Need advice on my daughter

[Chipwich 0]

I need a little advice on my situation. Last year I had a girlfriend in the Philippines. We had a good time but things just got strange so we said goodbye. A few months ago she e-mailed me that I was a father. She didn't want to tell me because she thought she could do it on her own but now realizes she can't. Since I found out I've already been supporting my daughter and her mother and just had a few questions.

1. She has not registered her daughter yet so there is no birth certificate yet. Apparently, this is common in the Philippines?? Do I need to be there in the Philippines to be on the birth certificate or is there a way I can do it from the USA and still be on her official birth certificate so I'm officially her dad.

2. I understand from this site that once I can prove she's my daughter all I need to do is basically go to the US embassy in manila, show proof she's my daughter, and she will be allowed to return to the USA with me where she will automatically become a US citizen, right? Is there anything I'm forgetting or something else obvious I need to do?

3. Even though her mother lied to me, I don't want her child to grow up without a mom. Is there a way for her to get to the US once her minor daughter is a US citizen? I have no intention of marrying this woman.

Needless to say, this has been a very stressful time for me so any advice you can give me would be fantastic. Thank you so much in advance.

-Chipwich

[Caryh 5,206]

I need a little advice on my situation. Last year I had a girlfriend in the Philippines. We had a good time but things just got strange so we said goodbye. A few months ago she e-mailed me that I was a father. She didn't want to tell me because she thought she could do it on her own but now realizes she can't. Since I found out I've already been supporting my daughter and her mother and just had a few questions.

1. She has not registered her daughter yet so there is no birth certificate yet. Apparently, this is common in the Philippines?? Do I need to be there in the Philippines to be on the birth certificate or is there a way I can do it from the USA and still be on her official birth certificate so I'm officially her dad.

Its not uncommon, much depends on where the child was born

2. I understand from this site that once I can prove she's my daughter all I need to do is basically go to the US embassy in manila, show proof she's my daughter, and she will be allowed to return to the USA with me where she will automatically become a US citizen, right? Is there anything I'm forgetting or something else obvious I need to do?

You do a report of birth abroad. You do not need to be there. They may require a DNA test as proof you are the father, but you can stay in the USA for that. You will then need to get her a USA passport.

3. Even though her mother lied to me, I don't want her child to grow up without a mom. Is there a way for her to get to the US once her minor daughter is a US citizen? I have no intention of marrying this woman.

I'm assuming you mean a way to get her mother to the USA while she is a child. No there is not. She can petition her mother when she reaches age 18.

Needless to say, this has been a very stressful time for me so any advice you can give me would be fantastic. Thank you so much in advance.

-Chipwich

If you want this child to be able to get US citizenship, you can as an unmarried father help her get it.

http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_5199.html

[Penguin_ie 5,994]

*** Moving from General Immigration to CRBA as this is the main question being asked ****

Your daughter needs to be registered with the US embassy in Manila and can get a US passport then- she does not need to move to the USA to be a US citizen. Her mom cannot travel to the USA on the basis of the minor daughter. Once the daughter is 21, she could sponsor mom for a visa, but unless you marry, or the mom gets a tourist visa to visit, she won;t be moving to the USA. If you do not intend to be with the mom, your best option is probably to provide well for mom and baby in the PHils, including a good private school when the time comes- this will be much cheaper than in the USA, and you can visit the daughter there, or she you once old enough.