Citizenship Question

[Bobsmyth]

You won't need to explain anything.

You'll have some explaining to do if you are ever stopped by law enforcement and they request to verify your immigration status. An expired green card will not do. Although unlikely to happen, it can lead to you being detained until they can verify your immigration status.

Likewise, an expired GC is not valid for I-9 verification purposes.

 

[Jackolantern]

You'll have some explaining to do if you are ever stopped by law enforcement and they request to verify your immigration status.

You're taking my statement out of context. I was referring to the green card renewal process -- for the renewal he won't have to explain to USCIS why he didn't renew it for so long. I have no idea why you jumped in as if I was saying he won't have to explain anything in any other situation.

 

[Deakon]

You won't need to explain anything. Many others here have renewed their cards after a long lapse and weren't asked to explain anything about why they didn't renew it. There is no interview; you just send in the paperwork and the fee, go for fingerprinting a few weeks later, then wait for the new card. When you go for fingerprinting you can get them to give you an I-551 stamp in your passport, which serves as temporary proof of permanent residence (for employment, travel, or whatever other purpose you need to prove your status) while you wait for the plastic card.

And it's not an overstay. GC expiration doesn't mean you lose your permanent resident status. Just like passport expiration doesn't mean you lose the citizenship of the country that issued the passport.

Perhaps becoming a US citizen would not benefit me now. I think I have lived in the US w/o really needing the full benefit of a citizen.

I lost my passport, but obviously I cannot apply for a US passport and need to obtian another from the Philippine consulate?

Once I recieved my Philippine passport, and apply for a new GC, would I be able to request a I-551 stamp on my Philippine passport and be able to travel outside of the US and be safe to re-enter the US without any issues?

 

[Jackolantern]

Once I recieved my Philippine passport, and apply for a new GC, would I be able to request a I-551 stamp on my Philippine passport and be able to travel outside of the US and be safe to re-enter the US without any issues?

Yes. No more issues than the average green card holder.

But don't give up yet on the prospect of having US citizenship through adoption. Consult a lawyer to find out what exceptions may have been available back then to adopted children living on a US military base with a military USC parent.

 

[Deakon]

Can someone help me define the true meaning of "Period in which last action took place"?

Does this mean the time I was born or does it mean the time that I was adopted?

http://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/AFM/HTML/AFM/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-26573/0-0-0-33264.html

I'm trying to google the meaning, but not getting much hits.

 

[Jackolantern]

Can someone help me define the true meaning of "Period in which last action took place"?

They mean the last of "child becoming an LPR" and "naturalization of parent(s)".

However, that chart doesn't address the automatic vs. non-automatic aspect of derivative citizenship. By all indications, you were eligible for derivative citizenship at the time, but you apparently had to file I-643 before age 18 to actually obtain the derivative citizenship since it wasn't automatic for adopted children -- unless there is some other provision of the law that made it automatic for your situation (military parent, living on military base, etc.). You need to explore the issue with an immigration lawyer who can research the old laws and available exceptions (if any).