How to Get Citizenship After Immigrating as a Child
Hi all,
I'm in a bit of an awkward situation. I came to the U.S. in 1989 and became a Permanent Resident from the Philippines. My parents, became U.S. citizens in late 1996. I was 17 at the time and still had my Permanent Resident card. Now, given some family issues, my parents never petitioned (for lack of a better word) for my citizenship, I may not be using the term correctly. Anyway, I'm 37 now, married to a U.S. citizen since 2004, and would like to know where do I even start? I've read the laws and looked at numerous forms on the USCIS site and could not make heads or tails on what to do. So I figured I would start here. I haven't left the U.S. since I got here in 1989 and was pretty much raised in Los Angeles. Now that I'm married with kids, I'd like to travel and take them on vacations, but there's this thing called a Passport that I'll surely need. ;)
- Where do I start on obtaining my U.S. citizenship?
- Given my parents are citizens and became citizens before I was 18, would this entitle me to citizenship automatically?
- Do I start from scratch, like a new immigrant?
- Should I seek services from an immigration attorney?
I know, I've procrastinated long enough but the costs of naturalization the past few years versus a decade ago has dramatically changed. Now that I've got a fairly decent job and mortgage, I'm making it another goal to travel with the family.
Thanks for taking the time to read and for your suggestions.
Re: Inquiry on Process, It's a Bit Complicated and Looking for Direction
You don't need anything from your parents (or even your spouse). If you've had a permanent resident and have been residing/present in the US for the past five years you can apply for naturalization. All you need to do to start is fill out the N-400 form.
Where you start is here:
https://www.uscis.gov/n-400
You don't get "automatic" citizenship, but you're eligible to apply and it's straightforward (unlike getting visas or other status adjustments, there's no quota or priority period or the like).
You're not "starting from scratch," you're starting as an eligible permanent resident.
You can certainly consult an immigration attorney and you should if the assumption that you are a current valid green card holder is not true. If you have to answer any of the questions on the checklist that say "If you have ever..." (criminal history, failure to file taxes, etc...) you may wish to obtain the assistance of an attorney to make sure you file the supporting documentation properly.
A passport is not required for naturalization, but you might want to obtain one from the Phillipines in case you want to leave the US for any reason prior to your naturalization.