What are the benefits of citizenship?

[Cam54 84]

I am eligible to apply for naturalization next month and id like people's ideas on pros and cons. A big con to me is jury duty as it's such an inefficient system here and id rather not yearly have the threat of lost earnings compared to the U.K. Where you're only called a couple times in a lifetime. I'm 4 months pregnant so not sure if that will sway any pro ideas.

[HarryWL 262]

Vote Trump out of office in 2020.

 

Major pro.

[cdneh 3,112]

20 minutes ago, Cam54 said:

I am eligible to apply for naturalization next month and id like people's ideas on pros and cons. A big con to me is jury duty as it's such an inefficient system here and id rather not yearly have the threat of lost earnings compared to the U.K. Where you're only called a couple times in a lifetime. I'm 4 months pregnant so not sure if that will sway any pro ideas.

Even if you are called in, it doesn't necessarily mean you'd be chosen. Nobody's come looking for me so far.

 

Pro? Being done with USCIS. Forever.

[bakphx1 785]

Most people ever deal with jury duty a couple of times in their lives. It's a mildly boring afternoon in most cases.   Not worth making a life decision on. 

Edited March 9, 2018 by bakphx1

[Cam54 84]

3 minutes ago, bakphx1 said:

Most people ever deal with jury duty a couple of times in their lives. It's a mildly boring afternoon in most cases.   Not worth making a life decision on. 

My husbands lost work being called on 4 separate occasions and I only moved here 4 years ago, maybe we've been unlucky. It's so expensive to live here in California so even a losing a day unpaid is frustrating. I was never even called in the U.K. and my mum had been called twice in 40 years 

Being done with uscis forever is certainly a pro 

[little immigrant 800]

10 minutes ago, Cam54 said:

My husbands lost work being called on 4 separate occasions and I only moved here 4 years ago, maybe we've been unlucky. It's so expensive to live here in California so even a losing a day unpaid is frustrating. I was never even called in the U.K. and my mum had been called twice in 40 years 

Being done with uscis forever is certainly a pro 

I believe your husband was terminated wrongfully. 

 

Another pro I like: you can travel out of the country for a while without having to fear not being let in again. 

[Cam54 84]

4 minutes ago, little immigrant said:

I believe your husband was terminated wrongfully. 

 

Another pro I like: you can travel out of the country for a while without having to fear not being let in again. 

He wasn't terminated, he lost a days pay because he had to sit at the court waiting to see if he would be called, every year for four years lol. I know it's just a day a year but it's frustating

[jkstark 97]

Jury duty is a minor inconvenience for most...  Generally speaking (and I suspect this is different in each state) you can be called in only once every 4 years at most - or if you are called more often, you can generally be excused from a jury if you have served within that timeframe. 

 

(I see California is a bit different - from http://www.courts.ca.gov/juryservice.htm: 

Length of Service
California has one-day or one-trial jury service (68 KB). This means that people are not required to come to court for more than one day of jury duty unless they are assigned to a courtroom for jury selection, or serve on a trial, more than once every 12 months. Typically if you are not chosen for jury selection after one day at the courthouse then your service is done for at least one year. If you are selected to serve on a jury, after the trial is over your service is also completed for at least a year and often longer. In fact, the majority of people who report for jury service serve for just one day. The vast majority of people who actually serve on a jury find it a fascinating and rewarding experience that they would do again. )

 

Even if you are called, it is not uncommon to only have to really do one day...

 

The pros of not having to deal with USCIS (and pay them regularly) is a huge one, being able to vote is another.  The biggest, especially in the current climate, is not having to worry about getting back in.  There is also the issue of inheritances and estates to think about for your children; dealing with a foreign parent and their estate is a major hassle comparatively,..

Edited March 9, 2018 by jkstark

[Cam54 84]

2 minutes ago, jkstark said:

Jury duty is a minor inconvenience for most...  Generally speaking (and I suspect this is different in each state) you can be called in only once every 4 years at most - or if you are called more often, you can generally be excused from a jury if you have served within that timeframe. 

 

Even if you are called, it is not uncommon to only have to really do one day...

 

The pros of not having to deal with USCIS (and pay them regularly) is a huge one, being able to vote is another.  The biggest, especially in the current climate, is not having to worry about getting back in.  There is also the issue of inheritances and estates to think about for your children; dealing with a foreign parent and their estate is a major hassle comparatively,..

It's once a year in California unfortunately, not sure about the rules if you actually make it onto a jury but sitting waiting there for a day excuses you for a year. 

Yes with Trump in power I do feel more compelled to secure citizenship even though he's making it embarrassing to be in this country, because who knows how immigration will change under his leadership

[JFH 12,189]

32 minutes ago, Cam54 said:

My husbands lost work being called on 4 separate occasions and I only moved here 4 years ago, maybe we've been unlucky. It's so expensive to live here in California so even a losing a day unpaid is frustrating. I was never even called in the U.K. and my mum had been called twice in 40 years 

Being done with uscis forever is certainly a pro 

I worked with someone in the U.K.who was called twice in 18 months. One a lengthy murder trial that lasted weeks and weeks, the other a quick theft case, open and shut. 

 

Even in the U.K. the employer doesn't have to pay you. My colleague had to use annual leave or unpaid after the company allowance of 2 weeks paid leave ran out. 

[carmela 13]

HarryWL , if you dont  like President here, get out !!

[americanintrainin 20]

13 minutes ago, carmela said:

HarryWL , if you dont  like President here, get out !!

How incredibly unAmerican of you... 

 

To sum it up, yes, Trump is making it quite embarrassing to be American but being a US citizen would secure your right to stay in the US.

 

It allows you to vote, get social security benefits out of the US, and more job opportunities at the federal level. 

 

If you have kids who want to be educated in the US or make their lives here, it gives them that opportunity as well. 

[HarryWL 262]

18 minutes ago, carmela said:

HarryWL , if you dont  like President here, get out !!

 

I mean I'd have to get in first, so I think what you were trying to say is stay out.. 

[milimelo 4,167]

I have yet to be called for jury duty and it’s been close to 8 yrs since citizenship. 

 

Did apply and got a federal job about a year after citizenship (that job now keeps me overseas as we serve in different countries for 2-3 yrs). 

 

I vote every election whether I’m in the States or overseas. 

[HarryWL 262]

Also as a fellow British Citizen, given the uncertainly that the UK faces within next few years,  having duel nationality could come in handy. Especially if you were to leave US and potentially lose PR status somehow, having that backup is always a bonus.

 

Also a small con, as far as I'm aware of, USC 's are obligated to do a tax return on a yearly basis even if not present in the US. (Although a lot of countries do have double taxation laws, including US-UK).