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US Citizenship through Parents

US Citizenship through Parents

The US citizenship through parents can be obtained if a child is born with parents which are U.S. citizens, or after birth, however before the young individual turns 18 years of age. Our immigration lawyers in Miami can provide further information on this subject. 

You can also count on us for guidance in applying for a residence permit in USA.

Being born in the U.S. or in a U.S. territory

A child born in the U.S. or in a territory of the U.S. obtains automatically the right to be a citizen of the country. Exceptions are the cases when the child is born to a foreign government official who is found in the U.S. at the birth date. 

Children who are born in some U.S. territories, such as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands or Guam, can obtain the U.S. citizenship through parents as well if at least one of his or her parents has the U.S. citizenship and actually resided in the U.S. for one year continuously at any moment before the child’s birth. 

According to the immigration legislation in the U.S., a person who obtains the U.S. citizenship through parents is able to retain it for his or her entire life except if he or she gives it up voluntarily. If you wish to immigrate to US from Canada through this method, our Miami immigration lawyers can assist you.

We can also help you apply for USA citizenship.

Children born with naturalized parents

Children born outside the U.S. can also obtain the U.S. citizenship through a parent who becomes a naturalized citizen of the country, which is called derivative citizenship. According to the current legislation, in order to receive the derivative U.S. citizenship through parents, the following requirements have to be met:

•    the child has to be under 18 years of age;
•    he or she must have at least one parent with the U.S. citizenship either by birth or by naturalization;
•    the minor has to be a green card holder;
•    the young person has to live in the country in the custody of the parent who is a citizen of the U.S.

You can count on our immigration lawyer in the United States for assistance with the USA citizenship application procedure.

Children born with parents who are U.S. citizens

In many cases, despite the fact that a child is born outside the country, if at least one parent was a citizen of the U.S. when the child was born, the later automatically obtains the U.S. citizenship. If the child later gets married and has children, they could also acquire the U.S. citizenship when they are born.

If you are interested in obtaining the U.S. citizenship through parents, an immigration attorney in USA can provide guidance in overcoming the complex application procedure; we invite you to get in touch with us. We can also advise in matters related to the residence permit in USA.