Citizenship through Parents

There are two primary ways that people can earn their United States citizenship. You can apply on your own, with the support of family or employers, or you may qualify as a citizen if one or both parents are U.S. citizens, no matter where you were born. By holding U.S. citizenship, an individual is entitled to the same rights as person born in the United States.

Both adopted and natural children are eligible for U.S. citizenship through their parents. If you are looking to adopt a child or have a baby, you may want to make sure that this child can be a U.S. citizen even if he or she is born outside of the U.S. To help you get citizenship for your precious son or daughter, you should contact an Orange County immigration lawyer from Garg & Associates, P.C. today at 949-540-6704.

Children in the United States

Children who are already in the U.S. must meet several requirements before they can be considered automatic U.S. citizens. These specifications include:

• At least one parent is a U.S. citizen either by birth or naturalization
• The child is a minor
• The child is legally in the U.S. already

Additionally, this does not include non-adopted stepchildren, married children, and children born out of wedlock. Children born outside of wedlock must first be “legitimated.”

Children outside the U.S.

In some cases, a child can apply for citizenship if they were born outside of the U.S. or are currently living out of the country. In these instances, the following requirements apply:

• At least one parent is a U.S. citizen
• The U.S. citizen parent must have lived in the U.S. or American territory for at least five years, two of which were acquired when the parent was older than 14
• The child is an unmarried minor
• The child must be in legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent
• The child must legally visit the U.S. in order to apply

Sometimes, all of these steps can be complicated. You should talk to a lawyer immediately to help your child acquire U.S. citizenship.

Contact Us

U.S. citizenship can make it much easier for a person to live and work in the United States. Thus, if you are parent whose child is eligible for citizenship, you should help your child achieve this status. For more information, please contact a qualified Orange County immigration attorney from Garg & Associates, P.C. at 949-540-6704 today.