According to the Adoptee Rights Campaign, since the close of WWII, Americans have adopted more than 500,000 children from more than 100 countries. The Adoptee Rights Campaign is advocating for federal legislation advocating to grant citizenship to those adopted as children by U.S. citizens. Proposed in, the Adoptee Citizenship Act will close a loophole in international adoptions where children were adopted by U.S. citizens but not granted United States citizenship. Many of the adoptive parents, as well as the intercountry adoptees, are not aware they are not U.S. citizens until they:
H. R. 1593 provides for “automatic acquisition of United States citizenship for certain internationally adopted individuals, and for other purposes.” It has not yet passed.
It is unclear how many adult intercountry adoptees who are not U.S. citizens exist, but it is in the tens of thousands. Since the enactment of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, children who are adopted from abroad by U.S. citizens generally receive automatic citizenship, and adoption agencies and embassies are better at informing parents about any follow-up they need to do. The law was retroactive to children under 18 (pre-1983) when it went into effect. However, adults in intercountry adoptions before 2000 are finding many challenges more frustrating than paperwork – including:
Naturalization is the process for a person to apply to become a permanent U.S. citizen voluntarily. The naturalization process can take a long time, and there are many steps to prepare for it, including:
Additional challenges exist for adult intercountry adoptees to provide required documentation that may be difficult to find and address. And legal matters that may have arisen because they did not know they were not American citizens.
An experienced citizenship lawyer could help you navigate complicated and stressful citizenship and naturalization requirements if you were adopted from a foreign country as a child. Mario Godoy and the other immigration attorneys at the Godoy Law Office can assess your situation and advise you on your best options. Call today at 630-912-0322.
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AREAS WE SERVE: Godoy Law Office serves the entire Chicago, Illinois area, including DuPage, Cook, Kane, Will and Lake Counties
Immigration Attorney Mario Godoy has years of experience guiding clients with immigration issues through the immigration process along with guiding clients through the criminal case. Godoy focuses on family-based immigration law, business immigration law, removal defense, and criminal defense representation of immigrants. A criminal charge or conviction can be devastating to your immigration case. With over a decade of immigration law experience and memories of family members who were deported due to bad legal advice, Godoy is committed to helping other immigrant families receive the legal justice they deserve. As a legal entrepreneur who practices immigration law, criminal law, estate and probate law, and running two successful law firms, Mario Godoy understands the importance of keeping families together and making a home and future in America.
