Procedure to apply for US citizenship for a child that is a permanent resident

[peonyflowers99 4]

Hello,

Based on USCIS I can send my application for naturalization on June 25th 2012. I also have two children that are permanent resident. Do I send their applications at the same time with mine or do I have to wait?

Thank you,

Andrea

[ManuFred 10]

Hello,

Based on USCIS I can send my application for naturalization on June 25th 2012. I also have two children that are permanent resident. Do I send their applications at the same time with mine or do I have to wait?

Thank you,

Andrea

Naturalization application are processed individually so you'll have to send in separate applications for each family member. Whether you can file for them on the same date depends on the date your children became permanent residents.

[jhm3 15]

Children under 18 are not eligible for naturalization as such (i.e., they cannot file an N-400 application as being at least 18 is one of the requirements for that process), but they are eligible for citizenship through a naturalized parent if "At least one parent is a U.S. citizen, the child is currently under 18 and residing in the U.S. in the legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent pursuant to lawful admission for permanent residence." My understanding is that after naturalizing, you could either apply for a Certificate of Citizenship for your children (form N-600) or just obtain U.S. passports for them.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=32dffe9dd4aa3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=32dffe9dd4aa3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD

[peonyflowers99 4]

Children under 18 are not eligible for naturalization as such (i.e., they cannot file an N-400 application as being at least 18 is one of the requirements for that process), but they are eligible for citizenship through a naturalized parent if "At least one parent is a U.S. citizen, the child is currently under 18 and residing in the U.S. in the legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent pursuant to lawful admission for permanent residence." My understanding is that after naturalizing, you could either apply for a Certificate of Citizenship for your children (form N-600) or just obtain U.S. passports for them.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=32dffe9dd4aa3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=32dffe9dd4aa3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD

Thank you for taking your time and respond to my question.

Andrea

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

To follow-up on what jhm3 said,

Once you have your Naturalization Certificate us it to apply for your passport. Once you have your passport use that to apply for your childrens' passports (it proves they're the child of a US Citizen). No $400 to USCIS for a naturalization cert that they don't need anyway, just get them US Passposts and there you have it!

[NickD 202]

Typical is for a US citizen to apply for a petition for the spouse and the children of that spouse, even most costly with children when you need a court ordered document that the biological parent gives their permission to bring the children over here. A separate I-130/I-485, etc;, has to be done for each child. Expensive.

If a conditional green card is given, here the kids can tail gate the immigrant parent for just the 80 buck extra biometrics fee.

For US citizenship, they claim the children under 18 automatically become proof. The only thing you do on your N-400 is list all of your children, step, natural, adopted. Your IO should look that over and tell you which of your children automatically become US citizens when you do, not that you already should know that.

To get a naturalized certificate for each of your children, have to file a N-600 for 600 bucks for each of them, it takes around six months, you and the child will be called in, no civics nor English test, may have them recite the oath if old enough, then its final with the USCIS.

Could get by with a US passport, but that child will need all of your documentation in the future to prove his/her citizenship, for a lifetime, this can get complicated. Won't have this problem with their very own certificate.

Kids are darn expensive, just got a new grandson, son's co-payment was $5,300.00. Stepdaughter just graduated, we were helping her with $13,000.00 extra per year, still helping her, she can't find a job. Very little of this is tax deductible and they talk about family values. That 600 bucks was nothing, but felt obligated since I brought her here.

Your choice.

[jhm3 15]

Could get by with a US passport, but that child will need all of your documentation in the future to prove his/her citizenship, for a lifetime, this can get complicated. Won't have this problem with their very own certificate.

A passport is documentation of citizenship all by itself, so if a child has one, there should be no need for additional documentation to prove US nationality. The Certificate of Citizenship serves as a less useful (since it isn't good for travel), more expensive alternative, but it does at least serve the purpose of closing the books with USCIS. (Since it's the State Department, rather than USCIS, that issues passports, USCIS doesn't know when a passport is issued and can get confused about the status of "alien" children who obtain citizenship automatically through a naturalized or adoptive US citizen parent.)

[NickD 202]

A passport is documentation of citizenship all by itself, so if a child has one, there should be no need for additional documentation to prove US nationality. The Certificate of Citizenship serves as a less useful (since it isn't good for travel), more expensive alternative, but it does at least serve the purpose of closing the books with USCIS. (Since it's the State Department, rather than USCIS, that issues passports, USCIS doesn't know when a passport is issued and can get confused about the status of "alien" children who obtain citizenship automatically through a naturalized or adoptive US citizen parent.)

In our younger years, both my wife and I were dumb enough to marry lazy bums that knew how to spend a ton of money more so than earn it. But thanks to no fault divorce laws in hers and my country, our lazy bums got half of everything we worked our cans off for. But still was worth that price to get out of it.

We thought we were done with divorces until our lives were dictated by the USCIS for seven years. The only way to get a divorce from them was to lay out a mere 600 bucks for each person. We felt that was reasonable.

[peonyflowers99 4]

Hello,

Based on USCIS I can send my application for naturalization on June 25th 2012. I also have two children that are permanent resident. Do I send their applications at the same time with mine or do I have to wait?

Thank you,

Andrea

Thank you for each of you who took the time and offer some guidance. Things are looking clear now. I will file the N400 for myself in two weeks, once I get the certificate of naturalization and the passport then I will file their N600, get their US passports and after that I will renew their swiss passports that have expired. Since Switzerland issues passports for small kids valid only 5 years and I would have to return the expired documents to the Consulate, I will keep them until the whole process is finished in case someone has any type of question or wants to see a stamp, visa, etc.

Again thank you for the clarification, your help has been very much appreciated.

Kind regards,

Andrea

[sib 7]

Andrea,

when you apply for your US passport you can also apply for your kids US passports. They need to go with you to the passport office (court house, post office, whatever office is doing it in your town). You also need the permission of their dad to do this. If you have sole custody then you need a court order to prove that.

Just check online how to apply for a passport for a minor so you have everything ready.

You do not need to wait until you have your passport to apply for your kids passports, this can be done together. Your original certificate of citicenship will be mailed with the passport applications and you will get it back after the issuance of your passport.

The advantage of the N600 for the kids is, if they loose their passports (at any time in their life) they either need an own expired passport or again need your certificate of naturalization to prove their citizenship. If they have a certificate of citizenship issued, they always can get that again, it is like a US birth certificate. The birth certificate are easier to obtain than the CoC, but at least it is possible.

That's why I applied for the N600 for my adopted children, they will have their own proof and until they have their own bank deposit box it will be stored in mine!

Wishing you a speedy journey for your N-400.

Sib

[WMoore3 0]

Sib, I filed for an N600 for my son a couple of weeks ago (adoption). We already have a US passport for him but I wanted to certain he has all he will ever need for proof of citizenship. I sent copies of everything I could think of with the N600, then when I was double checking everything this evening I realized that although I sent in a copy of his foreign birth certificate with the English translation signed by the translator, I just realized I forgot to include the cover sheet that says its a certified translation, etc. All of this should already be in his A-file with the translation but I thought I would help out by sending in the copies. Do you think this is a problem? Will they request it from me or will they think to just look in the a-file and get it?

[sib 7]

I am not sure, the N600 instruction says you do not have to submit anything they already have on file. I did anyways.

I guess you have to wait and see. They are probably ok with what you submitted.

Did you file for a US birth certificate after the adoption? I also mailed a copy of that one though it states that this is no proof of citizenship.

In my opinion this CoC is a farce anyway. The kids get a passport but they need another proof of citizenship? Then just issue it like they issue a birth certificate!

Oh well, USCIS!

Sib

[WMoore3 0]

Hey Sib, thanks for the reply. Yes we sent the new US birth certificate (record of foreign birth is I think what it is called in our state). Can't believe I forgot that cover sheet that had the oath or whatever about the translation. The English translation does have the translators signature on it and says "translated by_______" and his title but it doesn't have that blurb about "this guy is a certified competent translator, fluent in etc", that's on the cover sheet I forgot to include. It all should be in his a-file.

Who knows with uscis! I agree they shouldn't make this so difficult, the us passport should be enough. Crazy.