> Greetings,
>
> Ok. My situation has my own head spinning, so I don't know what any
> of
> you will think of it.
>
> First, I was born in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, in 1972. My parents,
> however, were both US citizens. They immigrated to Canada for a
> variety
> of reasons, I think, including having relatives there, my father
> having
> a job offer at a newspaper there, and I also believe because of the
> Vietnam War situation at the time. My parents were definitely not
> there
> in a diplomatic capacity and did not work for a foreign agency.
>
> They moved to Canada either in 1971, or in early 1972. I was born in
> July of 1972. They stayed in Canada until the beginning of 1977, by
> which time my mother missed her relatives back in the US, and my
> father
> had received a better job offer in the US that would facilitate him
> going back to college for his master's and subsequently his doctorate.
> I was not quite 5, and hadn't started school yet (which I did in the
> latter half of 1977 in the US).
>
> When they moved to Canada, they applied for and received legal
> resident
> status. What they did not do, however, was finish this process and
> become Canadian citizens. They also never registered my birth with a
> US
> embassy/consulate.
>
> Somehow, I was able to start kindergarten in the US. I don't know
> what
> documents were required at the time. I continued through school and
> didn't have a problem with this, except shortly before my first visit
> to
> the UK, in 1987 to see an uncle married. At this time (at 14), I had
> to
> go through the process of receiving a US social security number in
> order
> to then apply for a US passport, as I could no longer travel on a
> parent's passport. I was required to take a US oath to receive the
> passport, and of course my Canadian birth certificate had been sent
> in,
> and I'm sure my parents' US birth certificates, as well.
>
> I didn't think much of this for many years afterward. I had/have a US
> passport, and was able to travel. I also had/have a social security
> number, and am able to work. But when it came time to renew my
> passport
> to travel to China, I came up against problems. The US passport
> issuing
> agency questioned my citizenship. I sent in a letter, stating how
> long
> I had been in the US, that I had a social security number, and pay US
> taxes, and as I recall I sent my parents' birth certificates in as
> well.
> After this, I was re-issued another US passport, and thought that this
> meant I was officially recognized as a US citizen.
>
> Now to 'switch gears'. I've always assumed I was a Canadian citizen
> (and of course a citizen of the Commonwealth) as well, and have taken
> pride in it. But I ran across info regarding the "Lost Canadians" on
> the internet, and began to look into it more. I realized that I was
> probably indeed officially a Canadian citizen (particularly because of
> changes in Canadian law regarding the "Lost Canadians" in May of this
> year), and decided to 'formalize' this, so to speak, by sending off
> for
> my Canadian citizenship card. Well, after emailing the Canadian
> consulate in Los Angeles about my particular situation, I received a
> brief reply that I was likely a Canadian citizen and that I should
> apply for a Canadian citizenship card. So, they emailed me an
> application package.
>
> But here's where I'm starting to get concerned about WHAT country(ies)
> of which I'm actually considered a citizen. One thing listed on a
> loose
> sheet insert regarding documents to send in, included in the package
> the
> Canadian consulate sent me, notes 'proof of status in the US'. As
> acceptable proof, the following are listed: Alien Registration Card,
> US
> Naturalization Certificate, or US report of birth abroad. Well, my
> parents never reported my birth to a US embassy/consulate anywhere,
> either in Vancouver or elsewhere. And I don't have an Alien
> Registration Card as both of my parents were born in the US. I also
> do
> not believe I have a US Naturalization Certificate as both of my
> parents
> were born in the US. But of course my birth certificate is Canadian.
> Also, this particular list clearly notes that a US passport is -not-
> considered proof of status, as it is only a travel document. Now,
> there
> is another list of needed documents, that was stapled with the
> 'application for a Canadian citizenship certificate' package,
> entitled,
> "Documents You Must Send With Your Application." According to the
> category I fall under, "If you have never had a citizenship
> certificate,
> and you were born in Canada," there is no requirement for 'proof of
> status in the US'. In fact, no category one might fall under lists
> this
> requirement. So I'm not sure what's going on here. I've emailed the
> Canadian consulate in LA and am awaiting response.
>
> I guess what I'm wondering here, though, is how do I prove my 'status
> in
> the US'? The list on the loose sheet insert does not include 'social
> security card' as acceptable for 'proof of status in the US'. Can my
> birth abroad still be registered with a US embassy, 33 years after the
> fact? Should I? It's possible I may receive a response to ignore the
> 'proof of status in the US' part on the list of documents to include,
> but then they may say it's required. I have no idea.
>
> I thought my citizenship in the US was automatic since both of my
> parents were born in the US. I've read elsewhere on these forums
> about
> a certain amount of time having lived in the US being required for
> parents, and although they spent those years in Canada, and spent some
> time elsewhere abroad before my birth, they would still meet that
> requirement. I'm not sure how I would go about proving it, though, as
> my mother is now deceased, and I have little communication with my
> father. In fact, my mother fell seriously ill upon returning to the
> US, and my father's goals were post-graduate oriented, so after coming
> to the US, I was actually raised by my grandmother and great-aunt. So
> I'm not sure what it would take to prove they spent the required
> amount
> of time in the US for me to be considered a US citizen
> (school/university records?). And since the US does not issue
> certificates of citizenship like Canada does, I'm not sure what
> document would be acceptable to send to the Canadian consulate
> regarding that 'proof of status in the US' thing.
>
> I know this was long -- sorry, I'm bad about that sort of thing. But
> thank you for any and all help/suggestions, and thanks for your time!
>
> --Kiahlin
>
> --
> Posted via http://expatforums.com
isnt a copy of your US passport proof of US citizenship??
--
Posted via http://britishexpats.com |