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Expats carrying future dual citizens!

145 replies

PrePG · 26/02/2008 13:12

I've noticed that there are lots of us on here who are not originally from the UK - I wondered if anyone was interested in starting an expat thread.

For me, it's especially difficult to go through this without my family close by and I thought it might be comforting to 'talk' with others in the same situation.

Anyone else??

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K999 · 26/02/2008 13:15

oops sorry....I thought this was a thread from Expat saying that she was pregnant!!

Mum2b2BabyRoo · 26/02/2008 13:20

Yes me - a future dual citizen currently residing in me! Will be South African and British - perfect combo - and will have the best passport in the world - British!

Original poster
PrePG · 26/02/2008 13:43

That's okay, K999 - but tell her we're here!

Hello mum2b2BabyRoo congrats on your little one. When are you due?

I'm American - married a Brit and have been in London for 4 years now. Actually just got my British citizenship this past November. We're very excited about our upcoming arrival (not due until late Sept - early Oct), but I'm missing my family desperately!

Selfishly I was thrilled to find out that we're not expecting twins - I was having nightmares about how I would travel back and forth to New York on a regular basis with two babies!

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mcchesers · 26/02/2008 19:29

Hello! I'm American and my husband is Scottish. I've got dual citizenship as well and our baby is due in July.

I was just home there at Christmas but was so sick could barely communicate, bah. In fact I've still got dregs of the cold I had back then.

Does anyone know what the guidelines are about whether a baby born to a US mother and UK father will be entitled to US citizenship automatically? I had always thought so, but I've been hearing of some evidence otherwise.

For sure with you PrePG about how hard it is being away from family. I'm having to face the harsh reality that it's just me and hubby and we're on our own.

TheBlonde · 26/02/2008 19:32

US embassy website has the answers

QuintessentialShadow · 26/02/2008 19:34

Oh me too K999.

mcchesers · 26/02/2008 20:55

It says:
Child born in wedlock to one U.S. citizen parent and one non U.S. citizen parent on or after November 14, 1986: A child born outside of the United States to one U.S. citizen parent and one non-U.S. citizen parent may be entitled to citizenship providing the U.S. citizen parent had been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for five years, at least two years of which were after s/he reached the age of fourteen. This period of physical presence must have taken place prior to the birth of the child.

It's the "may be entitled to" bit that gets me. Oh well..only one way to find out.

TheBlonde · 26/02/2008 21:27

the child will get it but you have to meet the physical presence test

e14mum · 27/02/2008 10:14

Hello! I'm Canadian and DH is British- baby due in 2 weeks! I did find it hard not having my mom nearby, but have seen her twice since being pg and she is coming 2 weeks after LO is born. We talk a lot on the phone and I send her photos of the bump regularly.
PrePG- I know what you mean about not wanting too many right now- I do want more in the future, but travelling to Toronto with one will be enough for me for now!!

Original poster
PrePG · 27/02/2008 10:43

Yay! You're all here! So excited!!!! [grin}

Congrats on your pregnancies!

mcchesers They say 'may be entitled' but it is really just red tape. You just need to register the birth at the US embassy. I'm pretty sure that in England it has to be done in London, but I'm not sure about Scotland. You should know though, that the US is a bit sneaky with the citizenship thing. Apparently it is against the law for anyone who is eligible for a US passport to enter the country on anything else. Not an issue for us really since we plan to be back and forth between the US and the UK quite a lot with residences in both, but I know some who don't have any intention of moving back and who may not want their children to be US citizens. Anyway, not sure if you've come across it, but this expat website has been really helpful - talk.uk-yankee.com.

Welcome e14mum congrats on your baby arriving so soon!!!!! I will probably see my mom about 4 times over the course of the pregnancy - I'm going to visit next week when I'll be 10 weeks, they're coming here in May and then I hope to squeeze in two more visits before I can't fly anymore! I usually get there about 4 times a year anyway, so I'm kind of just condensing all my visits into a nine month window! My parents were so excited when we told them, but I hadn't really wanted to tell them over the phone - had to try to get my dad on the phone and then have my mom pick up the extension. My dad said he knew right away when I made them do that! . Telling the rest of my family next weekend, but waiting to tell DH's until after our 12 week scan.

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expatmom2be · 27/02/2008 11:40

Hey there - I'm also a dual Brit/American living in London - due beginning of Sept. I've been here only since August and plan work-wise on only another 18 months, so it is all feeling a bit transient and, despite being completely planned, a little odd family-starting wise. Looking forward to making the most of time here on maternity leave when work doesn't interfere so much...

This is our first, so it is particularly tough being far away from my parents, but since I was previously on (and will be going back to) the opposite side of the states from my family, I think this is actually better given the amount of time my parents spend here (they've had a place up north for ages). My mom's coming for two weeks next month, will be here with my dad for most if not all of the summer, then is planning on coming back shortly after the baby is born for a couple of weeks and for hols, etc. It still would be nice to be a short drive away all the time, particularly once I've got to go back to work.

Original poster
PrePG · 27/02/2008 18:16

There you are! Heard lots about you!

You're right expat, I keep telling myself, if we lived on the West Coast, it'd be just as bad! Is your DP British? It's great that your parents spend so much time in the UK!

My fantasy at the moment is to find a way for us to split our time between the US and the UK - any suggestions??

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ladyhump · 27/02/2008 19:56

Hiya! I'm new to this site. Due on June 20th (a girl). Also an American living in London, married to a Brit. I'm so glad I found a thread for expats, as I always have so many questions, and know as the time goes on, I will only have more. The baby will definitely have dual citizenship, and I hope to get it within the next year. I've lived here nearly 3 years now and plan on being here for the long term.

Good topic!

TheBlonde · 27/02/2008 20:01

hi, I'm not expecting but married to a Yank

aberdeenhiker · 28/02/2008 07:52

I'm due in June with our second, we're Canadians living in Aberdeen and I also have British citizenship as well. My DS is dual as well, although we've not got around to getting his Canadian passport yet (he has his Canadian citizenship card though).

We've been across the Atlantic a couple times with DS and it's a hard flight! Last time he spent seven hours walking up and down the aisles patting everyone's knees (he was 15 months) - thank goodness for friendly people!

It is hard being so far away from family but I've got my MIL and then my mum coming over for three weeks each once our baby's born so hopefully that will help. Plus DH and I both get so many more holidays here and work shorter days than we did in Canada so in many ways it's a much better environment to bring up kids!

expatmom2be · 28/02/2008 12:14

PrePG - no, my DH is also American (and Cuban, so the baby could actually have three citizenships if it ever became anything but a burden to have a Cuban pasport!). Don't have any good suggestions for really splitting time between the two places unless you both have really creative jobs that can be done on your own schedules from anywhere (about the polar opposite of my job), but I always loved the amount of time I spent here growing up (every summer since my mom is a teacher) as it always made England really feel part of who I was and where I came from in a way that simpy having been born here (American dad, so we moved to the US when I was really little) would not have. I'm really glad that timing worked out so that our child will have that too.

VictorianSqualor · 28/02/2008 12:16

I read this thinking expat had concieved and found out it was twins

mommymummytobe · 28/02/2008 13:31

hi all-- i'm new to the site as well. dh and i are both american but have been living in london for the past 5 years. we now have permanent residence (ilr) and plan on getting our british passports next year. i'm prego w/ my 1st (due early october 2008), and although i'm very excited and happy, part of me wishes we could be w/ our family and dear friends back home for this chapter in our lives. it's nice that this forum is here, b/c i'm looking forward to getting to know people who are going through a similar experience. i'm sure i'm going to be asking a lot of questions as the months/trimesters continue!!!

purpleduck · 28/02/2008 13:54

Hello - I'm Canadian,married to a Brit. I have 2 kids, a boy and a girl.

I constantly get asked "What on earth are you doing here when you could be in Canada??!!"

purpleduck · 28/02/2008 13:56

ooh, just noticed this was in the ante-natal section

ooops

i'm NOT pregnant!

MarsLady · 28/02/2008 13:56

Glad it wasn't just me then. Clicked all excited that expat was pregnant.

As you were!

mrsbabookaloo · 28/02/2008 13:59

Hi, Haven't read the whole thread but wanted to let you know that we registered our half British half American dd when she was a couple of months old and it was very straight forward. Trip to the embassy and they give you a certificate of foreign birth (or something) and then we got the passport a few weeks later. Well, it probably wasn't that straight forward but a hell of a lot easier than my sodding green card!
Yes, you CAN have dual citizenship, don't let anyone tell you different: DD has a blue passport and a red one!

LeonieD · 28/02/2008 14:08

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LeonieD · 28/02/2008 14:10

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Original poster
PrePG · 28/02/2008 17:31

Victorial LOL! Maybe I should've worded this thread differently! Poor expat whoever she is!!! I've only just realized that you're not talking about expatmom2be!!!!

Also, very sorry this is in the antenatal clubs section - it's just what I'm most familiar with but anyone is more than welcome!!!

aberdeenhiker your little one sounds adorable! I hear it's hardest at the toddler stage, not so content to sit still and sleep for 7 hours!

expatmom2be So lovely that you got to spend summers in the UK. Thinking maybe DH and I should both become teachers to be able to do something similar! It's not my job that will be the issue as I could probably freelance, it's his!

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