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New and desperate for some help!!

New and desperate for some help!!

Old Jul 8th 2012, 8:15 pm
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Red face New and desperate for some help!!

Hello everyone, I have just joined the forums after a lot of lurking around as I am in need of some help with my passport. I was born in the UK in 1986 and came to America in 1995 on my mother's passport which has been stolen a few years back but also most likely expired. I am trying to get my own british passport but I am leary about sending in my application as you forfeit your money if it is filled in incorrectly (my understanding). My question has to do with my parent's details on the application. I am filling in the C1 form and it asks for their pasport number. I have put my dad's in even though it is expired, but i do not know my mum's as it was stolen. A police report was filed and I am trying to find the copy of the report to include, but do I just leave it blank and make sure to include the copy, or will they deny me my passport? Also, it asks for information about the lost/stolen passport, and I am not sure if I put my name down or my mother's as it was hers and I was just included in it? I am trying to travel back to England to see my family that I have not seen in almost 17 years so I need to get this mailed off, but I want to make sure that I do it right. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I have search the forum but it seems like there hasn't been a situation like mine yet. Thanks in advance for your help

Also, should I include a copy of my American driver's license for more identification?
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Old Jul 8th 2012, 8:21 pm
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Originally Posted by SarahJo
I am filling in the C1 form and it asks for their pasport number. I have put my dad's in even though it is expired, but i do not know my mum's as it was stolen. A police report was filed and I am trying to find the copy of the report to include, but do I just leave it blank and make sure to include the copy, or will they deny me my passport?
If you were included in your father's passport, that's really all you need. If you were included in both, include the police certificate. Your passport won't be denied as long as you were listed in the one you're able to provide.

As an aside, I was listed in my mom's passport and applied for my first UK passport about 40 years after my mom's passport exired. It wasn't an issue. Oh... make sure to include your long form birth certificate.


Also, it asks for information about the lost/stolen passport, and I am not sure if I put my name down or my mother's as it was hers and I was just included in it?
It was her passport... not yours.


Also, should I include a copy of my American driver's license for more identification?
It's been a while since I completed a C1... do the instructions ask for further proof of your identity? Include it if it's asked for, otherwise don't.

Ian
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Old Jul 8th 2012, 8:49 pm
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

I would add to this, however, that you will need a U.S. passport to get back into the United States, if you're a U.S. citizen. Even if you also have a British passport.

If you're NOT a U.S. citizen then you can't go anywhere unless you have the right paperwork to get back into the United States. Generally speaking, a valid green card.

And if you are thinking of anything other than a short vacation, you should understand that you risk a. losing your permanent resident status, and b. even if you keep your resident status, putting back your eligibility for U.S. citizenship. Getting a re-entry permit before you leave the United States reduces this risk but does not eliminate it.

For your British passport application, it would also be a good idea to include your parent's birth certificates and their marriage certificate. Since you were born after 1982, you have to include parent's details to prove you acquired British citizenship when you were born. It is easy to get official copies from the U.K.
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Old Jul 8th 2012, 8:55 pm
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Originally Posted by JAJ
I would add to this, however, that you will need a U.S. passport to get back into the United States, if you're a U.S. citizen. Even if you also have a British passport.

If you're NOT a U.S. citizen then you can't go anywhere unless you have the right paperwork to get back into the United States. Generally speaking, a valid green card.

And if you are thinking of anything other than a short vacation, you should understand that you risk a. losing your permanent resident status, and b. even if you keep your resident status, putting back your eligibility for U.S. citizenship. Getting a re-entry permit before you leave the United States reduces this risk but does not eliminate it.

For your British passport application, it would also be a good idea to include your parent's birth certificates and their marriage certificate. Since you were born after 1982, you have to include parent's details to prove you acquired British citizenship when you were born. It is easy to get official copies from the U.K.
Thanks for your help. I am a British citizen but I do hold a green card in the US. According to the notes for the C1 form it says I only need to include my birth certificate and my mother's. I just received the copies a few days ago and I am just making sure I have everything in order to mail it all off. At this time I do not have any plans to become a US citizen but I would like to go to the UK in September for a few months. Do you think I will have any problems coming back into the country if I have my green card with me? Should I get a reentry permit before I go?
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Old Jul 8th 2012, 9:05 pm
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Originally Posted by ian-mstm
If you were included in your father's passport, that's really all you need. If you were included in both, include the police certificate. Your passport won't be denied as long as you were listed in the one you're able to provide.

As an aside, I was listed in my mom's passport and applied for my first UK passport about 40 years after my mom's passport exired. It wasn't an issue. Oh... make sure to include your long form birth certificate.



It was her passport... not yours.



It's been a while since I completed a C1... do the instructions ask for further proof of your identity? Include it if it's asked for, otherwise don't.

Ian
I was not included on my father's passport, only my mother's as they were divorced. So I have no passport to send as hers was stolen.

On the application it asks: "your name at the time the passport was stolen"
Should I just leave it blank then as I was only included on the passport?

As far as I can see, it does not ask me for any further proof of identity, but one website that I checked said I should include as much information about me and my citizenship as I can??? I don't want to add unnecessary information but I also don't want to be denied. Thanks for the quick response
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Old Jul 8th 2012, 9:13 pm
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Originally Posted by SarahJo
Thanks for your help. I am a British citizen but I do hold a green card in the US. According to the notes for the C1 form it says I only need to include my birth certificate and my mother's. I just received the copies a few days ago and I am just making sure I have everything in order to mail it all off. At this time I do not have any plans to become a US citizen but I would like to go to the UK in September for a few months. Do you think I will have any problems coming back into the country if I have my green card with me? Should I get a reentry permit before I go?
1. Your birth certificate + mother's birth certificate should be enough. They might or might not want to see copies of your U.S. identity documents. Don't send originals of your ID documents as they may lose them (and you need to keep both your green card and driving license with you, under U.S. law)

2. As you're planning more than a short vacation, a re-entry permit is recommended. But it doesn't protect you from losing your permanent resident status if you no longer keep a residence in the United States, or if you remain outside the country for too long.

3. Do you see your future in the United States? If so, then a decision not to become a U.S. citizen is probably a poor choice.

4. Did your mother become a U.S. citizen before you were 18? If so, you might have automatically become a U.S. citizen at that point.
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Old Jul 8th 2012, 9:19 pm
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Originally Posted by ian-mstm
If you were included in your father's passport, that's really all you need. If you were included in both, include the police certificate. Your passport won't be denied as long as you were listed in the one you're able to provide.

As an aside, I was listed in my mom's passport and applied for my first UK passport about 40 years after my mom's passport exired. It wasn't an issue. Oh... make sure to include your long form birth certificate.



It was her passport... not yours.



It's been a while since I completed a C1... do the instructions ask for further proof of your identity? Include it if it's asked for, otherwise don't.

Ian
Originally Posted by JAJ
1. Your birth certificate + mother's birth certificate should be enough. They might or might not want to see copies of your U.S. identity documents. Don't send originals of your ID documents as they may lose them (and you need to keep both your green card and driving license with you, under U.S. law)

2. As you're planning more than a short vacation, a re-entry permit is recommended. But it doesn't protect you from losing your permanent resident status if you no longer keep a residence in the United States, or if you remain outside the country for too long.

3. Do you see your future in the United States? If so, then a decision not to become a U.S. citizen is probably a poor choice.

4. Did your mother become a U.S. citizen before you were 18? If so, you might have automatically become a U.S. citizen at that point.
My parents are also green card holders with no intention of becoming citizens. They will be moving to Canada shortly, but I do not know where I will end up. I have graduated college now and must move where the jobs are. Before I start my job though I wanted to spend time with my family in the UK and then come back and start my job. I will find out more about the re entry permit, thank you for bringing that to my attention. personally I am considering dual citizenship as my entire family is still in the UK and I may go back eventually for good, but either way, when I go I want to be able to go for a few months at a time.
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Old Jul 8th 2012, 9:34 pm
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Originally Posted by SarahJo
My parents are also green card holders with no intention of becoming citizens. They will be moving to Canada shortly,
Are they moving to Canada with permanent visas, or temporary? If temporary, they should understand that if they lose their permanent resident status, or give it up, then they have nowhere to go other than back to home country if things don't work out in Canada.

Same goes for them with re-entry permit, etc, if they want to keep their green cards, at least for a while. As green card holders they will be subject to the same U.S. federal tax and bank account reporting obligations as U.S. citizens.

If they have been permanent residents for some years, they need to check if the expatriation tax will apply to them if they turn in their green cards:
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/...=97245,00.html

but I do not know where I will end up. I have graduated college now and must move where the jobs are. Before I start my job though I wanted to spend time with my family in the UK and then come back and start my job. I will find out more about the re entry permit, thank you for bringing that to my attention. personally I am considering dual citizenship as my entire family is still in the UK and I may go back eventually for good, but either way, when I go I want to be able to go for a few months at a time.
You may wish to ask on the Immigration section of the forum whether your planned 3 month trip will risk you having to re-start the 5 year clock to become naturalized. Also what you should do, in addition to the re-entry permit, to protect your permanent resident status.
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Old Jul 8th 2012, 9:49 pm
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Originally Posted by JAJ
Are they moving to Canada with permanent visas, or temporary? If temporary, they should understand that if they lose their permanent resident status, or give it up, then they have nowhere to go other than back to home country if things don't work out in Canada.

Same goes for them with re-entry permit, etc, if they want to keep their green cards, at least for a while. As green card holders they will be subject to the same U.S. federal tax and bank account reporting obligations as U.S. citizens.

If they have been permanent residents for some years, they need to check if the expatriation tax will apply to them if they turn in their green cards:
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/...=97245,00.html



You may wish to ask on the Immigration section of the forum whether your planned 3 month trip will risk you having to re-start the 5 year clock to become naturalized. Also what you should do, in addition to the re-entry permit, to protect your permanent resident status.
I will do all of that. Thank you for your help. I am very new to all of this and I want to do it right so I will contact the necessary people and find out what to do next for re entry. As far as it goes with the parents, I am not sure if they ever plan to move back to the states or not but they have been wanting to go to Canada for some time now. We have all been permanent residents since 1998 and have renewed our cards once and they are still good until 2018.

So as far as the passport information goes, I should just submit all documents that they asked for as well as a copy of the police report and as long as they have everything I should be okay?
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Old Jul 8th 2012, 10:00 pm
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Originally Posted by JAJ
Are they moving to Canada with permanent visas, or temporary? If temporary, they should understand that if they lose their permanent resident status, or give it up, then they have nowhere to go other than back to home country if things don't work out in Canada.

Same goes for them with re-entry permit, etc, if they want to keep their green cards, at least for a while. As green card holders they will be subject to the same U.S. federal tax and bank account reporting obligations as U.S. citizens.

If they have been permanent residents for some years, they need to check if the expatriation tax will apply to them if they turn in their green cards:
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/...=97245,00.html



You may wish to ask on the Immigration section of the forum whether your planned 3 month trip will risk you having to re-start the 5 year clock to become naturalized. Also what you should do, in addition to the re-entry permit, to protect your permanent resident status.
I will check on the re entry thank you for letting me know about all of that. i really appreciate all of your help. Also, as far as the passport goes, if I fill in the application and send in a copy of the police report, everything should be fine? If I include extras just in case like a copy of my AZ driver's license, will they deny me just on that fact?
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Old Jul 8th 2012, 10:24 pm
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Originally Posted by SarahJo
Hello everyone, I have just joined the forums after a lot of lurking around as I am in need of some help with my passport. I was born in the UK in 1986 and came to America in 1995 on my mother's passport which has been stolen a few years back but also most likely expired. I am trying to get my own british passport but I am leary about sending in my application as you forfeit your money if it is filled in incorrectly (my understanding). My question has to do with my parent's details on the application. I am filling in the C1 form and it asks for their pasport number. I have put my dad's in even though it is expired, but i do not know my mum's as it was stolen. A police report was filed and I am trying to find the copy of the report to include, but do I just leave it blank and make sure to include the copy, or will they deny me my passport? Also, it asks for information about the lost/stolen passport, and I am not sure if I put my name down or my mother's as it was hers and I was just included in it? I am trying to travel back to England to see my family that I have not seen in almost 17 years so I need to get this mailed off, but I want to make sure that I do it right. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I have search the forum but it seems like there hasn't been a situation like mine yet. Thanks in advance for your help

Also, should I include a copy of my American driver's license for more identification?
I'm curious...how did you manage to move to the US on your mother's passport? My daughter was born in 1985 and we moved to the US in 1996. Until then she had been on my PP...but she had to have a PP of her own before she could get a US visa? The US Embassy would not issue a visa for my daughter unless she had her own PP.
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Old Jul 9th 2012, 1:08 am
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Originally Posted by SarahJo
My parents are also green card holders with no intention of becoming citizens. They will be moving to Canada shortly, but I do not know where I will end up. I have graduated college now and must move where the jobs are. Before I start my job though I wanted to spend time with my family in the UK and then come back and start my job. I will find out more about the re entry permit, thank you for bringing that to my attention. personally I am considering dual citizenship as my entire family is still in the UK and I may go back eventually for good, but either way, when I go I want to be able to go for a few months at a time.
Going back to the UK for a few (let's say 2 or 3) months is fine. You don't need a re-entry permit for that, and it most likely won't affect your ability to naturalize in the USA (as long as you haven't spent significant time outside the USA elsewhere). If you plan to (or end up) staying 6+ months back in the UK, then you could run into some problems. Don't stay longer than just a few months.

Rene

Last edited by Noorah101; Jul 9th 2012 at 1:11 am.
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Old Jul 9th 2012, 1:40 am
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
I'm curious...how did you manage to move to the US on your mother's passport? My daughter was born in 1985 and we moved to the US in 1996. Until then she had been on my PP...but she had to have a PP of her own before she could get a US visa? The US Embassy would not issue a visa for my daughter unless she had her own PP.
We originally came over for a holiday to see my dad who was working in California, and while we were here he ended up being transferred to another location in Arkansas. During this time he persuaded my mother to stay longer during which time they got back together and decided to get remarried and my mother thought we would have a better life here...We applied for a green card in 1996 and in 1998 we were approved for them. I have nothing more than a green card here. I do not have a visa or anything. I was on my mother's passport until it expired and got stolen, and now I am trying to apply for mine. Do you have a green card?
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Old Jul 9th 2012, 1:42 am
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Originally Posted by Noorah101
Going back to the UK for a few (let's say 2 or 3) months is fine. You don't need a re-entry permit for that, and it most likely won't affect your ability to naturalize in the USA (as long as you haven't spent significant time outside the USA elsewhere). If you plan to (or end up) staying 6+ months back in the UK, then you could run into some problems. Don't stay longer than just a few months.

Rene
That's great, thank you so much for the information. I was starting to get worried. I have not been out of the US since I got here on holiday in 1995. Let's just say...it has been one long holiday! My sister has asked I go back for a few months and I like the idea so I am planning it all now. As I mentioned before, this is all very new to me so any information is greatly appreciated. I would hate to be stuck somewhere even though I have family in both countries.
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Old Jul 9th 2012, 1:47 am
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Default Re: New and desperate for some help!!

Rene,

Do you know a lot about the passport application for overseas citizens? I want to make sure that mine is correct and that I am not going to lose my money or my chances at being able to fly home in September.
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