to be concerned about my friend giving birth in the USA?

[YoniGetAnOohWithTyphoo]

My friend 'P' got pregnant by an american citizen (unplanned, on holiday kind of thing...) anyway, cut a long story short: he has said that whilst he isn't interested in her (and much less in coming over to the UK to play happy families), he, and moreover his mother, seem very keen for P to come over and give birth in the US, all expenses paid.

Whilst this seems like a nice gesture on the face of it, i'm a bit worried. Notwithstanding the fact that P seems to honestly think she's gonna fly to the USA alone at about 35 weeks pregnant (don't they have rules about this sort of thing?) with all the suitcases in tow, if a baby is born in the USA i'm worried it will be an 'american citizen' and as such, won't just be allowed to fly back to the UK. Do any mumsnetters know about this?

I'm haven't said much yet because I don't want to hurt her feelings or scare her, I know at the end of the day it's her choice... but I can't help thinking she hasn't thought this through. What do you guys think?

Sorry I haven't been here for ages folks. It is just because I still have nothing new to report, sorry!

The one development is P has said she'll be back in February. Of course, when I press her for details I get very little. She had told me that she was planning on going to Washington with babydaddy to get a passport, but i'm still a bit confused - if the baby gets a US passport, does that mean he will then be seen as an immigrant to the UK and only allowed to stop a short while here?

She said that babydaddy 'definitely has a role she cannot fill', that statement worries me slightly- makes me think going back to/staying in the US is her goal. Of course, that role doesn't extend to actually getting up at night to help, surprise surprise... but that's another story.

I will let you know more when I have it but for now, things are very quiet.

The baby has dual nationality and would be fully entitled to stay permanently in the uk due to mother. American passport doesn't change that.

My DH is from US. All children have US passports and my nations passport. When I used to travel from the US to other countries I always had written, notarized documents from DH to show at boarder. However, NB that this is NOT required, in fact, it is not even legal for them to ask for such a thing. We had it because of travel in other countries that would require it.

From memory she would have about 2 weeks left on her visa.

This is very a very sad situation :( I predict them stalling/delaying/forgetting and then her overstaying will ruin all future visa opportunities. Sometimes people's unpreparedness/ignorance/naivity makes me

Have you sent some scare stories of stupid people who have overstayed and ruined things for themselves?

I just can't see this having a happy ending

placemark.

This doesn't look great does it?

No, it really doesn't.

If she was going to Washington to get a passport for the baby I'd have thought it would be a UK one. You get a US passport by going to your local office (library, town hall etc) and applying there - there is no need to go to Washington.

IIRC, they're in N Virginia. In which case they can go to DC to get baby a rush US passport - they can be done same day - there was an article on it today in the Wash Post.

Doesn't help with the various immigration issues.

Ahh I didn't know about that.

It is odd though, wanting to get the baby a passport when the mother cannot leave the country. Well she can but she can't come back in again once she's left.

Are your friend and baby safely home yet? Hoping for a hood outcome!

*good

I can't see this ending well but I hope your friend is ok

Is she trying to sort out a UK or a US passport for her baby?

Getting a uk passport for the baby could just be a ploy. The baby wouldn't be allowed to leave America on a uk passport so it would leave the mother stranded at the airport having to leave herself due to her visa but being prevented from taking the baby by immigration. Stops dad from appearing the bad guy.

I don't know why they need to travel to Washington for either passport.

US passport - go to post office and order. Took 10 days on standard service last month for us. You can pay more to expedite. They've had weeks so they shouldn't need a one day service.

UK passport - now done via UK and you need to post off US passport at the same time.

Gfgggfvvvvvvvfttyyytttytytyyyu

I hope this all turns out well but I suspect that it won't. It's a very sad situation for a new mum to put themselves in

I was hoping to read that your friend and the baby were back safely in the UK. Fingers crossed that will be the case in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for the update OP. Things might still all turn out OK.

"She said that babydaddy 'definitely has a role she cannot fill', "

I think the poster who said she might not want the baby may have a point.
If she wanted to be a single parent in the UK with her baby, she has sleep-walked into a disaster. But maybe it wasn't sleep-walking.

Maybe she hopes to get together with the baby's father; maybe she wants him to take the baby and raise him as an American; maybe being a single parent is the last thing she wants and she would accept the second option if she can't have the first (or maybe she never wanted the first and was always heading towards the second).

maybe if she had got accidentally pregnant by a man who didn't love her, who didn't want the baby, she would have had a termination or given it up for adoption.
Maybe early on in the pregnancy she told the baby's father she couldn't cope with a baby and was considering a termination and he said, "don't do that, the baby can come to me and my mother". Maybe he is just following through on that promise, and the baby had to be born in the US for that reason. Maybe the woman is ashamed to tell everyone she would rather the baby be with his father.

Any news?