Good Afternoon,
I am 29 years old, I came to the US from Mexico with my mother and grandmother when I was 9 months old. I was admitted to the US with a I-1551 Immigrant visa as a legal permanent resident. During processing my mother asked the person who was taking my photo how I could become a US citizen. His reply was simply "Oh don't worry, he will automatically become one when he turns 18". My mother never became a citizen and has simply renewed her "green card" every 10 years. (She also had an I-1551 however one year she lost it and it was replaced with the type you have to renew every 10 years) My grandmother became a citizen about 8 years ago. My father is a Mexican national who has resided there his whole life. I still use my I-1551 for verification when getting employment (it has my baby picture on it, which generates laughs all the time), and also used it when purchasing weapons and getting a concealed carry license here in Texas. I was told that since the I-1551 does not carry an expiration date, I technically do not need to renew it to the new style card. My question however is this: Is there any merit to what the customs agent told my mom 28 years ago? Did I somehow become a citizen by default when I turned 18? For what it's worth, I have never traveled out of the US for more than a week, and have never been in trouble with the law.
I am 29 years old, I came to the US from Mexico with my mother and grandmother when I was 9 months old. I was admitted to the US with a I-1551 Immigrant visa as a legal permanent resident. During processing my mother asked the person who was taking my photo how I could become a US citizen. His reply was simply "Oh don't worry, he will automatically become one when he turns 18". My mother never became a citizen and has simply renewed her "green card" every 10 years. (She also had an I-1551 however one year she lost it and it was replaced with the type you have to renew every 10 years) My grandmother became a citizen about 8 years ago. My father is a Mexican national who has resided there his whole life. I still use my I-1551 for verification when getting employment (it has my baby picture on it, which generates laughs all the time), and also used it when purchasing weapons and getting a concealed carry license here in Texas. I was told that since the I-1551 does not carry an expiration date, I technically do not need to renew it to the new style card. My question however is this: Is there any merit to what the customs agent told my mom 28 years ago? Did I somehow become a citizen by default when I turned 18? For what it's worth, I have never traveled out of the US for more than a week, and have never been in trouble with the law.