US Citizenship/ Green Card Queery

grad2019

Hi,

I've a question about potential entitlement to US Citizenship or a green card, and am struggling to find solid information online.

So my paternal-grandfather is a US citizen, but he hasn't lived in the states for at least 50 years, and I believe he obtained US citizenship through his father who was in the US military at some stage.

My own father is not a US citizen, nor has he ever lived or worked there.

I'm over the age of 18, have never lived in the US other than for a summer on a J1, and am curious to know if I'd have any sort of entitlement to a green card or citizenship?

Thanks in advance!

Fr Tod Umptious

grad2019 wrote: »

Hi,

I've a question about potential entitlement to US Citizenship or a green card, and am struggling to find solid information online.

So my paternal-grandfather is a US citizen, but he hasn't lived in the states for at least 50 years, and I believe he obtained US citizenship through his father who was in the US military at some stage.

My own father is not a US citizen, nor has he ever lived or worked there.

I'm over the age of 18, have never lived in the US other than for a summer on a J1, and am curious to know if I'd have any sort of entitlement to a green card or citizenship?

Thanks in advance!

You need a parent to be a citizen to get citizenship using this route

A grandparent will not do.

él statutorio

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

You need a parent to be a citizen to get citizenship using this route

A grandparent will not do.

Pretty much, unless you're under 18 then that ship has sailed, OP, you would probably have been entitled to it before you were 18. Assuming your Grandfathers citizenship didn't have any strings attached from the military, then your father was a "natural born US citizen at birth". You would then claim it through your dad once he formalized his citizenship.

That's a general rule, there are variations depending on what year people were born etc etc.

grad2019

Thanks folks, I thought as much myself.

él statutorio

grad2019 wrote: »

Thanks folks, I thought as much myself.

You can always find an American to marry!

circular flexing

él statutorio wrote: »

Pretty much, unless you're under 18 then that ship has sailed, OP, you would probably have been entitled to it before you were 18. Assuming your Grandfathers citizenship didn't have any strings attached from the military, then your father was a "natural born US citizen at birth". You would then claim it through your dad once he formalized his citizenship.

That's a general rule, there are variations depending on what year people were born etc etc.

The parent needs to be a citizen at time of birth and also to have met certain physical presence requirements

https://www.uscis.gov/policymanual/HTML/PolicyManual-Volume12-PartH-Chapter5.html#S-C

1. Physical Presence of Child’s U.S. Citizen Parent
A child’s U.S. citizen parent must meet the following physical presence requirements:

•The parent has been physically present in the United States or its outlying possessions for at least five years; and

•The parent met such physical presence for at least 2 years after he or she reached 14 years of age.

A parent’s physical presence is calculated in the aggregate and includes time accrued in the United States during periods when the parent was not a U.S. citizen.

so even if the parent was a citizen at birth, if they never spent any time in the US then they would not be able to pass down citizenship.