The numbers applying for Marshall Islands citizenship has increased significantly this year over 2008.
High Court records show most of the inquiries are from I-Kiribati but there are also larger numbers of Asians seeking citizenship.
In 2007, just two Asian applied.
Last year the number jumped to six and, this year to date there are already 10.
The total number of people seeking citizenship jumped 70 percent in the first eight months of this year compared to all of 2008.
Our correspondent in the Marshall Islands, Giff Johnson, says there is value in Marshall Islands passport as people may see it as an opportunity to go to the United States.
"Naturalised are not automatically guaranteed access to the US but they have the ability to apply for visas and to go. So it gives them the opportunity at least to try because natural born Marshallese have visas free travel rights into the United States."
