US Citizenship

[Gaby&Talbert 1]

You need to look at US benefits like SSI also. non citizens only get 10 years of SSI. You all need to look at the financial benefits of why to become a citizen also.

[Bobalouie 0]

If she got in trouble in Russia, I suspect US Citizenship wouldn't do much to protect her, and would probably inflame whatever problems she was having to begin with (to say nothing of what her family would say).

Would she have to give up her Russian citizenship? I'm pretty sure that neither country recognizes dual citizenship, but I thought that meant that when she was in Russia the US couldn't help her and that Russia couldn't help her while she was in the US.

That's my understanding of it. Each country recognizes it's own citizenship only. When you become a US Citizen you must renounce citizenship in any other country. Whether or not that actually affects your citizenship in another country or not depends on the country. Most will just ignore the fact you renounced your membership and if you are visiting your previous country you will be treated as a citizen of that country (and they won't recognize that you are a US citizen also). It could get sort of complicated.

It depends on what passport you travel on. If your wife becomes a US citizen and travels to Russia on her Russian passport, then she will be treated like a Russian citizen and the US government is powerless to help you if something goes awry. However, if she travels to Russia on her US passport then she is entering Russia as a US citizen, and is thereby entitled to the protection of the US government. Of course she would also be subject to all the BS that we have to do wrt visas and registration.

Neither country recognizes Dual citizenship for adults, at least to my understanding. But the renouncement of citizenship is purely political and does not actually mean that you go to the Russian consulate or emabassy in the US and tell them that you dont want to be a citizen of Russia anymore. I see too many people in the Passport control lines at SVO holding both Red and Blue passports to think that many people are actually doing the renouncement officially. And it seems like I have heard that it can be quite expensive to actually renounce your citizenship.

[Satellite 1]

You need to look at US benefits like SSI also. non citizens only get 10 years of SSI. You all need to look at the financial benefits of why to become a citizen also.

Unless you were a non-citizens who was receiving SSI on 8/22/96 and non-citizens who were in the U.S. on 8/22/96 that have become blind or disabled can receive SSI indefinitely. My grandmother falls into this boat.

http://www.hmongnet.org/current-events/citizen-e.html

However, if she travels to Russia on her US passport then she is entering Russia as a US citizen, and is thereby entitled to the protection of the US government. Of course she would also be subject to all the BS that we have to do with visas and registration.

While true in theory, practically this is not going to happen. Russian consulate will not issue a visa to place into their own citizens US passports. See:

"The Consulate General as federal organization enforces the Law of the State, so, every person, whose foreign passports or travel documents indicate his/her place of birth as "Russia" or "USSR", or one of the states, which was a republic or a part of the former USSR, will be required to present a proof of absence of Russian citizenship."

http://www.consulrussia.org/eng/faq.html

[akdiver 3]

SSI is hardly a compelling reason for citizenship. Christ almighty. If I am in a position to be stuck living on $400/month or whatever from the government, I'm just going to put a bullet in my head anyway. Besides which - given the way things are going, I doubt I'll ever collect anything from social security for retirement, let alone disability.

[akdiver 3]

My wife can file in September and will do so. I've had the form filled out for about a year already - and I was just updating it to reflect a recent trip out of the country. I was noticing they give you the choice of using "pink" when specifying eye colour. Has anyone ever met someone with pink eyes? Note, that's pink eyes, not Pink Eye (:

Also noticed that our local district office is estimating 13-15 months for application processing time. Now that is just ridiculous. It only took 20 months for us to earn master's degrees!! Lame, lame, lame.

Edited May 29, 2008 by akdiver

[eekee 182]

My wife can file in September and will do so. I've had the form filled out for about a year already - and I was just updating it to reflect a recent trip out of the country. I was noticing they give you the choice of using "pink" when specifying eye colour. Has anyone ever met someone with pink eyes? Note, that's pink eyes, not Pink Eye (:

Also noticed that our local district office is estimating 13-15 months for application processing time. Now that is just ridiculous. It only took 20 months for us to earn master's degrees!! Lame, lame, lame.

i think that people with some forms of albinism can have pink eyes.

[Satellite 1]

Also noticed that our local district office is estimating 13-15 months for application processing time. Now that is just ridiculous. It only took 20 months for us to earn master's degrees!! Lame, lame, lame.

Tell me about it. We filed back in January. Finger prints in February. No word since. My local office is working on July 2007 cases. Which should imply post fee hike cases. For all those extra fees you'd expect faster service. Bottom line, my wife is probably not going to vote in November and most of the folks I spoke to thought it could be done in 10 months. Edited May 29, 2008 by Satellite

[akdiver 3]

Also noticed that our local district office is estimating 13-15 months for application processing time. Now that is just ridiculous. It only took 20 months for us to earn master's degrees!! Lame, lame, lame.

Tell me about it. We filed back in January. Finger prints in February. No word since. My local office is working on July 2007 cases. Which should imply post fee hike cases. For all those extra fees you'd expect faster service.

Yeah, Anchorage says July 2007 too. I doubt that is a coincidence.

They also say that for cases filed AFTER July 2007, expect 13-15 months. That tells me they are working on the huge backlog and new filers are not going to get much for the extra fees.

Bottom line, my wife is probably not going to vote in November and most of the folks I spoke to thought it could be done in 10 months.

Given the choices, this really shouldn't be much of an issue.

[slim 1,530]

Bottom line, my wife is probably not going to vote in November and most of the folks I spoke to thought it could be done in 10 months.

Given the choices, this really shouldn't be much of an issue.

Like voting (especially by newly naturalized folks) really changes the outcome anyway.