Steps to citizenship, with a foreign-born child

D

dl1cd

Registered Users (C)
Fellow travelers,

I am applying for US Citizenship and wonder if my steps are correct, specially because of my India-born daughter, who just turned 16:

1. Parents applying using N-400 form
2. Parents go through the procedure, culminating in an oath ceremony, and obtain US passports
3. Since the child is under 18, the child automatically gets US citizenship by dint of step (2)
4. Child applies for US passport
5. Once all 3 passports are in hand, we surrender the Indian passports and apply for OCI/PIO

Specific questions:
a. Are the steps in correct sequence?
b. Is there a need to go the N-600 route for the child at all?
c. Would the Indian Embassy have issues, because conceivably, there would be ~4 months between steps (2) and (5).

Thanks,
DL1CD
 
Yes, the daughter has been with me. She has a GC.She has been out of the country twice in the last 5 years - once for 35 days and once for 5 days.

Are you saying N-600 would be helpful to establish the bonafides if the daughter were overseas? I guess so.

Thanks.
 
I asked that question because if your daughter is living abroad, or living anywhere without having a GC, she wouldn't be eligible to derive citizenship automatically (not until those factors were corrected).

Once you get citizenship you can apply for her passport without waiting for the N-600. While the N-600 is not absolutely necessary, it is still useful because it doesn't expire and it can prevent a lot of headaches if the passport is lost or stolen or there is a delay in renewing an expired passport.

In particular, some people who got citizenship and US passports through their parents but didn't get their own citizenship certificate (whether via N-600 or CRBA) have had difficulty renewing or replacing/renewing their passport abroad because the embassy insisted on seeing their parents' naturalization certificates and/or other evidence that they were living with their parents in the US when under 18. Obviously that kind of evidence can be expensive and difficult to find for somebody who is 30 or 40. If they had their own certificate they could have shown that instead of having to rely on their parents' documents and old residence/custody documents.

There is no rush to get the N-600 -- but it's better to apply for it when she's still under 18. After she's 18 she must apply for it on her own and they tend to get more strict with the evidence requirements.
 
JoL - thanks for your helpful response. Are you pursuing a career in law, or is this purely altruistic? Either way, I am thankful for your response. Please see a couple comments below ..


Jackolantern said:
I asked that question because if your daughter is living abroad, or living anywhere without having a GC, she wouldn't be eligible to derive citizenship automatically (not until those factors were corrected).

>> OK, this is to be expected.

Once you get citizenship you can apply for her passport without waiting for the N-600. While the N-600 is not absolutely necessary, it is still useful because it doesn't expire and it can prevent a lot of headaches if the passport is lost or stolen or there is a delay in renewing an expired passport.

>> A gray area - once the parents have their US PPs, can their kid still travel on the old PP (non-US)? I guess this is something we would not want to find out, but I think playing safe is a better option and the kid should get the US PP quickly.

In particular, some people who got citizenship and US passports through their parents but didn't get their own citizenship certificate (whether via N-600 or CRBA) have had difficulty renewing or replacing/renewing their passport abroad because the embassy insisted on seeing their parents' naturalization certificates and/or other evidence that they were living with their parents in the US when under 18. Obviously that kind of evidence can be expensive and difficult to find for somebody who is 30 or 40. If they had their own certificate they could have shown that instead of having to rely on their parents' documents and old residence/custody documents.

>> Special case - renewal abroad - apart, are there other downsides? CRBA would be N/A for us, since we still aren't naturalized.

There is no rush to get the N-600 -- but it's better to apply for it when she's still under 18. After she's 18 she must apply for it on her own and they tend to get more strict with the evidence requirements.
Click to expand...

>> N-600 fees are $600 - a lot of burritos - but would certainly keep this in mind for future. Thanks again - appreciate your willingness to help and actually helpful responses.
 
dl1cd said:
JoL - thanks for your helpful response. Are you pursuing a career in law, or is this purely altruistic? Either way, I am thankful for your response. Please see a couple comments below ..
Click to expand...
No plans to become a lawyer. I guess it's just an unusual hobby.

>> N-600 fees are $600 - a lot of burritos - but would certainly keep this in mind for future. Thanks again - appreciate your willingness to help and actually helpful responses.
Click to expand...

Yes, $600 can be quite painful, especially after spending the money for your own and your spouse's naturalization and passports. However, there are 2 more years till she's 18, so you have some time to save and budget for it.
 
Jackolantern said:
Yes, $600 can be quite painful, especially after spending the money for your own and your spouse's naturalization and passports. However, there are 2 more years till she's 18, so you have some time to save and budget for it.
Click to expand...

Definitely agree! I would file for N-600 before she reaches 18. Having a separate Certificate of Citizenship for your daughter is a good idea. $600 is quite a bit of money but a separate Certificate can spare you a lot of headaches and attorney fees later.
 
The information provided is correct. I just became a citizen on 11/9, during ceremony the office talked about this specific topic. The $600 is painful, but he explained that more places are requesting the certification, e.g. universities and colleges are request the certification of naturalization upon admission.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top