DERIVATIVE CITIZENSHIP

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In some cases, people born outside the US will derive US citizenship at birth based on the US citizenship of their parents. US citizens living abroad are allowed to pass on their US citizenship to their children under specific conditions.

 

USCIS or the US Department of State will want to know how many years the US citizen parent lived in the US during their life, and how old the US citizen was during the periods s/he lived in the U.S – and these time frames must be proven through documentation. This documentation may include US tax records, US census reports, US military records, school records or transcripts, medical records, records from a religious organization where the US citizen parent worshiped, among many other items. The age of the US citizen and marital status at the time of the applicant’s birth is also considered.

 

If you think you may qualify for US citizenship based on your parent’s US citizenship or have questions about this area please call us at 310-730-5655 or click here to schedule a free consultation.