celine_uk wrote:
> > 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??
It is. But it doesn't prove when he received his US citizenship, and
that is important from a Canadian standpoint.
The Canadian officials are trying to determine whether or not Kiahlin
may have lost Canadian citizenship under the pre-1977 nationality laws
in Canada. As has been explained in other posts, if Kiahlin's father
had been a Canadian (which he was not), and if his father had
naturalized in the US (or any other country) after Kiahlin was born but
before the 1977 laws were in place then Kiahlin would have lost
Canadian citizenship along with his father.
Since 1977, naturalizing abroad has no effect on Canadian citizenship.
Kiahlin needs to show that he did not become a US citizen due to his
(or a parent's) naturalization outside of Canada prior to 1977.
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