Have a question need help please!

[dgm3306]

My wife was adopted by American parents when she was 4, she was born 1/24/83. She has all of her adoption paperwork and her permanent resident alien card from when she was first adopted. When we got married and went to the social security office to change her information around they said there was an issue with her citizenship and we'd have to go talk to the department of immigration. Because of my wife's DoB can she file the N600 form or does she have to file the N400 form and pay the almost $700 in fees?

Any information would help greatly and I appreciate it!

Thanks.

Dan Marsala

 

[Jackolantern]

She isn't a US citizen. Your wife turned 18 before the new law (Child Citizenship Act of 2000) took effect in Feb. 2001. Under the old rules that were in effect before Feb 27, 2001, children did not automatically derive US citizenship through their US citizen adoptive parents; their parents had to explicitly apply for their citizenship. If her parents didn't do that before she was 18, she didn't derive US citizenship, and would have to follow the N-400 process like most other people who want to become US citizens.