Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
Would you care to explain to me about the law change and being a Canadian? I am in the dark.
Dual Citizenship
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Would you care to explain to me about the law change and being a Canadian? I am in the dark.
OP
OP
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
My first husband was English born. His children from our union were granted dual citizenship until they were 21. Then they had to declare themselves American citizens or British subjects. My youngest daughter who was ten at the time, went with her father to England for a visit. Instead of getting her her own passport, she traveled on his. He didn't have his American citizenship yet. By doing this we automatically cancelled her American citizenship and made her a British subject. When they returned she couldn't get back into the country. They were holding her at the airport at customs. My husband called me in a panic. I told him, tell them to send her to the British Embassy. It was now their problem. He was going home to call the news media. Everyone went into a panic. She was home in less than 30 minutes.
My first husband was English born. His children from our union were granted dual citizenship until they were 21. Then they had to declare themselves American citizens or British subjects. My youngest daughter who was ten at the time, went with her father to England for a visit. Instead of getting her her own passport, she traveled on his. He didn't have his American citizenship yet. By doing this we automatically cancelled her American citizenship and made her a British subject. When they returned she couldn't get back into the country. They were holding her at the airport at customs. My husband called me in a panic. I told him, tell them to send her to the British Embassy. It was now their problem. He was going home to call the news media. Everyone went into a panic. She was home in less than 30 minutes.
Someone at passport control was misinformed. Back then, you weren't allowed to get a second citizenship if you were a U.S. citizen, but if you were born with it, you could keep the second one. I even believe you could keep your U.S. citizenship if all you did to get a second citizenship was get married. I travelled on a Swedish family passport twice as a kid, with no problems. Nowadays you are even allowed to get another citizenship and keep your U.S. citizenship. I know a number of people with U.S. citizenship who have become Canadians and kept their U.S. citizenship.
Heck, your kids might still be eligible for British citizenship, just by getting a British passport. They might need to bring proof that their father was a Brit when they were born and that you and he were legally married at the time they were born.
OP
OP
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
Taxlady, according to our State Department when military personnel were stationed in England during WWII, they took a shine to the young English lasses. Unfortunately many of the young ladies became pregnant. The morals of the day required that in order to save the reputation of them, that the young man marry them. Our military brass frowned upon such unions, but England was our ally, and Eisenhower passed the word down. "We need the English on our side, let these marriages happen." Thus we had a flood of war brides. In the meantime, Congress passed a law giving dual citizenship to the children born of these unions. But at 21, when the child reach their majority, they had to made a declaration of whether they wish to remain a British subject or declare their American citizenship.
Elizabeth Taylor was child of one of these unions. If you listen to her talk, you will hear that slight British accent. Her mother came here when Elizabeth was seven years old. Her father was an American soldier and stay in England after the war. When she turned 21, she made a public declaration at the Immigration offices declaring herself an American citizen and forsaking her rights as a British subject. There is a Movietone film clip floating around.
These dual citizenship's were not extended to children born of German girls. After all, Germany was not one of our Allies. Nor France or any other country involved in the war. Only the English. After all England had been our ally since the end of the war of 1812. We wish to protect that relationship. This continued during the occupation of Japan, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam war and to this day. Today we are more concerned with immigrant farm workers. Because this law was passed long after his birth in a closet at Marlboro House, when Winston Churchill came to visit, a special act and law was made in his honor making him an American citizen with dual citizenship.
We were flooded with war brides after the war. they were just babies themselves. Understandably they were terribly homesick. They wanted to go home. But foreigners are not allowed to take American citizens out of the country.
Now comes my daughter in the late 60's. Both her father and I (an American citizen by birth) decided to allow her to travel on her father's passport. Her father was traveling on his British passport. Since I gave my permission we both declared her a British subject. Her father had not yet obtained his American citizenship. Had I been travelling with them, there would have been no problem. But a non-citizen cannot take an American citizen (even with dual citizenship) out of the country.
Once I got her home, I was so grateful that I never brought up the subject again. And when her father obtained his citizenship, she was well past the age of 14. The question of her citizenship never came up again and when she died, she died a British subject.
Elizabeth Taylor was child of one of these unions. If you listen to her talk, you will hear that slight British accent. Her mother came here when Elizabeth was seven years old. Her father was an American soldier and stay in England after the war. When she turned 21, she made a public declaration at the Immigration offices declaring herself an American citizen and forsaking her rights as a British subject. There is a Movietone film clip floating around.
These dual citizenship's were not extended to children born of German girls. After all, Germany was not one of our Allies. Nor France or any other country involved in the war. Only the English. After all England had been our ally since the end of the war of 1812. We wish to protect that relationship. This continued during the occupation of Japan, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam war and to this day. Today we are more concerned with immigrant farm workers. Because this law was passed long after his birth in a closet at Marlboro House, when Winston Churchill came to visit, a special act and law was made in his honor making him an American citizen with dual citizenship.
We were flooded with war brides after the war. they were just babies themselves. Understandably they were terribly homesick. They wanted to go home. But foreigners are not allowed to take American citizens out of the country.
Now comes my daughter in the late 60's. Both her father and I (an American citizen by birth) decided to allow her to travel on her father's passport. Her father was traveling on his British passport. Since I gave my permission we both declared her a British subject. Her father had not yet obtained his American citizenship. Had I been travelling with them, there would have been no problem. But a non-citizen cannot take an American citizen (even with dual citizenship) out of the country.
Once I got her home, I was so grateful that I never brought up the subject again. And when her father obtained his citizenship, she was well past the age of 14. The question of her citizenship never came up again and when she died, she died a British subject.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Interesting stuff, Addie but Liz Taylor was born in 1932, well before the war and Eisenhower's and Congress' actions.
OP
OP
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
She was still the child of a military personnel and a British subject and thus came under the new law.
Today we have the problem with illegal immigrant workers. They are under the false impression that if they have that "anchor" baby that they cannot be deported. They are SO wrong. Remember that raid down in the Fall River/New Bedford area when they shipped the illegals back to their country? There was an uproar because mothers caught in that raid, didn't even have a chance to say good bye to their infant babies. They weren't even allowed to see them. It was that part of the law that stated 'a foreigner cannot remove an American citizen from American soil'. Fortunately, Immigration (or whatever they are calling it today) is looking into allowing those mothers to come back into the country to be with their children. But only the mothers. By the time a final decision is made, these children won't even know their mothers. And they still cannot take them out of the country.
We also have a law in this Commonwealth of Massachusetts, that states if a child is abandoned, the court can sever all rights of the parents and allow the child to be adopted. If these children didn't have a legal relative here that would be willing to take these babies and children, they went into the hands of DSS. I hate DSS with a passion. They do more harm to children than good. When and if these mothers are allowed to return, they then will have to fight the courts and DSS to get their children back. There has to be a better way.
Okay, I am off my soapbox.
Steve Kroll
Wine Guy
According to Wikipedia, both of her parents were American citizens living in England. Her father was an art dealer and her mother was an actress. You're correct that she had dual citizenship, though. She had British citizenship because she was born on British Soil. She also had American citizenship because she was born to American parents (even though they were living abroad).
She and her parents moved to the US before the second world war.
Are you telling me that my parents, both of whom were Swedish citizens, and not US citizens weren't allowed to travel with me and my sister, who were dual national US citizens? We both travelled on my mom's Swedish, family passport to Scandinavia twice in the '50s. I've actually done a lot of checking into this. My DH's father was born in England. DH's two brothers got their British passports as adults and are dual national Canadians.
OP
OP
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
Canadian laws are much different than ours. Before 9/11 we could travel to Canada just by walking over the border. But coming back, we had to show some form of identification. That's why during the Vietnam era, so many of our male dissident citizens went to Canada. And as long as they obeyed Canadian laws, they were left alone. Today we have to have a passport. We still have the draft. You have to register when you turn 18. But that is as far as it goes. When my daughter applied for her passport they mentioned that her mother worked for the Boston Police Department at one time. "Did she ever discuss with you any thing that happened while she was working there?" It was the only question they asked her. So they did a thorough background check on her. And me, I have to assme. The bane of our State Department is that other countries are not as thorough in doing background checks as we are. And a lot of countries do not use our "No Flying" list. We are not the police of the world and our government needs to learn that.
Canadian laws are much different than ours. Before 9/11 we could travel to Canada just by walking over the border. But coming back, we had to show some form of identification. That's why during the Vietnam era, so many of our male dissident citizens went to Canada. And as long as they obeyed Canadian laws, they were left alone. Today we have to have a passport. We still have the draft. You have to register when you turn 18. But that is as far as it goes. When my daughter applied for her passport they mentioned that her mother worked for the Boston Police Department at one time. "Did she ever discuss with you any thing that happened while she was working there?" It was the only question they asked her. So they did a thorough background check on her. And me, I have to assme. The bane of our State Department is that other countries are not as thorough in doing background checks as we are. And a lot of countries do not use our "No Flying" list. We are not the police of the world and our government needs to learn that.
I guess I forgot to mention that I was born and I grew up in the California.
The US no fly list. A friend of mine can't travel to the US because someone with her name is on the no fly list. This happens to plenty of innocent people.
A friend of mine can't travel to the US because someone with her name is on the no fly list. This happens to plenty of innocent people.
Moving posts from another thread...how did we go off topic in Off Topic?
Claire
Master Chef
Oh, and it can get more complicated. My parents are both U.S. citizens born in the U.S. Daddy was military. One of my sibs was born in France in the fifties, one in Germany in the 60s. The one born in France is a naturalized citizen and could have opted for dual citizenship, French or U.S. when she reached her majority. Because my parents realized we'd most likely do another tour overseas somewhere, some time, they opted to take her in and make her a U.S. citizen (high cold war days; you really wanted all your kids to be U.S. citizens so getting them out of the country in an emergency wouldn't be a problem). My other sib was born in Germany and was a U.S. citizen from birth and is not a naturalized citizen.
Someone once told me it was because Germany was still considered occupied when when the kid was born there, hence a U.S. citizen. The other was in an independent country, so not. He wasn't anyone whose word I'd trust, but there is a sort of convoluted reasoning to it. There is also something called "status of forces agreements" between the U.S. government and any foreign government where we have an installation, and it can vary greatly from country to country.
Someone once told me it was because Germany was still considered occupied when when the kid was born there, hence a U.S. citizen. The other was in an independent country, so not. He wasn't anyone whose word I'd trust, but there is a sort of convoluted reasoning to it. There is also something called "status of forces agreements" between the U.S. government and any foreign government where we have an installation, and it can vary greatly from country to country.
Lots of countries don't make you a citizen just for being born there.
