US Citizenship through Adoption

[James and Cynthia 70]

My wife and her daughter came here last year in May with a K1/K2 visa. We got married in June 2011 and then they both received their 2 year green cards in December of 2011. We just completed the adoption for my wife's daughter today. She is now a US citizen with my last name. We will receive her new birth certificate in about one month. After we receive it, we were told by the attorney to have her name changed with social security and to apply for a certificate of citizenship. Since we will be traveling to the Philippines in June of 2013, we were told to also apply for a new US passport.

Is there anything else we need to do? What about removal of conditions? When we apply for removal of conditions for my wife next year, do we need to do anything for our daughter?

Thanks,

James

[let-it-be 36]

My wife and her daughter came here last year in May with a K1/K2 visa. We got married in June 2011 and then they both received their 2 year green cards in December of 2011. We just completed the adoption for my wife's daughter today. She is now a US citizen with my last name. We will receive her new birth certificate in about one month. After we receive it, we were told by the attorney to have her name changed with social security and to apply for a certificate of citizenship. Since we will be traveling to the Philippines in June of 2013, we were told to also apply for a new US passport.

Is there anything else we need to do? What about removal of conditions? When we apply for removal of conditions for my wife next year, do we need to do anything for our daughter?

Thanks,

James

Your daughter is now a US citizen. There is no need to remove conditions because she is no longer a permanent resident.

[James and Cynthia 70]

Your daughter is now a US citizen. There is no need to remove conditions because she is no longer a permanent resident.

Thanks.

[NickD 203]

If the birth certificate states the child was born in a foreign country, have to file an N-600.

It all here.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=a936cac09aa5d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

Have friends that adopted a baby from a foreign country, besides everything else, had to go to immigration.

In contrast, if a pregnant woman terrorist came here illegally with intentions of doing damage to this country, and gave birth to her child here. That child would be a US citizen without any USCIS involvement.

It's not your will to become a US citizen that counts, it is something none of us have control over. It's where we were born that is the only thing that counts.

[James and Cynthia 70]

If the birth certificate states the child was born in a foreign country, have to file an N-600.

It all here.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=a936cac09aa5d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

Have friends that adopted a baby from a foreign country, besides everything else, had to go to immigration.

In contrast, if a pregnant woman terrorist came here illegally with intentions of doing damage to this country, and gave birth to her child here. That child would be a US citizen without any USCIS involvement.

It's not your will to become a US citizen that counts, it is something none of us have control over. It's where we were born that is the only thing that counts.

Thanks. As mentioned above, our attorney told us to file for her certificate of citizenship after we receive her new birth certificate. I suppose we will have to file the N-600 in order to do so.

-James

[NickD 203]

Thanks. As mentioned above, our attorney told us to file for her certificate of citizenship after we receive her new birth certificate. I suppose we will have to file the N-600 in order to do so.

-James

You are welcomed, and congratulations for your adoption, should look good for your ROC stage for your wife. But I understand they are still extremely slow in this process.

[sara..... 371]

i received my citizen ship thru adoption .......... all we had to do for my passport was show the adoption degree and my birth certificate.......we did not have to pay the extra money to get the certificate of naturalization

Edited December 11, 2012 by sara.....

[sara..... 371]

i should add that when i was about 15 or 14 they passed a law that if your adoption was done in the USA that made you a citizen right away so that did away with the need for the citizen certificate ......... i would check with another attorney to make sure that law is still in effect because if it is the money that would cost you would be a waste.....

sara

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Only spend $600 on a Certificate of Citizenship if you use $100 bills for toilet paper. Otherwise I'd suggest to get a US passport instead as she'll need one anyway and forget the Certificate which has no other purpose as . . . guess that . . . getting the first US passport.

[NickD 203]

Ha, if I were director of the USCIS would object that the DOS has the authority to show proof of US citizenship, but the USCIS doesn't have the authority to issue passports. These agencies are always have wars, EPA versus OSHA, CIA versus the FBI, FAA versus the FCC. The USCIS has the authority to notify SS that a person is now a US citizen, to the best of my knowledge, DOS does not have that authority. Even some rumors of the USCIS notifying the DOS of US citizenship, that would be nice, should no longer be required to send in your certificate of naturalization.

But even with SS, may still have to bring in your certificate to proof citizenship to update your SS card. Homeland Security is suppose to consolidate all these agencies, not exactly sure what they are doing, but are suppose to be in charge. If we get into deportation, can the DOS do that? Feel that is the responsibility of the USCIS, but who knows for sure.

If my kid, would just use toilet paper where its required and those 5 1/2 $100.00 bills to make darn sure my kid had that certificate of naturalization. Who knows what the laws will be tomorrow?

[James and Cynthia 70]

Only spend $600 on a Certificate of Citizenship if you use $100 bills for toilet paper. Otherwise I'd suggest to get a US passport instead as she'll need one anyway and forget the Certificate which has no other purpose as . . . guess that . . . getting the first US passport.

Well, I just received a call today from the passport office. They will not issue our daughter a US passport because it has not been 2 years since we were married (married on June 25, 2011), and it has not been 2 years since the adoption.

We plan on traveling back to the Philippines on the 14th of June. The passport office says they will send my daughter's green card back to us so that she can travel, and that after we return, and after our 2 year anniversary, we can send the green card back to them, along with a marriage certificate.

So this brings up a few new questions:

1. Will we have problems with my daughter's plane tickets using her new last name, while her Philippines passport and her greencard have her old last name?

2. Do I need to bring a marriage certificate and adoption papers with us in case there are problems?

3. Do I need to bring any other documentation?

4. Should I call the airlines and ask them about what is required or if they can change her last name on the tickets?

5. Why are they telling us about this 2 year requirement when I haven't seen anything stating it as a requirement? Have others had this issue too? Is there somewhere that states this requirement.

-James

[NickD 203]

Talk about being in the twilight zone, with that adoption, that child is yours just as much as it is with your wife, if you get divorce and she gets full custody, you will being paying child support payments until she is 18. If you die, she will get SS benefits. But not dealing with the DOS or the USCIS on this issue, dealing with the SS and the divorce court of law.

I suppose you didn't got that N-600 route, your plane ticket names have to match that passport name., if I were to try that with my daughter's home country, I could bring her in her home country, but would never get her out again without her biological parents permission, don't know about your country.

I would hold off any plans on travel until she gets the correct passport. The thing is, you are not dealing with just one governmental agency, but several, all with different laws. Immigration is still the key responsibility of the USCIS. Don't look for short cuts, very bad advice.

[James and Cynthia 70]

I talked to the airlines. They changed the name on our daughter's ticket to match her greencard and Philippines passport.