Citizenship

[jennybee1018]

No citizenship here! They allow us to hold residency permits, but the only way to become Qatari is to be born into it (Patriarch side) or marry a Qatari.

For all the millions of ex-pats who are here, there is not an option to become a citizen.

[Deleted]

Me and DS2 have UK citizenship through my parents (he got it because he was born here). We will definitely apply for DH and DS1 to get citizenship when they are eligible. You're allowed to hold dual citizenship as a Canadian and it will make travel and work easier if we all have UK passports.

Still need to apply for DS2s Canadian citizenship and passport and his first birthday is this month. Slacker!

[singingpilgrim]

No interest in getting Indian citizenship really, as yes I'd have to give up US Citizenship. India doesn't allow dual citizenship. I will get a "Person of Indian Origin" card though in the next year sometime, hopefully. If the Indian government stops being so... it. lol. It's a bit like a green card in the US and will give me all the rights except the right to vote and own agricultural land I think.

I'm expecting in June and we will have to decide the baby's citizenship. My husband doesn't feel like talking about it when we tried. I was feeling torn about it, since the truth is that India is up and coming and the US's economy is kind of tanked so who knows where the world will be better in 20 years when this kid needs to participate in the global economy? But then it was pointed out to me that while India doesn't offer dual citizenship it has some programs that are LIKE citizenship except the right to vote (like the PIO card, or the OCI or the NRI) and America doesn't really have any of that. And of course travel would be so much simpler with a US passport.

And most of all if we decide as a family to move back to the US then only my husband would have to be sponsored and all that mess.

So I'm definitely leaning towards US citizenship now. But we haven't officially made that decision, and we don't have to until the little one needs a passport. Which I hope is relatively soon so my family can meet him/her, but know won't be right away.

[glitterfart]

I am going to go through the process soon to get German citizenship and will keep my American as well. There are ways to do it, and I've had several people offer to help me with it, so it's time. Plus when my hubby lost an election by ONE vote I felt zerrible that I wasn't able to.

[frlcb]

Jan 23, 2014 8:01:28 GMT -5 singingpilgrim said:

No interest in getting Indian citizenship really, as yes I'd have to give up US Citizenship. India doesn't allow dual citizenship. I will get a "Person of Indian Origin" card though in the next year sometime, hopefully. If the Indian government stops being so... it. lol. It's a bit like a green card in the US and will give me all the rights except the right to vote and own agricultural land I think.

I'm expecting in June and we will have to decide the baby's citizenship. My husband doesn't feel like talking about it when we tried. I was feeling torn about it, since the truth is that India is up and coming and the US's economy is kind of tanked so who knows where the world will be better in 20 years when this kid needs to participate in the global economy? But then it was pointed out to me that while India doesn't offer dual citizenship it has some programs that are LIKE citizenship except the right to vote (like the PIO card, or the OCI or the NRI) and America doesn't really have any of that. And of course travel would be so much simpler with a US passport.

And most of all if we decide as a family to move back to the US then only my husband would have to be sponsored and all that mess.

So I'm definitely leaning towards US citizenship now. But we haven't officially made that decision, and we don't have to until the little one needs a passport. Which I hope is relatively soon so my family can meet him/her, but know won't be right away.

You are aware that you can not travel back to the US with your baby unless you get the baby its US passport, right? Because of you it is a US citizen and all US citizens must enter and exit the US on their US passport. You may get a lenient immigration officer who lets you in regardless or you may get a jerk who doesn't.

And, if I remember correctly, aren't you in India without a visa? How will you get your baby registered when you aren't even legally there?

(ps, if your dh really doesn't care get the US passport. It will be exponentially easier for your child even 20 years down the road. Trust me.)

[elenetxu]

Holy crow. I did not realize that the US had planted an American flag on our respective uteruses (uteri?). It's great to be able to decide but I wasn't aware it was automatic if we're out of country.

(I'm totally imagining the seagulls from Finding Nemo... "Mine! Mine!")

[oneslybookworm]

Jan 23, 2014 17:08:58 GMT -5 elenetxu said:

Holy crow. I did not realize that the US had planted an American flag on our respective uteruses (uteri?). It's great to be able to decide but I wasn't aware it was automatic if we're out of country.

(I'm totally imagining the seagulls from Finding Nemo... "Mine! Mine!")

It's not automatic if you're out of the country, but it is required if you want to bring that child back into the US. So...if you never bring them back, then it's no biggie.

[frlcb]

Jan 23, 2014 18:28:36 GMT -5 oneslybookworm said:

Jan 23, 2014 17:08:58 GMT -5 elenetxu said:

Holy crow. I did not realize that the US had planted an American flag on our respective uteruses (uteri?). It's great to be able to decide but I wasn't aware it was automatic if we're out of country.

(I'm totally imagining the seagulls from Finding Nemo... "Mine! Mine!")

It's not automatic if you're out of the country, but it is required if you want to bring that child back into the US. So...if you never bring them back, then it's no biggie.

Technically if the birth mom qualifies to pass down citizenship upon birth the child is a US citizen. But yes, that is correct in that if you never return to the US then actually 'activating' that citizenship is not an issue.

[americaninoz]

this was posted on IN about UK/US which I thought was interesting - not sure if that just applies to the UK??

Just an FYI, if you end up getting the UK passport, your child can still travel to the U.S. on a their other citizenship. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) just requires everyone to have a valid passport. If you were moving back to the U.S., you would just have to prove that the child has U.S. citizenship, such as a birth abroad certificate to move your child back to the U.S. with you. And the U.S. doesn't frown upon it, they just don't recognize both citizenships, and the U.S. citizenship trumps the others for U.S. immigration purposes.

[oneslybookworm]

Jan 23, 2014 18:55:40 GMT -5 @publius said:

Jan 23, 2014 18:45:35 GMT -5 frlcb said:

Technically if the birth mom qualifies to pass down citizenship upon birth the child is a US citizen. But yes, that is correct in that if you never return to the US then actually 'activating' that citizenship is not an issue.

Unless the kid makes serious money and somehow ends up on the IRS' radar. Then I'm sure it would be made an issue.

Publius is good, Publius is wise.

[americaninoz]

I don't know, I think that person is wrong
all I can find is this: By law, U.S. citizens, including dual nationals, must use a U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States.

travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/abroad/events-and-records/birth.html

and that usually they 'aquire us citizenship' at birth

[americaninoz]

Parents of a child born abroad to a U.S. citizen or citizens should apply for a CRBA and/or a U.S. passport for the child as soon as possible. Failure to promptly document a child who meets the statutory requirements for acquiring U.S. citizenship at birth may cause problems for the parents and the child when attempting to establish the child’s U.S. citizenship and eligibility for the rights and benefits of U.S. citizenship, including entry into the United States


especially relevant to your decision singingpilgrim ...............

[frlcb]

Jan 23, 2014 19:30:18 GMT -5 americaninoz said:

this was posted on IN about UK/US which I thought was interesting - not sure if that just applies to the UK??

Just an FYI, if you end up getting the UK passport, your child can still travel to the U.S. on a their other citizenship. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) just requires everyone to have a valid passport. If you were moving back to the U.S., you would just have to prove that the child has U.S. citizenship, such as a birth abroad certificate to move your child back to the U.S. with you. And the U.S. doesn't frown upon it, they just don't recognize both citizenships, and the U.S. citizenship trumps the others for U.S. immigration purposes.

This is incorrect. I am certain there are cases where people do travel in on a non-US passport, and get away with it. And people who get nice immigration people and don't turn them away. But there are also cases where people get turned away because legally they are supposed to have their US passport. It isn't a risk worth taking.

[americaninoz]

yea I thought so frlcb - I stated that on the nest IN board and this woman came in telling me I was wrong..... hmmmm

[anna7602]

Two questions (neither of which apply to me or my child, so just out of curiosity):

1) if you are born abroad to an American parent, but try to enter the U.S. with a foreign passport, how does immigration even know this? Your foreign passport would say "place of birth: foreign land." You could be traveling with the foreign-born parent or your grandparents or your high school class and an immigration agent would never see your American parent. So then...?

2) assuming you never had to travel to the U.S. as a kid and the subject of getting a U.S. passport never came up, could you apply for one on your own as an adult or do you have to "claim" your hereditary U.S. citizenship while you are still a minor?

[americaninoz]

1) i guess it would only apply if you were travelling with the US born parent, they might not 'catch' it if you were with a foreign born parent/relative
2)interesting question - the website says you need a certificate of birth abroad to prove your citizenship - but surely you must be able to apply for something like that as an adult as well if it applies?

[echo]

Not my story,but I have cousins born abroad to one U.S. citizen parent (dad).
They actually acquired two citizenships at birth (their mother's and that of their country of residence at the time) and traveled as minors to the States on non U.S. passports.Their births were registered at the consulates but their U.S. passports were not kept up to date,and to this day they continue to visit the U.S. on foreign passports.They have never had issues........

someone else brought up the question,are all U.S. citizens in some kind of database that shows up on immigrations computers when you try to enter the country?If a birth was registered at a foreign consulate,but that person tries to enter the U.S. on a non American passport,will their name pop up as being an American citizen?How would immigration even know?

[blushing]

We qualified for British citizenship last year September but have not applied yet. We might do it in March. At the moment though the only advantage to us applying for citizenship is getting our passports so it is easier to travel. We are from a commonwealth country so we can vote here. We have permanent residency so we can claim benefits if we needed. Any future children that we might have will get automatic citizenship, etc. We have no plans to travel this year so we are umming and aahhing about doing it this year or next year. The only thing is if we do it next year then the price will have gone up again, but as it is now, it will cost us around £3000.

[frlcb]

I am sure there are stories of people who enter the US on non-US passports and have no problems. But there are also many stories of people who get turned away because they don't enter on the correct passport. It isn't worth the risk, why not just enter the US on your US passport if you are a citizen. I would not be surprised if they had a database of everyone who is a US citizen, even those born abroad. Maybe entering with the non-US parent works, who knows?

And, if you are coming from a country that the US requires a visa for, they likely would not give it to you if you were a US citizen. Why would they?

I am an American citizen, but also have a foreign passport. Can I use my foreign passport to travel to the United States? No. Under U.S. law, U.S. citizens must be in possession of a valid U.S. passport to enter or leave the United States. This is true even if you hold a passport from another country. If your U.S. passport has been lost or stolen, or if it has expired, you must apply to replace it before traveling to the United States.


london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/faqs/faq_citizenship.html

[singingpilgrim]

Jan 23, 2014 13:10:26 GMT -5 frlcb said:

Jan 23, 2014 8:01:28 GMT -5 singingpilgrim said:

You are aware that you can not travel back to the US with your baby unless you get the baby its US passport, right? Because of you it is a US citizen and all US citizens must enter and exit the US on their US passport. You may get a lenient immigration officer who lets you in regardless or you may get a jerk who doesn't.

And, if I remember correctly, aren't you in India without a visa? How will you get your baby registered when you aren't even legally there?

(ps, if your dh really doesn't care get the US passport. It will be exponentially easier for your child even 20 years down the road. Trust me.)

As I said the decision doesn't have to be made until the baby has to get a passport. I'm not sure if they won't let my baby get a visa with an Indian passport, but since India doesn't allow dual citizenships, I'm pretty sure that by getting an Indian passport my baby would have foregone any claim to US citizenship, they wouldn't have any dual status and should be treated the same as any Indian baby applying for a visa. But I don't know exactly, I did read up on the US embassy website about it though, but I didn't look into how the Indian process would go down.

I'm not in India without a visa. The Indian government just hasn't processed my visa extension/conversion requests. We applied within the legal time period and.... heard nothing. For like four months (when we tried to get info earlier they told us that up to 3 months was normal so chill, then we had to really heckle them post 3 months.) The way it works is you go to your local Foreigners Registration Office and then they forward the paperwork to Delhi and Delhi approves it. Delhi refuses to meet with you directly. Well, finally our local FRO got an answer from Delhi that they'd lost the application. Sigh. So we re-gave the information, with the local FRO certifying we'd applied it within the correct timeline the first time... and we heard nothing. We keep calling up but nothing. Finally Delhi said, looking at the re-application, "This person didn't apply within the correct time frame why are you bothering us?" Which of course isn't true. So the local FRO is basically trying to convince Delhi that we did everything right and Delhi's the one who lost the paperwork. (And we have the paper trail to prove it) but Delhi's not really responding. Actually my husband is planning on going to Delhi next week to see if he can see someone in person. I am doubtful about that because they said that Delhi refuses to meet with people, but he's going to try it.

Technically because I have the paper trail to prove I did everything right, no one actually seems worried that I'll be deported or anything. I know in America this would be huge but everyone here kinds of sighs and rolls their eyes and says it's the government. I mean this is the same government that when we'd had it booked weeks in advance to get married at the courthouse told us can't do it until tomorrow, and then when we came back had us wait for a few hours before telling us "the guy's not coming in, but you can go to his house." Then we go to the guy's house and our lawyer walks in while we stand on his lawn and then comes out and says "he saw you on closed circuit cameras and signed it. You're married." Seriously the Indian government is RIDICULOUSLY inefficient. The filing system in the local FRO? Large stacks of paperwork on shelves with strings around them with little paper signs saying stuff like "G-Gh" or something. It's amazing. Everything takes months longer than they say it will take. And almost every official legal document my husband and his family/friends have has their name spelled wrong on it. And no one cares. So it's probably fine.

But we really want it to be ironed out by next month. At the end of February we'll have been married for a year, so that's when I can start applying for my PIO... more happy paperwork with the crazy inefficient government.

Also their prime minister elections are in March and one guy who is voting is blacklisted from entering America, so if he's elected and America doesn't revoke that, after the whole Indian diplomat in NY thing, well anyway I want to have my legal status not have a question mark. So no, I don't think I'm technically here illegally, since we have the paper trial, but it's not as iron clad as I'd like and we're hoping to remedy that.

[frlcb]

Jan 24, 2014 9:10:40 GMT -5 singingpilgrim said:

Jan 23, 2014 13:10:26 GMT -5 frlcb said:

You are aware that you can not travel back to the US with your baby unless you get the baby its US passport, right? Because of you it is a US citizen and all US citizens must enter and exit the US on their US passport. You may get a lenient immigration officer who lets you in regardless or you may get a jerk who doesn't.

And, if I remember correctly, aren't you in India without a visa? How will you get your baby registered when you aren't even legally there?

(ps, if your dh really doesn't care get the US passport. It will be exponentially easier for your child even 20 years down the road. Trust me.)

As I said the decision doesn't have to be made until the baby has to get a passport. I'm not sure if they won't let my baby get a visa with an Indian passport, but since India doesn't allow dual citizenships, I'm pretty sure that by getting an Indian passport my baby would have foregone any claim to US citizenship, they wouldn't have any dual status and should be treated the same as any Indian baby applying for a visa. But I don't know exactly, I did read up on the US embassy website about it though, but I didn't look into how the Indian process would go down.

I'm not in India without a visa. The Indian government just hasn't processed my visa extension/conversion requests. We applied within the legal time period and.... heard nothing. For like four months (when we tried to get info earlier they told us that up to 3 months was normal so chill, then we had to really heckle them post 3 months.) The way it works is you go to your local Foreigners Registration Office and then they forward the paperwork to Delhi and Delhi approves it. Delhi refuses to meet with you directly. Well, finally our local FRO got an answer from Delhi that they'd lost the application. Sigh. So we re-gave the information, with the local FRO certifying we'd applied it within the correct timeline the first time... and we heard nothing. We keep calling up but nothing. Finally Delhi said, looking at the re-application, "This person didn't apply within the correct time frame why are you bothering us?" Which of course isn't true. So the local FRO is basically trying to convince Delhi that we did everything right and Delhi's the one who lost the paperwork. (And we have the paper trail to prove it) but Delhi's not really responding. Actually my husband is planning on going to Delhi next week to see if he can see someone in person. I am doubtful about that because they said that Delhi refuses to meet with people, but he's going to try it.

Technically because I have the paper trail to prove I did everything right, no one actually seems worried that I'll be deported or anything. I know in America this would be huge but everyone here kinds of sighs and rolls their eyes and says it's the government. I mean this is the same government that when we'd had it booked weeks in advance to get married at the courthouse told us can't do it until tomorrow, and then when we came back had us wait for a few hours before telling us "the guy's not coming in, but you can go to his house." Then we go to the guy's house and our lawyer walks in while we stand on his lawn and then comes out and says "he saw you on closed circuit cameras and signed it. You're married." Seriously the Indian government is RIDICULOUSLY inefficient. The filing system in the local FRO? Large stacks of paperwork on shelves with strings around them with little paper signs saying stuff like "G-Gh" or something. It's amazing. Everything takes months longer than they say it will take. And almost every official legal document my husband and his family/friends have has their name spelled wrong on it. And no one cares. So it's probably fine.

But we really want it to be ironed out by next month. At the end of February we'll have been married for a year, so that's when I can start applying for my PIO... more happy paperwork with the crazy inefficient government.

Also their prime minister elections are in March and one guy who is voting is blacklisted from entering America, so if he's elected and America doesn't revoke that, after the whole Indian diplomat in NY thing, well anyway I want to have my legal status not have a question mark. So no, I don't think I'm technically here illegally, since we have the paper trial, but it's not as iron clad as I'd like and we're hoping to remedy that.

But the US does allow dual citizenship, so by taking Indian citizenship they aren't actually looking at you as giving up your US citizenship. You will not be allowed to travel to the US with your baby on an Indian passport. Period.

[GilliC]

singingpilgrim You do not have to make the decision about your baby's citizenship at all. In fact, you cannot make the decision about his/her US citizenship, because the only way to not be a US citizen would be to officially renounce. And you cannot legally renounce your US citizenship until you are 18. So your baby is stuck with American citizenship until then. Even if you choose not to apply for a US passport.

As for India not allowing dual citizenship? It's more of a don't-ask-don't-tell policy. Technically your child has both until it reaches majority, because you cannot make the decision for him/her. At 18, you are supposed to decide which you will take. In practice, most people don't bother, and keep both. There is no universal database of citizenships, so most countries have no idea what other citizenships you have. Think of all the Indian nationals in the US on green cards who apply for citizenship. They just get it. There is no line of people at the Indian embassy giving up their passports because they became US citizens. Likewise for the children of green card holders born in the US. They definitely take their US passports back to India with them.

The only time you really have to give one up is if you're naturalized into a new one that requires documentation of renunciation. And even then, they don't know if you have multiple already and are only renouncing one. Moreover, you'll find that there are obscure exceptions to this too. For example, there are some countries that don't offer renunciation, so you cannot ever give up that citizenship. And given the US tax laws, some countries offer an exception to the dual-citizenship rule if it would cost you too much money to renounce!

[frlcb]

Jan 24, 2014 16:51:05 GMT -5 Maud said:

Wow, I didn't know that about the US. What a bizarre law.

What is the law if the dad is the American parent of a child born abroad? Just curious.

I don't think it matters if it's the dad vs the mom, if the baby qualifies for US citizenship at birth.

[GilliC]

I was talking to someone about this today, because Norway also doesn't allow dual citizenship. Apparently there was a case where the Norwegian authorities found out someone had both Norwegian and Australian citizenships, so the person was forced to give up the Australian passport.

...Then he just went to theAustralian embassy and got a new one.

[crimsonandclover]

Jan 24, 2014 21:50:04 GMT -5 GilliC said:

I was talking to someone about this today, because Norway also doesn't allow dual citizenship. Apparently there was a case where the Norwegian authorities found out someone had both Norwegian and Australian citizenships, so the person was forced to give up the Australian passport.

...Then he just went to theAustralian embassy and got a new one.

I've heard first-hand that Syrians do this in Germany on a regular basis since Germany requires proof of renunciation. They get the certificate from the Syrian embassy, go get their German passport, then go back to the Syrian embassy and get a new passport. This was a few years ago before civil war broke out, but apparently the Syrian government was cool with it. I'm guessing the US government would not be, and since you have to show proof of renunciation in Germany, that's why I don't know if I'll be able to get German citizenship (although I'm thinking about calling and asking whether the "Ex-Patriot" Acts that keep being brought to the floor in Congress might serve as a basis to show that I could potentially be at a disadvantage if I give up my US citizenship. Sigh.

And singingpilgrim, why don't you get the Indian passport first (so that if they ask you can say your child has no other one), then go to the American embassy and register a birth abroad and get a passport. Then your child has both passports. As others have said, though, India can't deny your child the citizenship rights they obtain by birth, and if you intend to travel back to the US with your child, you will need a US passport for him/her.

[bjelle00]

Jan 24, 2014 21:50:04 GMT -5 GilliC said:

I was talking to someone about this today, because Norway also doesn't allow dual citizenship. Apparently there was a case where the Norwegian authorities found out someone had both Norwegian and Australian citizenships, so the person was forced to give up the Australian passport.

...Then he just went to theAustralian embassy and got a new one.

This thread has been interesting!  Norway allows dual if the other citizenship is granted automatically from birth (like U.S. citizenship).  The Australia situation (which has its own Facebook page and has been in the news a lot last year) is *special*.  Apparently, Australian children born abroad to 1 Australian parent are eligible for Australian citizenship, but it is not automatic. They must apply and the Australian citizenship is granted from the date of application.  So children born in Norway to 1 Australian and 1 Norwegian parent must decide between Norwegian or Australian citizenship.  Children born in Australia to the same parents are automatically dual citizens.  The first case where Norwegian law came to light occurred when an Australian-Norwegian couple living in Australia applied to renew the Norwegian passports of their Norway-born twins. Norway refused saying that when the parents applied for Australian citizenship for the children, they automatically gave up the right to Norwegian citizenship. 

[GilliC]

Jan 26, 2014 6:18:52 GMT -5 bjelle00 said:

Jan 24, 2014 21:50:04 GMT -5 GilliC said:

I was talking to someone about this today, because Norway also doesn't allow dual citizenship. Apparently there was a case where the Norwegian authorities found out someone had both Norwegian and Australian citizenships, so the person was forced to give up the Australian passport.

...Then he just went to the Australian embassy and got a new one.

This thread has been interesting!  Norway allows dual if the other citizenship is granted automatically from birth (like U.S. citizenship).  The Australia situation (which has its own Facebook page and has been in the news a lot last year) is *special*.  Apparently, Australian children born abroad to 1 Australian parent are eligible for Australian citizenship, but it is not automatic. They must apply and the Australian citizenship is granted from the date of application.  So children born in Norway to 1 Australian and 1 Norwegian parent must decide between Norwegian or Australian citizenship.  Children born in Australia to the same parents are automatically dual citizens.  The first case where Norwegian law came to light occurred when an Australian-Norwegian couple living in Australia applied to renew the Norwegian passports of their Norway-born twins. Norway refused saying that when the parents applied for Australian citizenship for the children, they automatically gave up the right to Norwegian citizenship. 

I just went and looked this up, and I'm surprised, because I've heard so many people say otherwise. The conversation came up because my friends who are Canadian and Norwegian just had a baby, and they were saying that they weren't going to get his Canadian passport, because the Norwegian government had been "cracking down" lately, and they "didn't want to risk it." I had assumed they'd looked it up!

Jan 25, 2014 15:15:59 GMT -5 crimsonandclover said:

I'm guessing the US government would not be, and since you have to show proof of renunciation in Germany, that's why I don't know if I'll be able to get German citizenship (although I'm thinking about calling and asking whether the "Ex-Patriot" Acts that keep being brought to the floor in Congress might serve as a basis to show that I could potentially be at a disadvantage if I give up my US citizenship. Sigh.

There's a clause in the citizenship rules here that you are exempt if it causes a significant financial burden, based on your income. I think the US exit tax could push me over the required limit, so I've often wondered if that would be a way around it.

[crimsonandclover]

Jan 26, 2014 7:37:52 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Jan 25, 2014 15:15:59 GMT -5 crimsonandclover said:

I'm guessing the US government would not be, and since you have to show proof of renunciation in Germany, that's why I don't know if I'll be able to get German citizenship (although I'm thinking about calling and asking whether the "Ex-Patriot" Acts that keep being brought to the floor in Congress might serve as a basis to show that I could potentially be at a disadvantage if I give up my US citizenship. Sigh.

There's a clause in the citizenship rules here that you are exempt if it causes a significant financial burden, based on your income. I think the US exit tax could push me over the required limit, so I've often wondered if that would be a way around it.

It's a possibility here, too, but they specifically say that a significant financial burden would have to be x percent of your income or a minimum of y (something like 1500 euros), and, um, I don't think my exit tax would be that high. What is the exit tax based off of?

[loira]

Wow, I just tuned back into this thread. Fascinating about the US citizenship thing. Seems a bit extreme, though. It doesn't change what we were planning on doing, since mini-loira-in-utero will get its Canadian citizenship and US citizenship (alas does not qualify for UK citizenship as neither of us are permanent residents) quite soon after birth. I believe I am required to at least register the birth at the Canadian embassy but haven't bothered looking into the rules on Canadian citizenship since we'll probably obtain that passport first.

[GilliC]

Jan 26, 2014 13:19:46 GMT -5 crimsonandclover said:

Jan 26, 2014 7:37:52 GMT -5 GilliC said:

There's a clause in the citizenship rules here that you are exempt if it causes a significant financial burden, based on your income. I think the US exit tax could push me over the required limit, so I've often wondered if that would be a way around it.

It's a possibility here, too, but they specifically say that a significant financial burden would have to be x percent of your income or a minimum of y (something like 1500 euros), and, um, I don't think my exit tax would be that high. What is the exit tax based off of?

It's essentially based on your capital gains, calculated as if you liquidated everything you own right then. I would assume (hope) there are some exclusions like primary residence.

Here it's 2% or 4% of your income, which really isn't that much. Even if you make $100K/year, that's only $4K, and with just a few lucky stock purchases held for a while, that's not a ridiculous number. From helping other US ex-pats with their taxes, I've seen plenty of everyday people who owe that much in capital gains tax in a single year because they decided to cash out some investments to cover a down payment for a house or some other extra expense.