Pros & Cons of Citizenship?

[Boxergal 1]

I'm originally from Canada, moved to the US to get married in 2003. I am no longer married to the US citizen, the marriage ended in divorce in 2006. I recently remarried to a US citizen. I believe I'm eligible for citizenship this April which will be five years after my Adjustment of Status interview where I received my first green card.

My question is this ... are there any pros & cons to having dual citizenship? I believe there are some estate tax implications to the surviving spouse not being a US citizen but I don't know exactly what they are. My husband and I are getting to an age where we need to think about these things. Any other consequences to not applying for citizenship?

Sharon in Massachusetts

[broma25 2]

I'm originally from Canada, moved to the US to get married in 2003. I am no longer married to the US citizen, the marriage ended in divorce in 2006. I recently remarried to a US citizen. I believe I'm eligible for citizenship this April which will be five years after my Adjustment of Status interview where I received my first green card.

My question is this ... are there any pros & cons to having dual citizenship? I believe there are some estate tax implications to the surviving spouse not being a US citizen but I don't know exactly what they are. My husband and I are getting to an age where we need to think about these things. Any other consequences to not applying for citizenship?

Sharon in Massachusetts

Only the obvious of not being able to vote in Federal Elections, and cannot take a Gov job.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

I'm originally from Canada, moved to the US to get married in 2003. I am no longer married to the US citizen, the marriage ended in divorce in 2006. I recently remarried to a US citizen. I believe I'm eligible for citizenship this April which will be five years after my Adjustment of Status interview where I received my first green card.

My question is this ... are there any pros & cons to having dual citizenship? I believe there are some estate tax implications to the surviving spouse not being a US citizen but I don't know exactly what they are. My husband and I are getting to an age where we need to think about these things. Any other consequences to not applying for citizenship?

Sharon in Massachusetts

Only the obvious of not being able to vote in Federal Elections, and cannot take a Gov job.

and the obvious of being always subject to deportation.

[broma25 2]

And always having the uncertainty of NOT knowing if immigration rules will change.

[NickD 203]

My question is this ... are there any pros & cons to having dual citizenship

Ha, kind of proves that some people do not read the post.

Won 't get into the Pros of USC, wife has dual citizenship, we had to register our marriage in her country, that was free, but have to pay extra bucks to maintain two passports, so far, that is the only Con I am aware of.

[broma25 2]

My question is this ... are there any pros & cons to having dual citizenship

Ha, kind of proves that some people do not read the post.

Won 't get into the Pros of USC, wife has dual citizenship, we had to register our marriage in her country, that was free, but have to pay extra bucks to maintain two passports, so far, that is the only Con I am aware of.

Proof that people only skim read! lol

Edited January 16, 2009 by broma25

[AusCal 3]

IMHO

Cons:

As a US citizen you are required to file a US tax return every year, regardless of whether you a re still residing in the US. SO, if you decide to return to Canada to live, you still need to file an annual US tax return.

Cost of maintaining two passports

Pros:

Never having to deal with the USCIS again. Flexibility in choosing how long to travel for, where to move to, return to etc.

And, in defense of those being accused of "skimming" the post and not answering what was asked. The last question of the post is, and I quote "Any other consequences to not applying for citizenship?"

Edited January 16, 2009 by AusCal

[moonhunt 1]

IMHO

Cons:

As a US citizen you are required to file a US tax return every year, regardless of whether you a re still residing in the US. SO, if you decide to return to Canada to live, you still need to file an annual US tax return.

Cost of maintaining two passports

Pros:

Never having to deal with the USCIS again. Flexibility in choosing how long to travel for, where to move to, return to etc.

And, in defense of those being accused of "skimming" the post and not answering what was asked. The last question of the post is, and I quote "Any other consequences to not applying for citizenship?"

Also being a US citizen means that you don't have to renew your Green Card every 10 years.

Big Cons is that AusCal pointed out that tax consequences.

You have to report US federal tax no matter where you are.

Since some country have tax treaty between U.S. and them, it may be deducted for foreign tax, but still you have to deal with tax return.

Big benefit of being US Citizen is that you don't have to worry about immigration stuffs any more in U.S.

[T and M 1]

IMHO

Cons:

As a US citizen you are required to file a US tax return every year, regardless of whether you a re still residing in the US. SO, if you decide to return to Canada to live, you still need to file an annual US tax return.

Cost of maintaining two passports

Pros:

Never having to deal with the USCIS again. Flexibility in choosing how long to travel for, where to move to, return to etc.

And, in defense of those being accused of "skimming" the post and not answering what was asked. The last question of the post is, and I quote "Any other consequences to not applying for citizenship?"

Also being a US citizen means that you don't have to renew your Green Card every 10 years.

Big Cons is that AusCal pointed out that tax consequences.

You have to report US federal tax no matter where you are.

Since some country have tax treaty between U.S. and them, it may be deducted for foreign tax, but still you have to deal with tax return.

Big benefit of being US Citizen is that you don't have to worry about immigration stuffs any more in U.S.

I have always filed US taxes, b/c I have always had US income no matter where I was living. But I also have known people who have lived/worked abroad for years and never filed a US income tax return. Is it true that you have to file every year? I know you have file every year if you are GC holder and living abroad. Otherwise you lose your PR status. Full stop. But a citizen can't lose citizenship.....so I don't see any downside to having citizenship versus being a GC holder. Either way, PR means you have lots and lots of responsibilities and you are not "free." A citizen has lots and lots of rights, a few responsibilities, and is absolutely "free."

GC holders have all sorts of restrictions, such as a pregnant woman cannot apply for S-CHIP health insurance coverage for her prenatal care unless she is a citizen or a PR for at least 5 years. (This might be changed in the next few days, due to a new president in the White House.)

But the WORST thing about being a Green Card holder is that whenever you leave the US for any reason, you are subject to losing your GC status. Most PR's won't lose their GC if they are out for less than 6 months, but if you are out of the States for 1 year you automatically lose your GC. Again, full stop. That's not cool.

I see few downsides to having as many citizenships as possible, especially when the alternative is GC status. Governments tend to treat their citizens well and treat immigrants poorly. Why not get treated well no matter where you go?

[moonhunt 1]

But a citizen can't lose citizenship.....so I don't see any downside to having citizenship versus being a GC holder.

USCIS doesn't care for tax issue. IRS does.

IRS may catch you and prosecute for tax evading.

But there is certain amount threshold that you don't have to pay tax if you are living abroad.

But still you may have to report tax return to IRS.

[T and M 1]

But a citizen can't lose citizenship.....so I don't see any downside to having citizenship versus being a GC holder.

USCIS doesn't care for tax issue. IRS does.

IRS may catch you and prosecute for tax evading.

But there is certain amount threshold that you don't have to pay tax if you are living abroad.

But still you may have to report tax return to IRS.

Yeah, my accountant says the threshold is something like $85,000, but the IRS wants this amount claimed and then explicitly exempted, not just ignored altogether. I think you are right that someone could get caught for withholding taxes if they don't report it, but that's much better than getting caught for evading taxes AND losing your PR status. Either way, the burden on the PR is much higher than on the citizen.

I still say that if it's between PR status and citizenship, I'd take citizenship any time anywhere. There are countries that might make citizens serve in the military (Turkey and Israel comes to mind.) But even these normally grant exemption if you are living abroad. In that case, it might be better to be a PR in those countries while you are living there and only apply for citizenship right before you leave to live abroad so you can return without problems after you passed military age....30 probably. Either way, this doesn't apply to the US, unless Washington begins a major war sometime (not beyond imagination). Aside from this possibility, and maybe jury duty, I honestly can't see how the duties of a citizen outweigh those of a PR, especially given the benefits.

[JSVP08 3]

My question is this ... are there any pros & cons to having dual citizenship

Ha, kind of proves that some people do not read the post.

Won 't get into the Pros of USC, wife has dual citizenship, we had to register our marriage in her country, that was free, but have to pay extra bucks to maintain two passports, so far, that is the only Con I am aware of.

he he he he ....................

Edited January 17, 2009 by veepee

[JSVP08 3]

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Edited January 17, 2009 by veepee

[stzas 0]

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another con to having dual (or triple) citizenship like me: you wont have as many stamps in one single passport.

pro: when entering a country you can choose whatever airport customs line is the shortest and use that passport.

[Dano 0]

Better tax planning might be in order. We haven't got around to citizenship yet. I'm in no hurry.