities in Fiji.
“Some had lost their Fijian citizenship under previous citizenship arrangements and needed to regain it before they could apply for a Fijian passport.
“When I ask them when they got their citizenship, if the answer is before 2009, I advise them that they must apply for their citizenship first before they can apply for a Fijian passport,” he said.
Mr Naupoto said these experiences showed that people could lose their citizenship while maintaining a strong connection to their ancestry and identity.
“Citizenship may sometimes change, but identity, ancestry and belonging often remain,” he said.
He proposed that the VKB be expressly recognised and protected in the Constitution, arguing that it was more than a register of indigenous Fijians.
The VKB records iTaukei ancestry, genealogical relationships and customary belonging, connecting people to their families and ancestral communities across generations.
Mr Naupoto said the register had historically been associated with land ownership, customary rights and chiefly titles, but had never been formally linked to citizenship.
He pointed to provisions under the Immigration Act that recognise VKB registration when determining eligibility for certain immigration exemptions for former Fijian citizens and their descendants.
He said this demonstrated that the State already recognised the connection between VKB registration and a person’s ties to Fiji.
Mr Naupoto said constitutional recognition would not give people special privileges or change the equal status of citizens, but would protect an institution central to iTaukei identity and Fiji’s cultural heritage.
