Moving to the USA from Canada.

[waterbug]

I am planning on moving to the US from Canada to live and work. I was born in Canada to American parents. We then returned to the US where we all lived until i was 4-5, then returned to Canada, where I have lived since. As far as I can tell I am eligible for dual citizenship.
I am trying to figure out is what is the best way to go about applying for it. I have been informed about a N-600 form to get a Cert of Citizenship. Is this a requirement to work in the US?
It seems the information I find only takes me in circles.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Jackolantern]

Having two US citizen parents doesn't necessarily mean you're a US citizen. See http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_5199.html

You need to be in the US to apply for N-600. You're outside, so what you need is a US passport which you can obtain through the nearest US consulate in Canada, if you provide the appropriate evidence. Did your parents file a Consular Report of Birth Abroad for you, or have you ever had a US passport? If not, when applying for the US passport you'll need proof that they were US citizens at the time of your birth, and proof that one or both of them lived in the US at some time before your birth. Also it's important to have proof that they were married at the time of your birth, if they were married at the time.

After you move to the US you can look about getting the N-600. It's not a requirement, but it doesn't expire so it can be useful if you need to replace a lost/stolen passport or if you need to prove citizenship while waiting for the replacement passport. However, in order to work in the US it is necessary to get a Social Security number. You'll need to use your US passport or Certificate of Citizenship to get one, unless your parents already got one for you when you were living in the US as a child.

 

[CalGreenCard]

I am planning on moving to the US from Canada to live and work. I was born in Canada to American parents. We then returned to the US where we all lived until i was 4-5, then returned to Canada, where I have lived since. As far as I can tell I am eligible for dual citizenship.
I am trying to figure out is what is the best way to go about applying for it. I have been informed about a N-600 form to get a Cert of Citizenship. Is this a requirement to work in the US?
It seems the information I find only takes me in circles.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

You can apply directly for a US passport at a US consulate in Canada rather than going through the intermediate step of a citizenship certificate. This may be easier. You can use the citizenship certificate as proof of eligibility to work in the US. However, you are supposed to be using a US passport to enter the US so you need to get a passport anyways.

Though I don't know how difficult it is in practice, in theory it should be easier for you if BOTH your parents are US citizens and they were married at the time of your birth. In this case, you need only show that one of them lived in the US at some point prior to your birth--so old school or employment records from your parents should suffice. It is not necessary that they have lived in the US for any particular length of time. As long as one parent lived in the US at least briefly at some point prior to your birth, you should be fine.

So you would likely need to show both your parents' birth certificates (assuming both were born in the US), their marriage certificate, your birth certificate, and some evidence that one of them lived in the US prior to your birth.

 

[CalGreenCard]

You'll need to use your US passport or Certificate of Citizenship to get one, unless your parents already got one for you when you were living in the US as a child.

If the OP is younger than about 28, it is highly likely that the parents would indeed have obtained a social security number for the OP while living in the US. This is because beginning in 1989 it became necessary for a dependent child age 2 or older to have a social security number to be claimed as a dependent on the parents' tax returns.

 

[Jackolantern]

If the OP is younger than about 28, it is highly likely that the parents would indeed have obtained a social security number for the OP while living in the US. This is because beginning in 1989 it became necessary for a dependent child age 2 or older to have a social security number to be claimed as a dependent on the parents' tax returns.

On the other hand, since the OP apparently doesn't have any proof of US citizenship, I'm guessing that they didn't obtain an SSN when he/she was in the US as a child, because that proof of citizenship would have been required in order to get the SSN.

Then again, 20+ years ago the US government was more lax with giving out SSNs, and they may have issued the SSN based on having two US citizen parents.

 

[CalGreenCard]

On the other hand, since the OP apparently doesn't have any proof of US citizenship, I'm guessing that they didn't obtain an SSN when he/she was in the US as a child, because that proof of citizenship would have been required in order to get the SSN.

Then again, 20+ years ago the US government was more lax with giving out SSNs, and they may have issued the SSN based on having two US citizen parents.

I'm thinking that 20+ years ago one could have gotten, at the very least, a non-working SSN for a child in such a situation without too much aggravation. Of course if the OP has a non-working SSN, it will still be necessary to show a passport or other proof of citizenship to upgrade it to a regular SSN. But the actual SSN won't change.