Anyone else not planning on applying for citizenship?

[Noname93 173]

It seems like almost everyone I see either here or in Facebook groups plans on becoming a citizen as soon as their timeline allows. I wonder how many people there are here who are planning on just staying greencard holders. For me, it's because I'd lose my original citizenship. Also that way, when I have children, they will become dual citizens giving them the chance to move to the EU if they ever want to.

[millefleur 5,037]

There are some but they're just quiet because once they get their 10 year GC they're at the end of their journey...no more waiting and anxiety with USCIS!

Edited January 14, 2021 by millefleur

[Nitas_man 3,100]

We’ve been married 14 years, kids are dualies, and so far haven’t applied for citizenship.  It isnt unusual.

[snowdog 153]

My husband won’t be either, at least not until his home country allows for dual citizenship. This pandemic really drove that point home; without his passport we wouldn’t be able to quickly travel and see his family in Europe (should an emergency arise). Of course he would like to get his citizenship, but not at the expense of losing some rights in his home country. I can totally understand, I would feel the same!

[Noname93 173]

@snowdog I'm in the same boat. If I could get dual citizenship, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[millefleur 5,037]

49 minutes ago, snowdog said:

My husband won’t be either, at least not until his home country allows for dual citizenship. This pandemic really drove that point home; without his passport we wouldn’t be able to quickly travel and see his family in Europe (should an emergency arise). Of course he would like to get his citizenship, but not at the expense of losing some rights in his home country. I can totally understand, I would feel the same!

32 minutes ago, Noname93 said:

@snowdog I'm in the same boat. If I could get dual citizenship, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

I think it's a shame some countries don't allow dual citizenship. I can't understand it. In today's inter-connected world, what is the argument against it?

 

Russia just passed full dual citizenship just this year (2020) so maybe it will change for other countries too.

Edited January 14, 2021 by millefleur

[snowdog 153]

7 minutes ago, millefleur said:

I think it's a shame some countries don't allow dual citizenship. I can't understand it. In today's inter-connected world, what is the argument against it?

 

Russia just passed full dual citizenship just this year so maybe it will change for other countries too.

Norway just recently allowed it too. Lithuania definitely is on the path toward it, with the younger generation leaning into the interconnected world, as you put it  

[JFH 12,189]

My country allows dual citizenship and I am applying for it but in an ideal world I wouldn’t. Because of my husband’s criminal record he is banned from my homeland so I am taking citizenship to ensure that we will always be able to live together. Voting is also important to me so that’s an added bonus. Other than that, I would have quite happily kept my green card forever. The advantage I have is that I, like the OP, come from a country with a very valuable passport in terms of travel. I have more countries I can visit without a visa than a lot of other people have. I have noticed on some of the citizenship threads that for many people they are excited about all the doors that a US passport will open for them. In my case (and yours, OP), they were already open. 
 

I have no desire to bring family members here either. That’s another reason that some people apply for citizenship as soon as they can. 

Edited January 14, 2021 by JFH

[valentinasc 330]

I’m applying because the two times I went back to the us with my valid GC they always pulled me apart and sent me “to the room” just to make me sit down and lose flights, no questions asked. Plus I’m living overseas now so whenever I’d have to go back to the US I’ll just wanna have an American passport to not incur any issues 

[Sarah&Facundo 577]

My husband doesn't want to become a citizen at all. The only reason he will probably do it is because we want to travel and possibly live outside the US, but we don't want to have to go through the whole visa process if we were to leave and then come back or even just visit. He told me that if his country didn't allow dual citizenship, he would never go through the citizenship process in the US.

[Sukie 1,439]

Most of us here on Visa Journey are younger, just starting relationships, etc.  However, there is one critical reason for both partners to be US citizens in your later years, and that has to do with estate tax when one partner dies.  If you are both US citizens, and you own a house, there is a hefty exemption for the surviving citizen.  If the surviving partner is a non-US citizen, there is no such exemption.

 

Do your homework.  I fully understand not wanting to lose dual citizenship, especially with travel.  But as you age, check with your tax advisor about what would happen to the non-US citizen in the event of the US citizen's death.

 

Sukie in NY

[bobjennyhitched 99]

13 hours ago, Noname93 said:

It seems like almost everyone I see either here or in Facebook groups plans on becoming a citizen as soon as their timeline allows. I wonder how many people there are here who are planning on just staying greencard holders. For me, it's because I'd lose my original citizenship. Also that way, when I have children, they will become dual citizens giving them the chance to move to the EU if they ever want to.

I wasn't going to until it essentially stops me progressing in my job. To qualify as a customs broker, you have to be US citizen, so I did change my mind (not been here long enough yet). However, on research I can have dual citizenship for the UK and US (I have a friend who is from the UK and kept her citizenship when she became US citizen).  I too, want to keep my British citizenship for our future kids.

 

I think personal circumstances play massively into this and also some people just don't want to, which is fine. I'm not hot on Austrian laws on dual citizenship but I understand Japan has the same where you can't be both. 

[bobjennyhitched 99]

2 hours ago, Sukie said:

Most of us here on Visa Journey are younger, just starting relationships, etc.  However, there is one critical reason for both partners to be US citizens in your later years, and that has to do with estate tax when one partner dies.  If you are both US citizens, and you own a house, there is a hefty exemption for the surviving citizen.  If the surviving partner is a non-US citizen, there is no such exemption.

 

Do your homework.  I fully understand not wanting to lose dual citizenship, especially with travel.  But as you age, check with your tax advisor about what would happen to the non-US citizen in the event of the US citizen's death.

 

Sukie in NY

Thanks for this, it's eye opening and gives me more reason to get my US Citizenship when the time comes.

[Orangesapples 1,954]

2 hours ago, Sukie said:

Most of us here on Visa Journey are younger, just starting relationships, etc.  However, there is one critical reason for both partners to be US citizens in your later years, and that has to do with estate tax when one partner dies.  If you are both US citizens, and you own a house, there is a hefty exemption for the surviving citizen.  If the surviving partner is a non-US citizen, there is no such exemption.

 

Do your homework.  I fully understand not wanting to lose dual citizenship, especially with travel.  But as you age, check with your tax advisor about what would happen to the non-US citizen in the event of the US citizen's death.

 

Sukie in NY

Is there a difference if you own the house as joint tenants? 

[Sukie 1,439]

4 minutes ago, Orangesapples said:

Is there a difference if you own the house as joint tenants? 

It's not about the ownership type.  It's about how the IRS treats non-US citizens for estate tax purposes.

 

This was one of the two reasons my spouse because a US Citizen.  The biggest reason is because we maintain houses in both countries and want the freedom to travel when we want, and we did not want to get caught by the six-month-out-of-the-US issues.  The second reason is because we ARE older (both in our mid-60s) and estate planning is something we have had to consider because of our home here in the States.

 

The last thing I wanted to do was to stick my spouse with a tax bill if I die first.

 

Sukie in NY