"I am engaged to a US citizen. When we get married, will I automatically get dual citizenship?"
No. Marriage to a US citizen does not automatically confer US citizenship under current US law. At one time, it was common practice that a woman who married a foreigner, and set up residence with her new husband in his country, automatically acquired his citizenship (and frequently lost her native citizenship too). However, this has not been the case in US law for many years. What marriage (or engagement) to a US citizen does generally do is to allow the alien spouse or fianc�(e) an opportunity to apply for immigration to the US as a permanent resident (what is commonly referred to as getting a "green card"). The alien spouse can then apply for US citizenship after living in the US for three years (note that most "green card" holders must wait five years before becoming eligible for citizenship). Unfortunately, immigration via marriage is often trickier than it might seem. Totally sincere spouses or fianc�(e)s may find themselves subjected to skeptical inquiries by US officials on the lookout for people seeking a fast, fraudulent way into the US through a "sham" marriage (as portrayed, albeit in jest, by the 1990 movie Green Card). Couples may find themselves separated for months while the non-citizen's application is being processed by the INS -- since US law prohibits most aliens seeking permanent residence in the US from entering the US in any sort of non-permanent status while their immigration application is pending. Anyone contemplating immigration to the US by virtue of marriage or engagement to a US citizen would be well advised to seek competent advice from a lawyer who is experienced in handling such cases. (Sorry, but I am not in a position to offer referrals to immigration lawyers; please don't ask.) Once a non-citizen spouse is ready to apply for US citizenship -- normally after three years of lawful permanent residence (so-called "green card" status) -- his or her situation is basically the same as anyone else seeking US naturalization. Whether or not he/she will end up with "dual" citizenship depends on the other country's attitude toward naturalization in the US. The US naturalization oath contains a mandatory renunciatory clause, but the new citizen's "old country" may or may not recognize it, and under current policies, the US doesn't care or mind if a naturalized US citizen's country of origin insists on hanging on. ----------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________________ Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
