Naturalization
Mar 14th 2019 | 11:33 am
#1
Thread Starter
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 103
From: La Crosse, Wi (originally Bath UK)
Naturalization
Just a quickie here, is it worth getting naturalization or just stay with my green card.
I have been in the US now for 6 years and was wondering if I should go for it, also what are the benefits off doing it or not?
TIA
Andy
I have been in the US now for 6 years and was wondering if I should go for it, also what are the benefits off doing it or not?
TIA
Andy
Mar 14th 2019 | 1:25 pm
#2
MODERATOR
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 58,735
From: Phoenix, Arizona
Re: Naturalization
Mar 14th 2019 | 3:01 pm
#3
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 53,356
From: Dixie, ex UK
Re: Naturalization
Mar 15th 2019 | 6:51 am
#4
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,536
From: Sleepy Hollow, New York
Re: Naturalization
Alternatively, if your long-term plan involves retirement outside the US, becoming a citizen will guarantee you'll be able to take Social Security benefits from overseas.
Mar 17th 2019 | 3:26 am
#5
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 111
Re: Naturalization
As a green card holder you are subject to the same tax laws as US citizens so not sure why you'd
not want citizenship
Mar 17th 2019 | 9:44 am
#6
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 13,212
From: San Francisco
Re: Naturalization
Chances of SS totalization agreements being rescinded is probably quite small, but certainly greater than zero.
Personally, if I were going back to the UK to retire I wouldn't become a citizen as the complications of being a US citizen abroad outweight the benefits imo, especially in the FATCA world. But, if I intended to stay in the US or had a nexus with the US that was likely to remain - e.g. kids living here etc - I would go the citizenship route. I'm a citizen, but if I end up retiring in the UK (an unlikely prospect at present) I would give serious consideration to renouncing.
Last edited by Giantaxe; Mar 17th 2019 at 9:51 am.
Mar 17th 2019 | 1:01 pm
#7
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 6,159
From: Los Angeles
Re: Naturalization
I think I'm retiring in the UK. Who knows..
But, if so, I'm leaving my investments here to keep finances streamlined.
But, if so, I'm leaving my investments here to keep finances streamlined.
Mar 21st 2019 | 4:12 am
#8
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 4,836
From: Eee Bah Gum
Re: Naturalization
We are staying in LA with our daughter at present after doing a cruise through the Panama Canal and while on the cruise we had 2 surprising conversations on Green Cards. (We Naturalized and became USCs last century).
The first was with a USC guy who has been married to a woman for over 40 years and she has had her green card for 52 years. When she applied to renew it a couple of years ago it came back “deniedâ€, no other explanation, and you can’t find out why. I can relate to that as my first 2 attempts at a Green Card back in 1993 had similar results. They then contacted an immigration lawyer who helped them appeal her case. Again it came back as “deniedâ€. They are currently awaiting a court date to appear in front of a judge to appeal her case. His wife was not with him on the cruise for fear of not getting back in the country, he was traveling with his mother.
The second case was similar with a lady who was telling us that her friend, in her 70s, had been denied her Green Card renewal after living in the US for over 50 years and she had appealed and was waiting for a response.
We made the decision to become USCs because we could see our childrens’ future for sure to be in the USA, and us becoming citizens before they turned 18 made them USCs automatically. It is much harder to revoke one’s citizenship than to revoke a Green Card.
The first was with a USC guy who has been married to a woman for over 40 years and she has had her green card for 52 years. When she applied to renew it a couple of years ago it came back “deniedâ€, no other explanation, and you can’t find out why. I can relate to that as my first 2 attempts at a Green Card back in 1993 had similar results. They then contacted an immigration lawyer who helped them appeal her case. Again it came back as “deniedâ€. They are currently awaiting a court date to appear in front of a judge to appeal her case. His wife was not with him on the cruise for fear of not getting back in the country, he was traveling with his mother.
The second case was similar with a lady who was telling us that her friend, in her 70s, had been denied her Green Card renewal after living in the US for over 50 years and she had appealed and was waiting for a response.
We made the decision to become USCs because we could see our childrens’ future for sure to be in the USA, and us becoming citizens before they turned 18 made them USCs automatically. It is much harder to revoke one’s citizenship than to revoke a Green Card.
Mar 22nd 2019 | 4:26 am
#9
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 14,681
From: Bay Area, CA
Re: Naturalization
Not the biggest of considerations, but you will get called for Jury Duty if you become a citizen. Also, you can only work in certain defense-related companies if you are a citizen. And of course you can only vote (in most elections) if you are a citizen. But as others have pointed out, there's no guarantee a green card will be renewed, especially if you leave the country. I waited 27 years to get my citizenship because I just couldn't be bothered but I did it to secure my future here. You never know what a loony like Trump might try to do in regards to 'immigrants' ...
Mar 22nd 2019 | 7:22 am
#10
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 10,058
From: Milwaukie, Oregon
Re: Naturalization
That I think is becoming a major consideration, and why my USC wife also has British citizenship as well. Who knows what changes to immigration laws the future holds in either country. Look how the UK made it harder a few years back to get a spouse visa.
Mar 22nd 2019 | 7:25 am
#11
Thread Starter
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 103
From: La Crosse, Wi (originally Bath UK)
Re: Naturalization
Thanks for the replies, I am going to go for it!
I've downloaded all the paperwork and reading it through.
I've downloaded all the paperwork and reading it through.
Mar 22nd 2019 | 9:05 am
#12
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 14,681
From: Bay Area, CA
Re: Naturalization
Biggest hassle by far for me was the need to list every trip outside the US. I used to travel internationally for work back in the 80s/90s, and had poor records (many places don't stamp passports, and back in the 'good old days', travel tickets were paper only - no online / electronic record!). I spent a long time piecing info together from credit card receipts / bills / frequent flyer statements, (which I had anally kept for no good reason!), passport stamps, photos, etc. Of course, who knows if they would notice an omission, but I didn't want to open that one ... . Also, even traffic tickets are supposed to be reported - speeding, etc (but not parking). Again, I was a pack-rat for such things ... . Ultimately, after numerous false-starts, I hired an attorney and paid her to push me through it. There wasn't anything she did really that I couldn't have done, but having paid her, I felt obligated to complete!
