confusedgirly

hi all,

I hope someone may be able to help.

I am the daughter of a US citizen (my father), I currently hold a british passport (my mother is british). parents are divorced. My birth was not reported to the US embassy as we were unware that we needed and I have lived in britain only travelling to the USA every year on a holiday visa. I am in the process of trying to obtain my dual citizenship but have been told that due to my date of birth 21/06/1986 the requirements are slightly different, I must show proof that my father financially supported me up until the age of 18 but I have no proof of this. does anyone have any suggestions of what I should do or has anyone been in a similar situation?

look forward to finding out.

thanks

confused girly

dreamercon

Were your parents married when you were born? If so, the U.S. citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States for a cumulative period (or periods totaling) ten years before you were born, at least five years of which were after the U.S. citizen parent reached the age of fourteen. If this requirement is met, you acquire U.S. citizenship under the provisions of Section 301(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. There is no requirement that your father financially supported you. Just apply for a US passport to get proof of your citizenship if you qualify.

confusedgirly

They married in the USA in florida when I was 3 years of age does this make a difference?

thank you

Tracym

Were they living in Florida? Just so we're clear, this is your natural birth father (the USC) but they did not marry until 3 years after you were born, right?

Did your father ever live in the US, and if so, from what age to what age?

I think we've had a thread re. something similar, I'll have a hunt.

Rete

I don't if the rules changed on this since 1948 but I became a USC automatically once my biological father who was a USC married my German citizens mother.

Suggest that you read:

http://www.richw.org/dualcit/

I had not heard anything about support needing to have been paid in order to claim parentage.

fatbrit

Yep -- they need to have been married at the time of your birth not to have had the additional complication. This may not fly if your parents didn't do the requisite paperwork at the right time.

If this direct route doesn't work, your father can always sponsor you -- but there's a long wait. Additionally, there's some strange route through your grandparents -- but unfortunately it's beyond my peon brain. One day I intend to research it and understand it -- but I haven't got there yet.

fatbrit

Yes, there is for the law at the time of her birth.

It's come up once or twice on these boards.

confusedgirly

re Tracey -

yes this is my biological father and his family have lived in the states and been citizens for many generations.

he was born in the USA and still resides there.

confusedgirly

re - tracey

also, they did not live in the USA but were married in FLorida, USA and then we moved to the UK. yes they got married when i was 3years old

Bluegrass Lass

So, just to clarify (sorry, i'm not fully awake yet) you were born in the UK to a USC father and a UKC mother. Your birth was not reported to the US embassy. Then, 3 years after you were born, your parents married in Florida. You all moved back to the UK (where you still live). Your parents then later divorced.

Your USC father was born, raised and still lives in the USA? Did he spend at least 5 years living in the US after he reached the age of 14, and prior to your birth? Is he listed as your father on your UK birth certificate? If the answers to these questions are yes, then, in my layman's opinion, it sounds to me like you could already be a USC.

However, since they didn't officially marry until you were 3, I suppose this could add in that additional requirement of financial support, which I have no knowledge of. I hope someone else can pipe up with help for you.

fatbrit

You missed out the fact she was born out of wedlock and the USC was the father. Additional steps had to be taken before she turned 18 to clinch her US citizenship. If these weren't done, she's SOL.

confusedgirly

ok you are using all these terms about me that i dont understand!

what is SOL?

confusedgirly

ok...heres the story
i was born in tenerife, spain, we went to USA where mum and dad married then came to the UK where i have been ever since.

my father had lived in the US all his life. he is on my birth certificate.

hope that wat you needed to know

Bluegrass Lass

SOL = shit out of luck. It's a quaint American saying.

confusedgirly

oh thats very nice isnt it! haha