Probably dumb question... am I already a citizen?

[antda 13]

So, if someone is 'visiting' the US and give birth there, the kid is considered a USC? I thought the kid would have to live there for a certain amount of years to really be a citizen?!!

Thank you guys to clarify!

If it was this easy for us wives/husbands!

We do not only have to go tru all immigration process, but wait for 3ys to became a citizen.

Doesn't make any sense comparing to "born in the us" law.

Mrs.Wife-Lol..Yes, if someone is not a USC, and their child is born in the USA, then their child is automatically a USC.

Take for example, in my situation...

I was pregnant for 9 months with my son...

And during those months, I was waiting for my 10yr green card, and received it after 10 months....

So after 9-10 months of waiting, and wondering what would be quicker....

My son won!

He became a USC before I did...lol...

And all I got was a green card...lol...

I then became a USC 4 months after he was born, when I was eligible to apply....

He beat me to the punch, anyways!

And it was less expensive for him to get USC status (lol..only a small hospital co-pay and a birth certificate fee), and only 9 months of being inside of me..

Compared to me, that had to spend thousands of dollars and 3 years of waiting with the USCIS....

Oh and another strange fact: It costs $30 for a US birth certificate, and $675 US naturalization certificate....and yet they are supposed to be equal...ha!

What's even funnier too is that his SSN card is dated before my second SSN card..

So yes, he was "USC born" before I was...now talk about bizzare!

(see my VJ timeline for more info)

I agree, it doesn't make sense, and I wish it were this easy for husbands and wives too..

Oh well..That's the way it works..

Nevertheless, I'm glad that we're all USCs now...

It's just odd, how we go about it differently to get to the same goal...lol...

Ant

Edited March 25, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[NickD 203]

Feel the problem the OP is having, is not a question of being a US citizen, but proving it. If his mother is still alive and can remember where he was born, hopefully in a hospital, they may still have record of it. Any neighbors or relatives around that be a witness? If you read in the USCIS archives, more tips on proving your birth without a birth certificate. Could there be a baptism certificate? A church, anything?

Several years ago, sold a motorcycle to a kid working at the local university, just signed over the title, that was dumb. Year and half later, got a letter from the Madison Police department for 750 bucks for fines and impounding cost. Kid never registered the bike. Either had to pay the fines or to find the kid, we had to play detective to find him asking friends, acquaintances, after a week, we found him.

You may have to play detective as well, to find your birth certificate or any other proof you were born here. If a kid from a USC, may have to find proof your parent was a USC, and that you are his/her kid.

[antda 13]

Steve- You might want to try this link to get a copy of your birth certificate in Oklahoma...Hope this helps too...

http://www.ok.gov/health/Birth_and_Death_Certificates/Birth_Certificates/index.html

(note: all states have departments like this....so I just looked yours up for OK..and that's what I found...)

Ant

Edited March 25, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[s_mack 0]

Well, it looks like I got ahead of myself and proof is not a problem. I was sure I knew the story...

So yesterday I'm on the phone with my Mom telling her that I found out I am a USC and I should follow up after all these years and see about getting a copy of my birth cert... then she says, "what do you mean? Did you lose that one too??". And I say, "huh?" I tell her that we never heard from them after that letter regarding the OK bombing delay thing and she tells me from her recollection, it arrived a few days or weeks later - right before I went off to university. "Where is it?". Well, it didn't take long for me to find it... dusty file folder of my "important documents" that I took with me to university. All that was in there were my high school transcripts, a copy of my university acceptance letter, my Canadian citizenship card... and my birth certificate.

Go figure.

I'm much more organized as an adult... I promise.

- Steven

Edited March 25, 2010 by s_mack

[antda 13]

Stevem-Congrats, you are now a USC!

And all it took was a bit of searching for a dusty old file...

Wow that was easy! Wish it was the same way for the rest of us...lol....

And make sure you don't lose your US birth certificate or your Canadian citizenship card or other important documents either! Make photocopies of these too (maybe give a copy to your mom for safekeeping too?), just in case!

Good luck with the rest of your journey, in bringing your wife to the USA too...

Ant

[NickD 203]

Stevem-Congrats, you are now a USC!

And all it took was a bit of searching for a dusty old file...

Wow that was easy! Wish it was the same way for the rest of us...lol....

And make sure you don't lose your US birth certificate or your Canadian citizenship card or other important documents either! Make photocopies of these too (maybe give a copy to your mom for safekeeping too?), just in case!

Good luck with the rest of your journey, in bringing your wife to the USA too...

Ant

Reminded me I also needed a copy of my birth certificate when I asked my lady to marry me for immigration purposes. Ironically with all this carry your green card stuff, had no proof for years I was here legally and never was questioned about it.

Just typed in "state of illinois birth records" had to remember some stuff like the my name, date of birth, the names of my parents, city I was born in, and send some money to Springfield and received it shortly after loaded with errors. That took some correcting, apparently the state hired some grade school kids to transferred the entire birth record thing to a computer database.

[s_mack 0]

Thanks. I guess that was easy And everyone says immigrating to the US is difficult... sheesh! No, I'm just kidding. I realize and appreciate what most people have to go through to get there. And for many, I'll probably never be able to appreciate or even imagine it.

Of course, my journey isn't done anyway. I still have to apply for my wife (and it sounds like I should wait 'till July when we've been married for 2 full years) and then get a SSN and THEN try for the life of me to get some basic understanding of a much more convoluted tax system (I'm a small business owner which probably compounds the problem). And then there's healthcare... as a self-employed, I'm not sure how insurance works and of course there's the reform that was just passed. Etc etc etc etc etc. So still a ton of reading and figuring.

Oh yeah... and deciding WHERE to go! Actually, that's turning out to be quite a chore! I've spent a lot of time on Sperling's "best places" list but amazingly I can't find a place with perfect weather, good air and water quality, low crime, a mean age close to my own, low or no state sales and/or income taxes, and low housing and cost-of-living indexes. Oh... and its gotta be pretty Lol... high expectations or what?

I'll figure it out. Thanks for answering my original dumb questions!

- Steven

[antda 13]

Steve-Lol..Finding your birth certificate, that's the easy part....

Dealing with the USCIS..That's another story..As you will soon learn to find out when dealing with your wife's case..

Btw..I recommend you apply for an SSN now...as you need it for pretty much everything US Government related...

You can find more info about that here: http://www.ssa.gov

And yes, they will ask for such, even for immigration and tax reasons..

Btw..since you are a USC..umm..you have to pay US taxes and/or file a US tax return....

You really don't want to IRS going after you for stuff like that....lol....

As for applying..Technically, you can apply now...

And by the time your application is complete (which will probably be after July, when it is finally approved)...

Your wife will have a 10yr green card..The key is to get your Interview Approved after your 2yr marriage anniversary...

Otherwise, your wife will have a 2yr green card, and then will have to renew that 2 yrs later...lol...

See the VJ "Visa FAQs" for your immigration options here....

http://www.visajourney.com/faq/k1faq.htm

As for American health insurance..Oh boy..that's another kettle of fish....But yes, you definitely need insurance here in the USA...

As for places to live in the USA..you might want to check this too....http://www.city-data.com/

It pretty much lists stats for almost everything....Hope you find an area that you like too..

Hope this helps too. Good luck.

Ant

P.S. Again, you can post more Canada to USA questions in the vj Canada forum here too...http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/93-canada/

Thanks. I guess that was easy And everyone says immigrating to the US is difficult... sheesh! No, I'm just kidding. I realize and appreciate what most people have to go through to get there. And for many, I'll probably never be able to appreciate or even imagine it.

Of course, my journey isn't done anyway. I still have to apply for my wife (and it sounds like I should wait 'till July when we've been married for 2 full years) and then get a SSN and THEN try for the life of me to get some basic understanding of a much more convoluted tax system (I'm a small business owner which probably compounds the problem). And then there's healthcare... as a self-employed, I'm not sure how insurance works and of course there's the reform that was just passed. Etc etc etc etc etc. So still a ton of reading and figuring.

Oh yeah... and deciding WHERE to go! Actually, that's turning out to be quite a chore! I've spent a lot of time on Sperling's "best places" list but amazingly I can't find a place with perfect weather, good air and water quality, low crime, a mean age close to my own, low or no state sales and/or income taxes, and low housing and cost-of-living indexes. Oh... and its gotta be pretty Lol... high expectations or what?

I'll figure it out. Thanks for answering my original dumb questions!

- Steven

Edited March 25, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[s_mack 0]

Btw..since you are a USC..umm..you have to pay US taxes and/or file a US tax return....

You really don't want to IRS going after you for stuff like that....lol....

Wait a sec... so are you saying I should have been filing with the IRS all these years? I wasn't even sure if I was a USC! lol

Does this mean if I come over there, I have to serve 10-15 years first? Cause I gotta say... that wouldn't be worth it.

[antda 13]

Wait a sec... so are you saying I should have been filing with the IRS all these years? I wasn't even sure if I was a USC! lol

Does this mean if I come over there, I have to serve 10-15 years first? Cause I gotta say... that wouldn't be worth it.

Steve-Yeah..Sad but true....USCs are subjected to this....lol...

Not sure if there is an exception to the rule in your case...

You might want to contact the IRS about this though....

In the meantime..You can read more here: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=97324,00.html

U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad

If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien, the rules for filing income, estate, and gift tax returns and paying estimated tax are generally the same whether you are in the United States or abroad. Your worldwide income is subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you reside.

Happy reading...(sorry...to break the bad news....at least it was me that told you first and not the IRS or the USCIS..lol..)....

You're going to need these tax returns too...As the USCIS will ask for them for immigration purposes too....

Ant

Edited March 25, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[s_mack 0]

Crazy...

Next time I think about crossing the border for some cheap cheese I'm going to be nervous they have a warrant out for my arrest!

[antda 13]

Oops here is the link again here...

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=97324,00.html

Hope this helps too...

Ant

[antda 13]

Crazy...

Next time I think about crossing the border for some cheap cheese I'm going to be nervous they have a warrant out for my arrest!

Steve-Lol...Don't worry..I don't think they will be catching you just yet...

Again, speak to the IRS...To see if they can help you out further there...

And yes, as I mentioned before..You need US tax returns for your immigration-related forms...

The USCIS wants to see those...lol....

And meanwhile, file those Canadian taxes...lol...You don't want Revenue Canada after you either..

Lol.As for cheese.......I've got a few bricks in my fridge....(yeah, I stock up too..lol..)

Ant

P.S. Here is the rest of the webpage...Darn..I can't get the link to work right..

U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad

If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien, the rules for filing income, estate, and gift tax returns and paying estimated tax are generally the same whether you are in the United States or abroad. Your worldwide income is subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you reside.

When to File

If you reside overseas, or are in the military on duty outside the U.S., you are allowed an automatic 2-month extension to file your return until June 15. However, any tax due must be paid by the original return due date (April 15) to avoid interest charges.

If you are unable to file your return by the due date, you can request an additional extension to October 15 by filing Form 4868 before the return due date. However, any payments made after June 15 would be subject to both interest charges and failure to pay penalties.

Where to File

If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien (Green Card Holder), and you live in a foreign country or you are a non resident alien, mail your U.S. tax return to:

Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service Center

Austin, TX 73301-0215

Estimated tax payments should be mailed with form 1040-ES to:

Internal Revenue Service

P.O. Box 660406

Dallas, TX 75266-0406

USA

Taxpayer Identification Number

Each taxpayer who files, or is claimed as a dependent on, a U.S. tax return will need a social security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). To obtain a SSN, use form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card. To get form SS-5, or to find out if you are eligible for a social security card, contact a Social Security Office or visit Social Security International Operations. If you, or your spouse, are not eligible for a SSN, you can obtain an ITIN by filing form W-7 along with appropriate documentation.

Exchange Rates

You must express the amounts you report on your U.S. tax return in U.S. dollars. If you receive all or part of your income or pay some or all of your expenses in foreign currency, you must translate the foreign currency into U.S. dollars. Taxpayers generally use the yearly average exchange rate to report foreign-earned income that was received regularly throughout the year. However, if you had foreign transactions on specific days, you may also use the exchange rates for those days. Exchange rates can be found at www.oanda.com. Yearly average currency exchange rates for most countries can be found at Yearly Average Currency Exchange Rates.

How to Get Tax Help

The IRS Office in Philadelphia provides international tax assistance. This office is open Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. EST and can be contacted by:

Phone: 1 (215) 516-2000 (not toll-free)

FAX:1 (215) 516-2555

Email: Email the IRS

Mail: Internal Revenue Service

P.O. Box 920

Bensalem, PA 19020

USA

The IRS has customer service personnel available to provide tax assistance in the following Embassies and Consulates abroad:

Permanent IRS Offices Outside the United States Office Address Office Phone Numbers and Email

U.S. Consulate

Frankfurt

Giessener Str.

30

60435 Frankfurt am Main

Germany

Walk-In Assistance

Phone Service:

M-F: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tel: +49-69-7535-3834

Fax: +49-69-7535-3803

Email: irs.frankfurt@irs.gov

U.S. Embassy

24/31 Grosvenor Square

London W1A 1 AE

England Walk-In Assistance:

Tu-Th: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Phone Service:

M-F: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Tel: +44-207-894-0476

Fax: +44-207-495-4224

Email: irs.london@irs.gov

U.S. Embassy

2 Avenue Gabriel

75382 Paris Cedex 08

France Walk-In Assistance:

M-F: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Phone Service:

M-F: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. & 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m

Tel: +33-1-4312-2555

Fax: +33-1-4312-2303

Email: irs.paris@irs.gov

U.S. Embassy

No. 55 An Jia Lou Lu

Beijing 100600

China Limited taxpayer service at this time by appointment only. You may email for an appointment at amcitbeijing@state.gov.

Help with Unresolved Tax Problems

If you are experiencing a tax problem that is causing you economic harm or has not been resolved through normal channels, you can contact the Taxpayer Advocate by:

Phone: (787) 622-8940 (English) or (787) 622-8930 (Spanish)

FAX: (787) 622-8933

Mail: Internal Revenue Service

Taxpayer Advocate Office

P.O. Fox 193479

San Juan, PR 00919-3479

Hope this helps too...

Ant

Edited March 25, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[s_mack 0]

Maybe I should just stay where I am rather than opening this mess of a door. Frankly, one of the reasons I want to leave Canada is I feel the taxes I pay are too high given the services I receive. That, and the exchange rates and depressed US realestate prices are very attractive. Well, and the cheese... I love cheese. Still, if I'm going to have complicated tax headaches on day zero, then maybe I should just go ahead and lose that birth cert again

That's all in jest, of course. I'll figure it out.

Edited March 25, 2010 by s_mack

[antda 13]

Steve-....That's one of the reasons why I decided to move to the USA..instead of my husband coming to Canada....

It was way too expensive for us to live in Canada...Couldn't afford it there...Too many taxes....GST, PST, and everything else in between...good grief!

Just look at a simple thing just as gas prices..It's twice as much in Canada than it is in the USA..lol...

I agree though, overall you get "more for your money" here in the USA than in Canada....

(lol...except for having to deal with the USCIS, Uncle Sam, and HMOs...lol..)

So in the end, I thought it was best to live in the USA, instead of Canada..lol..

Hope it will be the same for you too...

Though Canada has its good points and benefits too..(lol..free healthcare, anyone?...)

Nevertheless, don't worry, you'll have it figured out....

Immigration might seem overwhelming at first, but one step at a time...it will all be worth it...

And in the meantime..Don't lose those documents either...You're going to need them for immigration purposes too!

Ant (sending over some American cheese...lol....yum...)

P.S. I wish I could lose my other birth certificate too..(but that's another story..)I dare not lose my Canadian citizenship card or American citizenship certificate though..

Edited March 25, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA