My mother became a citizen, am I a citizen?

msmari

New Member
Came to the US with my family in 1987. We were refugees living in Thailand from Cambodia. We then became legal residents and in 1994, when I was 13, my mother became a US citizen.

Does that make me a citizen?
 
Well they were not married before coming to US nor did they get legally married when in the US. They are still together though.
 
You turned 18 before 2001, so it's the law in effect between 1978 and 2001 that is applicable. According to former INA 321, you automatically became a citizen if you were a permanent resident in the US under 18 and both of your parents naturalized, or one of your parents died and the other one naturalized, or your parents were divorced and the parent having legal custody naturalized (some say sole custody is needed), or you were born out of wedlock and the paternity hasn't been established by legitimation and your mother naturalized.

The last part (you were born out of wedlock) is the one applicable to you. If your paternity had been established by legitimation, then you did not automatically become a citizen, but if your paternity had not been established by legitimation, then you did become a citizen. Legitimation is determined by the law of your father's residence or domicile I believe.
 
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