Citizenship Series Part 6: Deriving Citizenship When the Child Was Born Out of Wedlock
Naturalization of Mother When Child Was Born Out of Wedlock and Paternity Not Established by Legitimation: While the concept of legitimate or illegitimate children seems very old fashioned, but even in this modern era, legitimation is important in many cases where a child’s parents were not married at the time of their birth. While this…
Citizenship Series Part 5: Deriving Citizenship when Your Parents were Legally Separated
Naturalization of Parent Having Legal Custody Where There Has Been a Legal Separation of the Parents: The USCIS phrase may sound complex, but this path to Derived Citizenship applies to children whose parents were divorced or legally separated. The key factor is “Legal Custody.” In this post, we’ll break down what counts as Legal Custody…
Citizenship Series Part 4: Deriving Citizenship with One Naturalized Parent
Derivative Citizenship is possible for those who only have one Naturalized Parent, but this is reserved for those in special circumstances. There are only three (3) situations in which having one Naturalized Parent may qualify you for Derivative Citizenship: In this Part of the series we will be discussing situation 1. Naturalization of a Surviving…
Citizenship Series Part 3: Derived Citizenship
In the two previous parts of this series, we discussed Acquired Citizenship under the Child Citizen Act of 2000 (CCA). It is understandable that you might feel it is unfair or arbitrary that the CCA applies only to children born on or after February 27, 2001, or those who were under 18 years of age…
Citizenship Series Part 2: Automatic Acquisition of Citizenship after Birth
As discussed by Part 1, there are 4 specific conditions that must be met on or after February 27, 2001: In this part of the Citizenship Series, we will discuss the specifics of these requirements and whether they may be applicable to you. In the event all these conditions were met before your 18th birthday,…
Citizenship Series Part 1: You might be a U.S. Citizen and not even know it
In today’s uncertain immigration landscape – marked by shifting policies and heightened concerns – it’s no wonder many individuals with Lawful Permanent Residency (Green Card holders) are thinking seriously about pursuing U.S. citizenship. For those of you who have had green cards since childhood, but your parents are U.S. Citizens, your own citizenship may be…
USCIS Announces New Civics Test for Naturalization – Effective October 2025
If you are planning to apply for U.S. citizenship, there is an important update you should know about. USCIS has just announced that it will be rolling out a new civics test—called the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test—starting October 20, 2025. Here’s what this means for you: When Will This Affect You? How to Prepare USCIS…
Unlawful Presence vs. Out of Status: What Every Immigrant Needs to Know
When it comes to U.S. immigration law, a common source of confusion is the difference between “unlawful presence” and “out of status.” These terms are not interchangeable – and knowing the difference can be the key to avoiding bars to reentry or serious immigration problems. Unlawful presence begins when you stay in the United States…
Consular Processing vs. Adjustment of Status: What is the Difference?
When you are applying for a green card, one of the first decisions you will have to make is whether to go through consular processing or adjustment of status. Both are paths to the same destination, getting your green card, but they work in very different ways. Adjustment of Status (AOS) Adjustment of status allows…
USCIS Resumes Neighborhood Checks for Naturalization Applicants.
Effective August 22, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is resuming personal investigations of aliens applying for naturalization, a policy outlined in their new Policy Memorandum PM-602-0189. This significant change means that the previous general waiver for these investigations is ending, and USCIS will now make decisions on conducting or waiving these checks on…
