angelman

I just wonder how people who became US citizens feel. I am married to a USC and thats great. However although I am enjoying my time here thus far (been almost 3 year) I have little love for America as a country and certainly feel no allegiance to it whatsover. I love my country (england) and feel strong ties there. I am applying for my green card at the moment however my wife really wants to get the hell out of the US, she cant take any more Bush! Now I am thinking we should stick it out so that I can become a US citizen and then I can move freely between the two countries. We have a baby on the way so this would make sense, also workwise it would be very useful for me to be able to work either in the US or the UK. Citizenship would then simply be a matter or practicality.
Reading the oath and saluting the american flag for me though would be very hard to do. I feel really quite strongly about it but maybe I should just not take it so seriously.
I wonder how UK citizens feel about this, reading out the text that says you renounce all allegiance to your previous country and will serve in the american armed forces if requested etc. etc.
did you just not care, only thought about the practicalities of it, couldnt wait to renounce the chavs of england!

Sally

You should chill, Grasshopper. if you keep running from the things you don't like in both countries you will not be happy.

franc11s

My kids (18 and 15) came here with us 10 years ago. They are so settled here and life is good (thank the Lord).

When we took the oath a couple of years ago, I felt a lot more alleigence than my wife did. She was "whatever". She knows I feel differently but genuinely, it stems from my kids first. their lives are here now and we are pretty much part of the system. With the added luxury of course, as we are all dual citiziens we can flit from US to Europe, whenever and for however long we please.

Besides Bush/Blair/Thatcher/Clinton - it's all the same whereever you are. High house prices (when I went to buy)l, the low again when i want to sell. High interest when I have a big loan/mortgage, low when I don't need it. Either way, the politicians do a great job of ducking around my needs.

Last year though my wife finally I think accepted the USA as home. We went back to blighty (we go often) and she had finally had enough of it. Dull, dismal and depressing (for the most part) for the time we went. England when times are hard, in the 6-8 hours of daylight (autumn-spring) can be very very depressing.

We looked at each other on the plane and jointly decided, almost without words, if anyone wants to see us, they can come to the USA - which they all seem more than happy to do...

scrubbedexpat099

Too old for the Armed Forces, mind you Top Gun does have its appeals.

Sticks and stones can break your bones but words can never hurt you.

I have to sign up for all sorts of crap I do not even read, everytime I update my software for example.

You are not giving up anything anyway, just getting USCIS of your back, that must be time for 's

Do not think I will ever be able to say "Go USA" without my wife assuming I am taking the piss.

She is of course right, as in everything.

fatbrit

If you have transatlantic ties and your other nationality allows dual, it's a no-brainer. Still refer to septics as "you" rather than "we" when having my daily rant over whatever has pissed me off.

cinnabar

On the other side of the coin, it doesn't seem to bother the "British" overseas-born religion-motivated terrorists that they acquire no allegiance to their new country.

I don't feel any strong ties to anywhere. My home is where I live and currently that's the US. I feel no urge to go back to England, but would do so happily if something in my life dicated that I must (just as marriage dicated I should come here. I like it here).

I think I know how you feel about taking US citizenship and how you don't feel able to brag about how great America is to people from other countries, so you feel you aren't entitled to citizenship. I feel the same way. But I don't tell people how great Britain is either. I don't have an almost religious fervour about evangelising on behalf of England. So I feel mostly comfortable with the fact that I would have the same affection for the US as a citizen as I do for the UK, I just wouldn't call it "love" for either side.

My British citizenship is a practicality. US citizenship would be the same. It's just not about lerve and flag-waving and incomprehensible team sports for me.

Neathborn

Franc11s, those are exactly my thoughts. I've been in the U.S. for a long time now and I've accepted that this is home. My children are American (though they have dual citizenship, they are being brought up in this country). I struggled for a number of years about whether to become an American citizen, but when I finally made the decision and took the oath, it somehow made me feel much more settled, if that makes sense. As a dual citizen, I am proud of both the UK and America. After all, my kids are half-American, so how could I not like the US .

Chorlton

Angelman, I'm almost in the same boat. I've had my GC for a while (I forget how long), and have no plans as yet to become a USC, even though it is preventing me from certain promotions/transfers at work. Until I left, I wasn't really proud to be British (or at least I didnt think about it). Now I love it. I will always be British. I have no problem with the oath, but I dont like the idea of travelling on a US passport or any of the other stuff that goes with it. That may change someday, but I doubt it will be before 2008.

Rodney you plonker

I will echo that.

In my opinion they can say what they like. I am British till the death whatever country I live in and no matter what they call me. The citizenship/passport will merely be a convenience thing, and as soon as I get it, they can all kiss my boaby.

meauxna

This more or less sums up my OB husband's recent naturalization experience. He says 'this is where I live, I want to belong'. He had already expatriated from the UK for 6 years when we met, so he is not pining to return (couldn't drag him back screaming, I'm afraid). He changed his vocabulary for the US to be better understood, he eats what the locals eat (OK, tough time with the tofu) and considers the US 'home'.
He got a kick out of re-entering the US on his new passport recently, but what freaked me out is that he registered to vote without any prodding from me. His explanation is that once he did the deed, the US citizenship meant more to him than he expected it would. ie, it's not the 'just a practicality' that we both intended it to be.


PS: angelman, consider that if you do not yet have a green card, it may be close to 5 years before you become a US citizen.

scrubbedexpat099

And at least this Bush will no longer be on the throne.

Rodney you plonker

He will when he sits down to take a crap

TruBrit

yep agree with you there 100%, infact i have just renewed my 10yr green card and that'll do me just fine

scrubbedexpat099

You only need your US passport to enter the US.

I know a couple of guys who have been here nearly 20 years, had a brush with immigration after being out for a few months getting back in, then found out how at risk they were of being deported if the had issues with the police.

So got naturalised.

East End, you would have thought by listening to them they left yesterday.

meauxna

ha ha, this was yesterday's headline in extra big type:

". . . There are no hereditary Kings in America and no powers not granted by the Constitution."