Goalkeeper Sunny Dhaliwal, who represented India in the U17 World Cup in 2017 has finally received an Indian passport after he had renounced Canadian citizenship to represent India seven years back.
The Indian visa laws states that a person cannot hold dual citizenship. However, there is an exception of minors. Those who are under the age of eighteen are eligible for dual citizenship. Both Canadian and Indian laws state that a person, upon completing his eighteenth birthday, will have a further six months to declare his/her nationality. In this case, Dhaliwal decided to renounce his Canadian citizenship and returning to India.
Sunny Dhaliwal receives Indian passport
The Toronto FC Academy graduate had denounced his Canadian passport and became a citizen of India. Reports have emerged that he has received an Indian passport. Marcus Mergulhao reported:
Canadian goalkeeper Sunny Dhaliwal has obtained an Indian passport and will now make a move to India. Sunny, based in Canada, was part of the India squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017.#IndianFootball
— Marcus Mergulhao (@MarcusMergulhao) January 31, 2024
Who is Sunny Dhaliwal?
Standing at 6 feet 5 inches, the youngster had caught the attention when he joined Toronto FC Academy in 2016 from his community club, Woodbridge Strikers Soccer. Then the 17-year-old was recruited via the club’s website.
Representing Toronto FC, Sunny made 15 appearances before leaving the team for the Indian national U-17 squad. Dhaliwal had also caught the attention of several senior Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs and had earned invitations for trials with stalwarts such as DC United and Chicago Fire back in the day.
