My adopted son is a green card holder, when can he get US Citizenship?

[KayDeeCee 4,896]

I read through the footnotes and INA and FAM, along with the USCIS and travel.state.gov sites. My eyes are blurred and it's a bit confusing really. I did learn however that if the LPR adopted stepchild is still subject to the 2 year requirement, the 2 years do not have to be consecutive and can occur before or after adoption.

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

37 minutes ago, KayDeeCee said:

I read through the footnotes and INA and FAM, along with the USCIS and travel.state.gov sites. My eyes are blurred and it's a bit confusing really. I did learn however that if the LPR adopted stepchild is still subject to the 2 year requirement, the 2 years do not have to be consecutive and can occur before or after adoption.

Yep - so if I was OP I’d apply for a passport now (but not the expensive n600 in case it’s denied) and if it is accepted, great, and if they do turn out to be subject to the 2 year requirement then just apply again after the 2 years is reached. 

[KayDeeCee 4,896]

6 hours ago, SusieQQQ said:

Yep - so if I was OP I’d apply for a passport now (but not the expensive n600 in case it’s denied) and if it is accepted, great, and if they do turn out to be subject to the 2 year requirement then just apply again after the 2 years is reached. 

I concur. Would be nice if OP returned to let people know what happens.

[TVC 244]

On 7/16/2021 at 11:15 AM, SusieQQQ said:

Yep - so if I was OP I’d apply for a passport now (but not the expensive n600 in case it’s denied) and if it is accepted, great, and if they do turn out to be subject to the 2 year requirement then just apply again after the 2 years is reached. 

Thats what I will do. I will update here with the results. May be a few weeks.

[Mike E 11,742]

On 7/22/2021 at 9:38 AM, TVC said:

Thats what I will do. I will update here with the results. May be a few weeks.

Given the ambiguity around 2 years, consider spending just $65 for the attempt to get passport card. If that works, then use the passport card to get the passport. 

[medic5678 12]

Getting a passport is a test for citizenship.  I don't know what you will ever use the certificate of citizenship for that a passport wouldn't accomplish for you.  I see no reason to pay for that.   They will certainly want proof the child has lived with the U.S. citizen parent for 2 years.   Like others, I think it doesn't have to be in the U.S.  or consecutive.

[Mike E 11,742]

37 minutes ago, medic5678 said:

  I don't know what you will ever use the certificate of citizenship for that a passport wouldn't accomplish for you. 

E.g. Getting a job as an operator in field ops for the CIA.  
 

Getting the certificate of citizen decades after the fact is challenging. It is best to get it when the evidence is fresh and available, and before the child’s parents have passed away.  

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

1 hour ago, Mike E said:

Getting the certificate of citizen decades after the fact is challenging. It is best to get it when the evidence is fresh and available, and before the child’s parents have passed away.  

+1. Even if you lose it you can always get a duplicate from USCIS. It also has the date of acquiring citizenship on it which passport does not have and date may be needed for some reasons in the future (example sponsoring someone else).

 

Someone once mentioned that they are rare but there are cases where they find DoS issued a passport in error, but if uscis issues an N600 it is unquestionable. For most people I doubt this makes a difference. For the ultra cautious it may matter.

[medic5678 12]

7 hours ago, Mike E said:

E.g. Getting a job as an operator in field ops for the CIA.  
 

Getting the certificate of citizen decades after the fact is challenging. It is best to get it when the evidence is fresh and available, and before the child’s parents have passed away.  

I've got all of the evidence saved electronically.    The date my daughter obtained citizenship was the date of adoption.   As a practical matter, I would rather buy cryptocurrency with that money instead of handing it over for a certificate that she'll never use.  It just depends on what it's worth to you.  To me, it's not worth the $$.

[Mike E 11,742]

2 hours ago, medic5678 said:

I've got all of the evidence saved electronically.    The date my daughter obtained citizenship was the date of adoption.   As a practical matter, I would rather buy cryptocurrency with that money instead of handing it over for a certificate that she'll never use.  It just depends on what it's worth to you.  To me, it's not worth the $$.

I quite agree that you and I have different priorities.  
 

As a retired software professional with decades of experience in data storage I can only say good luck to your plan to preserve electronically across decades any evidence needed for a future N-600.  

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

3 hours ago, Mike E said:

I quite agree that you and I have different priorities.  
 

As a retired software professional with decades of experience in data storage I can only say good luck to your plan to preserve electronically across decades any evidence needed for a future N-600.  

Lol what do you mean, my floppy disks with my first thesis on still work on modern computers…don’t they   

 

Yeah I guess priorities are different, in the big scheme of things to me $1k for peace of mind for my daughter in future is not really much at all. Saving something electronically now and having a kid being able to access it or even knowing where to access it in 40 or 50 years time is not the same thing, and it is so much easier than trying to reconstruct proof from all the “evidence” even if you can.  Seen one too many desperate posts on here from people trying to do this years later with parents deceased and/or memories faded and/or documents lost.  Maybe my kid will never need it, but I also pay insurance premiums for other things I may never need to claim on. This was just a one-off insurance premium.

 

 

Edited July 25, 2021 by SusieQQQ

[Scandi 4,186]

On 7/25/2021 at 2:55 AM, medic5678 said:

I've got all of the evidence saved electronically.    The date my daughter obtained citizenship was the date of adoption.   As a practical matter, I would rather buy cryptocurrency with that money instead of handing it over for a certificate that she'll never use.  It just depends on what it's worth to you.  To me, it's not worth the $$.

Maybe not worth it to you, but worth it to your daughter in the future. I personally wouldn't hesitate to get a certificate of citizenship if it was my child. 

[medic5678 12]

d

On 7/26/2021 at 9:42 PM, Scandi said:

Maybe not worth it to you, but worth it to your daughter in the future. I personally wouldn't hesitate to get a certificate of citizenship if it was my child. 

Did you know that once you receive a passport, they will not issue a Certificate of Citizenship?  This is because they both provide the SAME proof, that you are a citizen.  You can file 1040EZ or 1040.  You're still filing your taxes.  Show me a single instance that there's been a bad outcome because a parent go their child a passport rather than a Certificate of Citizenship?  You can't.

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

25 minutes ago, medic5678 said:

d

Did you know that once you receive a passport, they will not issue a Certificate of Citizenship?  This is because they both provide the SAME proof, that you are a citizen. 

This is absolutely not true! My daughter got her certificate of citizenship after her passport, and her passport copy was one of the things they asked us to upload so they certainly knew she had it. Passports are issued by DoS, certificate  of citizenship by USCIS, and you can certainly get the latter after the former. You can use whatever reasons you prefer not to have both, that’s your prerogative, but please don’t state falsehoods as fact here.

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

28 minutes ago, medic5678 said:

Show me a single instance that there's been a bad outcome because a parent go their child a passport rather than a Certificate of Citizenship? 

Actually there  have been (admittedly rare cases) a passport is revoked as having been issued in error and bang! no more proof of citizenship. Because n600 is done by uscis which is the official custodian of immigration records (unlike DoS which issues the passports) it is regarded as absolute proof. 

There have also been cases reported here where people trying to sponsor new immigrants have lost their passports years back and struggle to find the proof of their citizenship years after the fact. A certificate of citizenship even if lost is always on file at uscis and you can get an easy replacement that way.  Yeah yeah I know you think none of these things will ever happen to your kids and you’d rather put the $1k in crypto, that’s your prerogative. I put my $1k in insurance for my kid.