Canadian had U.S. parents: is she a U.S. citizen?

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worryfreeinvestor
Posts: 145
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2005 6:17 pm
Location: Seattle, WA

Canadian had U.S. parents: is she a U.S. citizen?

Post by worryfreeinvestor »

This is a long shot. (Everyone I've asked says so) but I've seen longer shots in this forum, so here goes: Circa 1970 a Canadian couple with a teenaged girl moved from Toronto to Pittsburgh. However, the girl stayed in Canada for university. Years passed: parents became U.S. citizens and are now deceased.

Daughter lived in Toronto and Vancouver for years and never gave a thought to becoming a U.S. citizen, which I suppose if she'd taken action on before she turned 18 could have achieved.

Now, in middle age, she's interested in being a U.S. citizen (having moved to U.S. in 2005).

Is she a U.S. citizen?

Any opinions gratefully received!
Bill_S
Posts: 25
Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2007 10:53 am
Location: Ohio

Post by Bill_S »

The rules for deriving citizenship from parents who naturalize are complex, and are described in the USCIS Guide to Naturalization. Questions 25 and 26 deal with this matter. A lot of important details are missing from your description of the situation, but if she was over 18 when the parents naturalized, it seems unlikely she is a U.S. citizen. If she never moved to the US or had any legal status there, such as permanent residence (also seems unlikely from your description) there's even less chance. She could pay for a consultation with a US immigration lawyer and bring ALL relevant information with her: how old she was when parents immigration was going on, where she was living, for how long, what her status was, etc. I wouldn't be too hopeful about the result, though.
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