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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Posts
    1

    Default How Can a U.S. Citizen Get Citizenship for a Child Born Abroad

    Hi all! I'm wondering if there is anyone out there who can hopefully answer my questions I have. I am an American citizen, I was born here (mother American citizen, father New Zealand citizens) and left America when I was 2yrs old to live in New Zealand with my father when my parents separated, therefore I have dual citizenship to both countries. I returned to the U.S during my last year of high school in 2007 and left end of 2008. Which Apparently was illegal, because I entered the U.S with my New Zealand passport even though I am a citizen? Anyway..
    I returned later in 2014 with my child who is a New Zealand citizen by decent (born in Australia) we entered the states with our NZ passports. We have been residing here since (now 2016) it's been a struggle to get some I.D issued here as my U.S birth certificate was lost along the way. The only identification I have is my NZ passport, Texas certificate of Vital records (which states my name and parents names) & my social security number only (no card) .. Without my birth certificate I have been unable to issue any form of U.S Identification. I have made numerous calls & emails to get the birth certificate but they have lost our applications twice! I had my father apply for my birth cert with his I.D from Australia, it's been 6months of hell! I don't trust sending my only form of identification I have on me there and risk losing it. I would love to return to Australia for a holiday, but would like to apply for U.S passport!

    Also, my daughter has over stayed her visa and I am afraid of the consequences when leaving the U.S? Can I apply for a green card or residency? I have her birth certificate & passport etc but I read somewhere that I need full custody to do so? I have never been married, and there are no issues between her father and I living in the U.S

    What should I do first?? Where to begin?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    19,901

    Default Re: U.s Citizen with Child Who is Not a Citizen

    Correct, if you are a US citizen you must enter with your US Passport.

    If you are a citizen, you have no need of a green card. What you should be doing is getting a US Passport. If you have the verification that you were born in Texas, it shouldn't be a big thing to get your birth certificate. From there, you need to apply for a passport.

    The word is descent by the way.

    Your child on the other hand is not a US citizen. Once you get your issue straightened out, you can apply for an immediate green card as immediate family of a citizen (an unmarried child under 21 is such). You can then get her citizenship if you wish.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    16,474

    Default Re: U.s Citizen with Child Who is Not a Citizen

    Quote Quoting Rachel Raye
    View Post
    Hi all! I'm wondering if there is anyone out there who can hopefully answer my questions I have. I am an American citizen, I was born here (mother American citizen, father New Zealand citizens) and left America when I was 2yrs old to live in New Zealand with my father when my parents separated, therefore I have dual citizenship to both countries. I returned to the U.S during my last year of high school in 2007 and left end of 2008. Which Apparently was illegal, because I entered the U.S with my New Zealand passport even though I am a citizen? Anyway..
    I returned later in 2014 with my child who is a New Zealand citizen by decent (born in Australia) we entered the states with our NZ passports. We have been residing here since (now 2016) it's been a struggle to get some I.D issued here as my U.S birth certificate was lost along the way. The only identification I have is my NZ passport, Texas certificate of Vital records (which states my name and parents names) & my social security number only (no card) .. Without my birth certificate I have been unable to issue any form of U.S Identification. I have made numerous calls & emails to get the birth certificate but they have lost our applications twice! I had my father apply for my birth cert with his I.D from Australia, it's been 6months of hell! I don't trust sending my only form of identification I have on me there and risk losing it. I would love to return to Australia for a holiday, but would like to apply for U.S passport!

    Also, my daughter has over stayed her visa and I am afraid of the consequences when leaving the U.S? Can I apply for a green card or residency? I have her birth certificate & passport etc but I read somewhere that I need full custody to do so? I have never been married, and there are no issues between her father and I living in the U.S

    What should I do first?? Where to begin?
    If your requests for a copy of your US birth certificate have been lost, then what you need to do is go in person to the vital records department in the state where you were born to get a copy of your birth certificate. Then, once you have your birth certificate then you need to go in person to your local Social Security Office to get another copy of your Social Security card. Once you have done that, then you need to apply for a US passport.

    However, are you sure that your Texas vital records certificate is not a certified copy of your birth certificate?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    19,901

    Default Re: U.s Citizen with Child Who is Not a Citizen

    A social security card is not strictly necessary for passport issuance, but it is one of the allowed forms of secondary ID if you don't have a prior US passport or US driver's license. Secondary IDs include the SSN, your foreign passport, your child's birth certificate, credit card or utility bills, etc...

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