d3vski

as far as im concerned if a person holds a BRITISH passport and it doesnt matter what it says inside, they should be allowed to enter and live in the UK but that is another issue! The rest of the world is practically allowed to live here!

regarding the conscription, i didnt say that you automatically get enrolled, i said POSSIBLY and that means the US government reserves the right to activate the draft if and when they require soldiers. thats why US males have to register with the SSS.

BAHumbug

But they do NOT hold a British passport, they hold a 'British Overseas Citizen' or whatever passport, which is not the same thing. Why do you think the distinction is there in the first place ?

If you're going to start banging out about the evils of immigration the moderators might as well just close the thread here and now.

BAH

SchmeckFlyer

Technically, you are probably correct. Practically, it is probably more complex. As a US citizen, one is expected to be able to prove citizenship status. This requires at the very least a birth certificate issues by a government office (i.e. county registrar) stating the place of birth and natural parents. This, in turn, requires some sort of act of registration. As I was born abroad, I did not officially become a US citizen until my birth was registered at the US mission a full month after my birth; until that time, I had no rights under US law as a citizen. Then there is the issue of US nationals versus US citizens; people born in certain overseas territories are not citizens but nationals (i.e. they cannot vote, but I am sure the US government is happy to collect taxes), but they can become citizens rather easily (apparently).

d3vski

time to zip it up!

back to OT, The American way of thinking is that Parents cannot make a decision for a child whether to renounce Citizenship, it is for the individual to decide when they are in a position to decide (18 or over).

i have to agree with the above, its not right that you should be able to deny the child a US passport just because they dont like it. It gives the child the right to live there in the future so it is a very delicate situation!

just out of curiosity, if you have US child, can you zip past the E.T. (sorry Aliens queue) and use the US citizen line?

LeisureFirst

The issue of proof is a different question. If the rules refer specifically to people who are entitled to citizenship, as distinct from citizens, then presumably there are such people. I was wondering who they are. People born in the the US (with rare exceptions which I didn't think it worth detailing) are automatically citizens, so don't fall into this category, as a brief search on assorted US Government websites makes clear.

I think this may have answered my question. You are saying that those born abroad are not US citizens until explicitly registered.

David-A

Actually, this whole thing is far more complicated (and also in a weird way more simple) than that and would require a long thread all on its own to cover.

Suffice to say that, IMO, none of the posts in this thread about British passports and varieties of names of citizen types, should be taken as representative, and in fact are utterly misleading - in BOTH directions.

Many of the names are, in the case of certain people, *officially* exactly equal to being a British Citizen in all respects with the right to be treated under that name. [The reason why the different name is still optionally used in circulation varying, but having no significance.]

Finally, a the same British Passport can be issued to various people with different entitlements. And people with exactly the same entitlements can hold from time to time different British passports.

As I said, this would require an entire thread to even partially cover and outline, so lets leave it. Basically you've got to de-link the passport type from a persons own entitlements. You've also got to de-link the term British (while keeping a unified reference) from the United Kingdom nation state.

JamieTaylor

I can sympathise with the OP. A friend of mine (British) was married to an American. She brought her kids over to visit a couple of years ago and had real problems. She flew them into LHR on their UK passports, she didn't have US passports has her Ex husband had refused to sign the documents. No problems getting into the UK, however, they would not allow them to fly home so she had to spend 8 hours at the embassy in London but at least they managed to persuade her ex to sign the forms but of course this had to be done in the presence of a notary so it all took a long time.

All praise to BA though who allowed her to fly 2 days later without incurring any charges even though her tickets were non flexible. ^

She also has problems when she gets back to the US. As she is British she has to go through as an alien even though she has a green card and all other neccessary paperwork to say that she has the right to reside and the kids have to be escorted through the US channel, she says it seems to vary from airport to airport but can be a real hassle. ORD are apparently quite flexible and usually allow then to all go through together.

LeisureFirst

Now I begin to see some good reasons why the one American I know to renounce her citizenship (her husband is British) made sure to do so before the birth of her son (who also happens to be my godson). The son, travelling with his father, could have had exactly the problems you describe. Having said that, the reasons she gave me were not really that, or anything to do with US taxes applying to her or her son, but rather certain family allegiances dating back to 1776 and all that.

chgoeditor

You are absolutely correct. My bad!

chgoeditor

Before I knew that the law required him to enter the US on a US passport, I mistakenly said that perhaps he'd just buy a new ticket on another airline. I was assuming that BA had noted the problem in his record and still wouldn't let him fly on another date with the UK passport, but that another airline, unaware of the problem, would let him fly on the UK passport. I now know that's not the case!

I hadn't looked at this thread for 18 hours and was surprised to discover that it had gotten so animated!

Just an update: Because he's 19 years old, and his last US passport was issued when he was younger than 16, he'll have to apply in person at the US Embassy in London. Assuming his expired US passport arrives in London by Thursday, he can get a Friday appointment. Typically, it's then a 2 week turnaround, but if he can prove that he's flying within the next 2 weeks, they'll issue a temporary passport. So hopefully he'll be here within the next week, and can spend some time in the States before going home to await exam results and head off to university in September.

thadocta

Mine are somewhat different - my UK passport (issued in Canberra) lists my place of birth as PENRITH AUSTRALIA - my AU passport (issued in Sydney) lists my place of birth as PENRITH (nothing further added).

So it varies around the world. Perhaps it might depend on where it was issued, namely if it is issued in the UK, then a UK passport will not state the country (unless outside the UK) and so on.

Dave

jamespvg

I haven't paid that much attention, since it doesn't apply to me, but don't LPRs normally go through the US citizens lane at immigration? Certainly I've seen that at ORD.

Koru Flyer

Certainly. Each time I have arrived in the USA with my wife (US birth) and son (by virtue of his mother) I have been shunted with them down the fast lane. Never had a problem, although sometimes have had to to go to a different counter.

Unfortunately, does not help very much as I share the same name as a number of people wanted in the US for various quite serious crimes so I am usually met by a variety of law enforcement officers. (Yes a close friend of mine is a US embassador and has taken 2-3 years even with her help to get this annoyance cleared).

Mark
ps. incidentally son was born in CPH - but no right to DK citizenship until he is 18 and renounces his other three!

Xevus

Wow, how did he (or rather you) managed that ? One is US by his mother, but other two ?

chgoeditor

My BF's son actually has a third citizenship. He was born in the US to a French father and British mother. I don't think he has a French passport, but I'm wondering what kind of problems it would have caused yesterday if he'd dared to try to leave the UK (where he's a citizen) with French passport flying to the US (where he's a citizen). It might have thrown the BA agents off enough that they would have actually let him fly!