Citizenship Through Parents- I-129F form

[tomcarlton28 0]

I had a quick question. I am filing the I-129F to bring my Canadian fiance down to the US to get married. I was born in Peru, SA, and received my citizenship through them. I have a Peruvian birth certificate and my American passport (valid since 2005), but I'm not sure how to answer question 10 on the I-129F form.

I've clicked that my citizenship was through my parents, but I don't have a certificate number. I did have a Certificate of Birth Abroad at some point, but that was misplaced while in Peru. Not clicking either "yes" or "no" seems like a bad idea. If I click "yes" I won't be able to fill in a certificate number. If I click "no" I'm worried that could have a negative impact on my filing.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Tom

[HFHI 0]

I had a quick question. I am filing the I-129F to bring my Canadian fiance down to the US to get married. I was born in Peru, SA, and received my citizenship through them. I have a Peruvian birth certificate and my American passport (valid since 2005), but I'm not sure how to answer question 10 on the I-129F form.

I've clicked that my citizenship was through my parents, but I don't have a certificate number. I did have a Certificate of Birth Abroad at some point, but that was misplaced while in Peru. Not clicking either "yes" or "no" seems like a bad idea. If I click "yes" I won't be able to fill in a certificate number. If I click "no" I'm worried that could have a negative impact on my filing.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Tom

Hi Tom,

You said you became a citizen through your parents, but you've also said you had a Certificate of Birth Abroad. I am assuming then that your parents were US citizens when they had you while abroad, and not that your family immigrated to the US and became citizens.

Here's an excerpt from the USCIS website with information on how to request your Certificate of Citizenship, which would have a "certificate number" on there:

"Are you a citizen born in the United States?

Your birth certificate provides proof of citizenship. If you need a copy of your birth certificate, contact the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the State in which you were born. We do not issue any kind of citizenship document to a person who is a citizen by birth in the United States.

Are you a citizen born outside of the United States?

The citizenship of someone born outside of the United States, as the child of a U.S. citizen parent, could vary depending on the law in effect when the birth took place. In most cases citizens born outside the U.S. requires a combination of evidence showing at least one parent being a U.S. citizen when the child was born and having lived in the United States or its possessions for a period of time.

To apply for recognition of citizenship, you have options:

Your Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or FS-240, provides proof of citizenship if your birth was registered at the nearest U.S. consulate when you were born. For more information you can link to the U.S. Department of State Web site from the “Related Links” section in the upper right corner of this page.

If you are already in the United States, apply for a Certificate of Citizenship. Use Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship, also available from the “Related Links” section in the upper right corner of this page."

It looks like either way, whether you mark you acquired your US citizenship through birth, naturalization, or your parents, you will need to provide a certificate number. My advice would be to obtain your Certificate of Citizenship following the instructions above. Good luck!

[tomcarlton28 0]

Thanks for the information! You're correct- my parents were born in the US, but I happened to be born overseas. I've asked my parents to check with the Embassy tomorrow to see if there is some sort of "quick fix" way to find the number on my Certificate of Birth Abroad.

If they aren't able to find one, though, I imagine it would be a nightmare to get one from the State Department. I am proving my American citizenship by submitting a copy of my entire passport, though. I wonder if the certificate number on the form would even be necessary for the I-129F? My main concern is that I submit the form without the number and then they deny it three months later and I'm back at square one.

[tomcarlton28 0]

I checked and apparently I can get a copy of my FS-240 from the State Department within 4-8 weeks. Would you suggest I go ahead and submit that request and proceed with the I-129F filing? I would imagine if anything I would get a RFE and (hopefully) by that time would have the number I need. Does this seem like the best thing to do in this situation? Once again, thanks in advance for any help!

[pushbrk 12,245]

I had a quick question. I am filing the I-129F to bring my Canadian fiance down to the US to get married. I was born in Peru, SA, and received my citizenship through them. I have a Peruvian birth certificate and my American passport (valid since 2005), but I'm not sure how to answer question 10 on the I-129F form.

I've clicked that my citizenship was through my parents, but I don't have a certificate number. I did have a Certificate of Birth Abroad at some point, but that was misplaced while in Peru. Not clicking either "yes" or "no" seems like a bad idea. If I click "yes" I won't be able to fill in a certificate number. If I click "no" I'm worried that could have a negative impact on my filing.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Tom

Check no and indicate N/A where it asks for a certificate number. A CRBA is not the certificate they are asking about. You would then provide a photocopy of all pages of your US passport as evidence of citizenship. You were not required to obtain a certificate of citizenship. That's optional.

[Robert&Karen 264]

What you have is called "derived citizenship." I have it too. If both your parents are citizens before you turn 18 then you are a citizen. Only my Dad became a citizen, BUT my parents divorced and my Dad had custody of me. My sister went with my mother, so I have derived citizenship, and my sister had to be naturalized.

It is not an issue once you have a US passport. That proves your citizenship. I even obtained a government security clearance with my citizenship method.

I did however submit my A number when filling out the I-129f and other forms.