Naturalization and kids

[vitamin 0]

Hello!

I'm getting ready to start naturalization process for me and my daughter.

I came to the states in april 2008 on CR-1 visa along with my daughter on CR-2 visa.We got permanent green cards last summer. This april will be three years since we came to the US and got our GCs so i'm guessing i can apply for naturalization this march-april , right?

The questions i|have is:

- Is my daughter eligible to apply for Naturalization along with me or she have to wait till she turns 18? She is now 8 years old.

- If she can apply now,do i have to pay $680 for her too? Or do i pay just for the biometrics?

- Does she have to be physically presented through the whole process? ( i was going to take her to see her grandmother in Ukraine for the summer)

Thank you.

[Jojo92122 1,924]

Hello!

I'm getting ready to start naturalization process for me and my daughter.

I came to the states in april 2008 on CR-1 visa along with my daughter on CR-2 visa.We got permanent green cards last summer. This april will be three years since we came to the US and got our GCs so i'm guessing i can apply for naturalization this march-april , right?

The questions i|have is:

- Is my daughter eligible to apply for Naturalization along with me or she have to wait till she turns 18? She is now 8 years old.

- If she can apply now,do i have to pay $680 for her too? Or do i pay just for the biometrics?

- Does she have to be physically presented through the whole process? ( i was going to take her to see her grandmother in Ukraine for the summer)

Thank you.

Research the Child Citizenship Act.

Your daughter will automatically become a US citizen when you naturalize. There are four requirements;

1. Child has a US citizen parent (born or naturalized);

2. Child is an LPR;

3. Child is under age 18; and

4. Child regularly reside with US citizen parent.

Your daughter will not naturalize with you. Only you will apply for citizenship. Your daughter will automatically become a US citizen when you naturalize. After you take your oath, you will file Form N-600 to get her a certificate of citizenship. The certificate is proof of US citzenship, it is not a naturalization process. You only need to pay the fee for Form N-600 for her. No Form N-400, no biometics, etc. for her.

She can travel to the Ukraine. No problem there.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,235]

+1.

JoJo, that was a textbook response!

[vitamin 0]

Thank you very much for a quick response!

I just checked the N-600 form..... another $600... wow.

[Jojo92122 1,924]

Thank you very much for a quick response!

I just checked the N-600 form..... another $600... wow.

Worth every penny!!!

[Mountain Climber 186]

If the children become US citizens after the parent becomes naturalized but they do not get the certificate of citizenship, would they still be able to apply for a US passport?

Edited January 22, 2011 by Mountain Climber

[Brother Hesekiel 2,235]

Well,

children become US citizens in various ways. If some child is born abroad to a US citizen, a Report of Live Birth Abroad has to be filed. Sometimes the parents who live abroad really don't pursue getting this documented, so the now "older" child has to document who her parents are, with a foreign birth certificate, a formal translation of it, and proof that her parent or parents are or were US citizens at the time of his or her birth.

There you have it: documentation.

A child that resides in the US and is born outside the US to a non US-citizen, doesn't have a birth certificate that would document jus sangious or jus soli, as none of them applies. The parent's Certificate of Naturalization is also not quite sufficient, so the one document that brings order into the chaos is the Certificate of Citizenship. It's the basis for about everything that requires proof of US citizenship, first and foremost, however, the one document that will allow the child to get his or her first US passport.

There may be a way around spending 600 hard-earned bookaroos, but it's not an obvious one.

[NickD 202]

Well at least we got a free ride with that I-751, but think we had to send in an extra 80 bucks. My stepdaughter barely turned 18, did try to fight it due to delays by the USCIS, that was hopeless. But they say it doesn't hurt to ask, what hurts is the answer you get.

But with the N-400, the consultation is that it is not a free ride, they claim once the parent is naturalized the kids automatically become US citizens. So if that is the case, why don't they issue a certificate of naturalization for those kid/s? And most of us would be more than happy to pay that extra 80 bucks for that piece of paper. One thing about the US citizenship certificate is that it is one sheet of paper.

We had a similar situation when my wife petitioned for her unmarried son that I couldn't petition for because he was barely over 21, was in college, still a dependent, still depending on health insurance, and support form his mom, but over 21! We had to sent in his mom's birth certificate as proof of her maiden name, her old marriage certificate as proof of her married name, her divorce papers as proof of the divorce, and our marriage certificate as proof of her present married name, and his birth certificate where all these papers had to be translated into English, oh, and her certificate of naturalization, but unlike the DOS, was happy with a copy of it. Was quite a stack of papers. You would have to do the same with either a passport or that childs' own certificate. Passport is only good for ten years, and what problems will that child run into then. We have a congress that is always making new laws, no telling what the laws will be ten years from now. A certificate is the best bet for that kid.

Plus you have to send in your original certificate to the DOS that you may never see again, more expense on your part to get a replacement.

In petitioning for a child as a US citizen, best bet is to have that child barely over 18, can't if that child is over 21 but can really run into a living hell if that child is under 18. In my wifes' case, was divorce, girls father had abandoned his child some six years earlier, moved to a different country, and in my wifes' divorce papers, had full physical custody of that child. But not good enough for the USCIS, had to find that father and get his permission first to bring his daughter over here. Was that ever mess, and he was in a perfect position to blackmail us. He didn't want his child, but didn't want to release her either. One piece of paper I wish I had at the time was his death certificate, would have made life a lot easier.

He did have visitation rights to see is child, couldn't come here, couldn't get a visa and was broke, but bitched because we didn't send his daughter to visit him. But I nor her mother could sign for her passport without his permission and he refused to sign that. What an idiot!

Just some of the things you run into. Petitioning for my wife was easy, and ironically, petitioning for my new stepdaughter with the same expense plus the additional information she needed was a complete headache. If she did get by under her mom, would have filed the N-600 for her. I paid for her N-400, felt an obligation to do that, I did bring her over here, in less than three weeks, time does go by, she will have her interview. She came home from college this weekend, we went over all the papers and the test, hopefully she will make it, its in her hands now, I am helpless. One secret I have is getting out of that I-864, in our uncertain economic times, never know what is going to happen.

[leahandlucas 15]

Thank you very much for a quick response!

I just checked the N-600 form..... another $600... wow.

So its almost as if you are paying for her N-400 application...only thing is, you save like what?..$80?...another classy move by the U.S. government to gain money...but business is business!

BUT it is worth every penny because you don't ever have to deal with USCIS ever again...

Edited January 22, 2011 by leahandlucas

[Jojo92122 1,924]

So its almost as if you are paying for her N-400 application...only thing is, you save like what?..$80?...another classy move by the U.S. government to gain money...but business is business!

BUT it is worth every penny because you don't ever have to deal with USCIS ever again...

Why should the service be for free? Is it wrong to request that people pay for services rendered to them?

I pay when I need to get a copy of birth certificate. I pay when I need to renew my driver's license. I pay when I record the deed to my house. I pay when I go to the doctor. I pay when I want my attorney to prepare paperwork. That's life. Paying for services is part of life.

[Jojo92122 1,924]

If the children become US citizens after the parent becomes naturalized but they do not get the certificate of citizenship, would they still be able to apply for a US passport?

Yes. The child does not need the certificate of citizenship to apply for a passport. See the instructions for applying for a US passport.

A child claiming US citizenship through the naturalization of a parent must provide proof of US citizenship to obtain a US passport. The child can prove US citizenship by submitting his or her certificate of citizenship or by submitting 1) the certificate(s) of US citizenship of parent(s), 2) child's foreign birth certificate, and 3) proof of child's legal permenent resident status (green card).

The US passport by itself will be proof of US citizenship for most other purposes. However, there may be occassions when the child having his or her own certificate of citizenship may be handy.

If cash is short, then just get the US passport. The child will need it to travel back to the US after visiting her grandmother in the Ukraine.

Edited January 22, 2011 by Jojo92122

[NickD 202]

Why should the service be for free? Is it wrong to request that people pay for services rendered to them?

I pay when I need to get a copy of birth certificate. I pay when I need to renew my driver's license. I pay when I record the deed to my house. I pay when I go to the doctor. I pay when I want my attorney to prepare paperwork. That's life. Paying for services is part of life.

14 bucks for a drivers's license, 8 bucks for a birth certificate, 10 bucks to register a home deed. Ha, won't even get into what doctors and attorneys charge, but the USCIS sure fits in that class.

Got by cheap on my home deed, all that had to be changed was selling my home from myself to myself and my wife, attorneys' wanted 750 bucks for that. Real trick was finding the form, but I found one. Can save money with the N-600 by filling that out yourself and compiling all the evidence required. Only thing the USCIS has to do is to spend a couple of minutes and review it. In this respect, feel their fees are outrageous, but in our free marketing society, USCIS doesn't have any competition, so have no choice but to pay.

[NickD 202]

Yes. The child does not need the certificate of citizenship to apply for a passport. See the instructions for applying for a US passport.

A child claiming US citizenship through the naturalization of a parent must provide proof of US citizenship to obtain a US passport. The child can prove US citizenship by submitting his or her certificate of citizenship or by submitting 1) the certificate(s) of US citizenship of parent(s), 2) child's foreign birth certificate, and 3) proof of child's legal permenent resident status (green card).

The US passport by itself will be proof of US citizenship for most other purposes. However, there may be occassions when the child having his or her own certificate of citizenship may be handy.

If cash is short, then just get the US passport. The child will need it to travel back to the US after visiting her grandmother in the Ukraine.

Most immigrant parents with children have been married or at least have another parent, can add to that the previous marriage certificate, divorce or annulment papers, and present marriage certificate to verify the name change in the case of a woman parent. This means sending the parents original US certificate plus all that other documentation with a risk of it getting lost. And long term presents a problem for that child not having his own certificate. Pros and Cons on this issue. Some gains with the N-600, kid doesn't have to study for the civics test, nor make three trips for biometrics, interview, and oath ceremony. That greatly adds to the cost.

[vitamin 0]

Yes. The child does not need the certificate of citizenship to apply for a passport. See the instructions for applying for a US passport.

A child claiming US citizenship through the naturalization of a parent must provide proof of US citizenship to obtain a US passport. The child can prove US citizenship by submitting his or her certificate of citizenship or by submitting 1) the certificate(s) of US citizenship of parent(s), 2) child's foreign birth certificate, and 3) proof of child's legal permenent resident status (green card).

The US passport by itself will be proof of US citizenship for most other purposes. However, there may be occassions when the child having his or her own certificate of citizenship may be handy.

If cash is short, then just get the US passport. The child will need it to travel back to the US after visiting her grandmother in the Ukraine.

I was just reading about how to get a US passport for a minor under age 16. It looks like green card cant be used as a proof of US citizenship.

"Submit Evidence of U.S. Citizenship

The minor's evidence of U.S. citizenship must be submitted with Form DS-11. All documentation submitted as citizenship evidence will be returned to you. These documents will be delivered with your newly issued U.S. passport or in a separate mailing. Primary Evidence of U.S. Citizenship (One of the following):

Previously issued, undamaged U.S. Passport

Certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state*

Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth

Naturalization Certificate

Certificate of Citizenship"

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/minors/minors_834.html

[vitamin 0]

Also it says that minors under age 16 must apply in person. Which means she cant go anywhere until we get all the papers done