Derivative Citizenship Obtaining Process

J

Jong23314

New Member
So a few months ago I figured out I meet the requirements for a derivative citizenship.
My mother is naturalized when I was 17 (I was under 18 in 2001). I was holding a permanent resident card at the time. Based on these I do meet the requirement.

So I decided get my citizenship validated. I looked at the option of applying for a Certificate of Citizenship (N600) through USCIS. I had everything ready but then I read here that I could just get my U.S. Passport instead, which serves the same purpose of proving my citizenship.

I just applied for my passport with all the documentations they require.

My question is what is the next step?

Does the Department of State make changes to my immigration status like USCIS would?

I know I have to go change my citizenship status at the Social Security office, but what about USCIS?

How do I know I'm officially marked as a U.S. citizen in the system?

Thanks
 
Basically, there is no national registry of citizens. Citizenship is determined by law, and the government does not know who all citizens are. What matters is that you can prove your citizenship when needed, and you already have proof of citizenship -- a U.S. passport or a Certificate of Citizenship can serve as proof of citizenship.

There are some systems where it is a good idea to update your citizenship status in, like Social Security (which you've already done), but it's not mandatory. Many naturalized citizens do not update it in Social Security because there is no difference in the card for permanent residents and citizens so they do not realize there is a point to updating it. The difference in Social Security between permanent residents and citizens is only minor differences in disability program in some states; most people will not run into this. There are other places that probably asked for your immigration status, like when you started work and when you got a driver's license, etc., but I don't think any of those places deal with permanent residents and citizens differently.

It might be a good idea to file N-600 to apply for a Certificate of Citizenship at some point. It can serve as a backup proof of citizenship in case you lose your passport in the future. If you lose your passport, and need to apply for another one, and you do not have a simple proof of citizenship, you would have to dig up your mother's naturalization certificate again, which would be a pain many years down the road. On the other hand, if you lose a Certificate of Citizenship, they can just re-issue it. But again, this is for convenience and is not mandatory.
 
Yeah, there's no list of citizens (at least, we don't know if there is, but who knows what Big Brother has, eh?). I think the Social Security Administration's records are often checked by other agencies when they need to check your citizenship status. DoS will have you down as a citizen, but DHS might not. As newacct recommended, you would be advised to get a certificate of citizenship because it is non-expiring proof for you that you can rely on later. Keep it safely once you get it! However, if you're very careful with your passport as well, and renew every ten years, you can essentially stop here.

CIS has nothing to do with you as you are not subject to immigration, so unless you apply for the certificate, don't worry about them. Just update your social security status, and if you like, your financial institutions.
 
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