Dual Nationality in the USA
 

Does anyone how to obtain dual USA/UK nationality? I'm a British citizen who has permanent resident status in the US, but because I'm probably going to live out my life here, and wish to participate in the electoral system, etc., I would also like to have American citizenship. I have enquired at the US immigration service a couple of times, and have been told that this isn't possible... Yet I keep hearing about prominent British, Canadian, and others who have dual nationality in this country.

Maybe I'm being stubborn, but I really don't want to give up my British citizenship.

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

You will not lose your UK citizenship by becoming a US Citizen. You are allowed to have dual citizenship.

Rene

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

The US immigration system is saying that I can not have US citizenship if I want to retain my UK citizenship. They have claimed each time I asked that I cannot have both, and that I need to give up (renounce) my status as a UK citizen if I want to become a citizen of the US. The British government, on the other hand, has no problem with dual citizenship.

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

Rubbish!!!

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

They are wrong. If you're getting this information from calling the USCIS 800 number, they are most often wrong about things. The people answering your questions there are just contract workers who know nothing about immigration.

Believe the many UK citizens who have become US citizens...they are correct in saying it's possible to have both.

Rene

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

Thanks guys. The source was the US immigration service offices in Hartford, CT. I went there personally to start citizen procedure, but stopped when I was told that I could not have dual UK/US nationality.

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

File quickly the price doubles in a few weeks

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/usc...0045f3d6a1RCRD

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

Have a read:

[email protected] http://www.richw.org/dualcit/

And don't muddy the waters by asking about this at the interview for naturalization.

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

On Jul 9, 9:39 am, mcbarker <[email protected]>
wrote:
> > You will not lose your UK citizenship by becoming a US Citizen. You
> > are allowed to have dual citizenship.
>
> The US immigration system is saying that I can not have US citizenship
> if I want to retain my UK citizenship. They have claimed each time I
> asked that I cannot have both, and that I need to give up (renounce) my
> status as a UK citizen if I want to become a citizen of the US. The
> British government, on the other hand, has no problem with dual
> citizenship.

Strangely and sadly, the USCIS is a very unreliable source of
information about USA immigration matters. Advice from low-level
workers and the 'help line' is often entirely wrong, as in this case.

Your question depends on how you interpret the oath you'll have to
take to become a USA citizen. You have to declare on oath that you
"absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and
fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of
whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen". If you're
willing to do that while intending to maintain you UK citizenship,
then you've no problem.

The key thing here is that the UK, like many other countries, doesn't
care what you say to officials of other countries. To lose you're UK
citizenship you would have to apply to UK authorities. Similarly, the
USA doesn't care if other countries regard you as a citizen.

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

On Jul 9, 11:11 am, mcbarker <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Does anyone how to obtain dual USA/UK nationality? I'm a British citizen
> who has permanent resident status in the US, but because I'm probably
> going to live out my life here, and wish to participate in the electoral
> system, etc., I would also like to have American citizenship. I have
> enquired at the US immigration service a couple of times, and have been
> told that this isn't possible... Yet I keep hearing about prominent
> British, Canadian, and others who have dual nationality in this country.
>
> Maybe I'm being stubborn, but I really don't want to give up my British
> citizenship.
>
> --
> Posted viahttp://britishexpats.com

as JJ had pointed out, most front line/counter employees are clueless
when it comes to the details.

whether you want to renounce your UK cit. is up to you.

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

Just to let you know that you can apply for US Citizenship within the fact that you have lived in the US as a lawful permanent resident with a Green Card or alien registration Card for at least five years on a continual basis. Than ask at your local USCIS office for Form I-400 Application for Naturalization. Bring your green card with you to prove that you have been here as a permeant resident. The rest is easy, just file your fee of $400.00 and follow the instructions they give you in a package.

Best,

Nefertiti;)

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

The forms are available on-line

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

On Jul 9, 12:56 pm, mcbarker <[email protected]>
wrote:
> > They are wrong. If you're getting this information from calling the
> > USCIS 800 number, they are most often wrong about things. The people
> > answering your questions there are just contract workers who know
> > nothing about immigration.
>
> > Believe the many UK citizens who have become US citizens...they are
> > correct in saying it's possible to have both.
>
> > Rene
>
> Thanks guys. The source was the US immigration service offices in
> Hartford, CT. I went there personally to start citizen procedure, but
> stopped when I was told that I could not have dual UK/US nationality.

What it comes down to is that the US naturalization oath does contain
a statement of renunciation of prior allegiances. That being said,
British law does not view that statement as having any effect upon
your British citizenship. Britain has specific defined procedures for
renouncing citizenship, and making a statement of renunciation to
foreign (in this case American) officials does not meet the British
definition of renunciation. So, even if you become a US citizen, you
will still be a British citizen,

The US State Department, which is the the part of the government that
is responsibile for determining whether a person is or is not a US
citizen, has acknowledged that US citizens can and do hold dual
nationality, for a number of reasons (because they were born with both
US and another citizenship, because they acquired another citizenship
after receiving their US citizenship, and because a person who
naturalizes in the US may not lose his original citizenship.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1753.html

So, if you become a US citizen, you will not have to do anything to
hold dual nationality. You will have it simply because Britain will
insist that you are still British. And Britain will have no problem
with the fact that you are also a US citizen.

You will have to use a US passport when entering the US, and identify
yourself to US officials as a US citizen, but you will be free to use
your British passport outside of the US.

Here's a website that that talks about dual nationality laws that may
help you a bit.
http://www.richw.org/dualcit/


P.S. My mother is a naturalized US citizen and she has both her US
and British passports. I'm a US citizen by birth, but I also have
British citizenship through my mother, and Canadian citizenship due to
naturalization in Canada, so I have three passports.

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

>
> The US immigration system is saying that I can not have US citizenship
> if I want to retain my UK citizenship. They have claimed each time I
> asked that I cannot have both, and that I need to give up (renounce) my
> status as a UK citizen if I want to become a citizen of the US.

And they are correct. The fact is, however, that Britain will not
honour that renunciation and they will still consider you to be
British.

Re: Dual Nationality in the USA
 

I didn't give up my British citizenship when I became a Canadian citizen... and I didn't give up either my British or Canadian citizenships when I became a US citizen. I have 3 passports... all valid. The UK does not recognize the US Oath of Allegiance as binding under UK law. Note that renouncing your "allegiance" to a foreign country is *not* the same as renouncing your citizenship of a foreign country.

Ian