Search Results for: blog to ensure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity

Who Has Jurisdiction in the Abandonment of the Russian Boy?

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My last blog concerned last month’s news about the adopted boy flown back to Russia alone. Some commentators have speculated whether abandonment charges would be brought in the U.S., which does allow unaccompanied minors to fly, or in Russia, where he landed. Also, the jurisdiction where the child was abandoned may be Tennessee, where the adoptive mother and grandmother reside, or possibly Washington D.C., since the child’s grandmother flew with him there and then put him on the nonstop flight to Russia alone. Children adopted from Russia to the U.S. are citizens of both Russia and the United States of … Continue reading →

Ensuring Our Children’s Proof of Citizenship, and, A Little Ceremony Could Have Been a Good Thing

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The Child Citizenship act of 2000 provides that children adopted by U.S. citizens automatically achieve citizenship, either when they enter the U.S. if the adoption was finalized in a foreign court, or when the adoption is finalized if there is a waiting period before the adoption is finalized in U.S. court. NOTE: Although under this relatively recent act, children are automatically citizens, it is still advisable to get a Certificate of Citizenship . Children who enter the U.S. on an IR-3 visa are now supposed to be sent one automatically upon entering the U.S. , but if you adopted before … Continue reading →

Certificate of Citizenship: Why Isn’t a Passport Good Enough?

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My last blog talked about the importance of ensuring your adopted child’s US citizenship. This blog talks about the importance of being able to prove it. When our daughters’ adoptions were finalized, we immediately obtained passports for them. A passport, I had always been told, was the ultimate proof of citizenship—better than a birth certificate, better than a social security card, better than just about anything. Our older daughter’s adoption was finalized in 2001, just after the Child Citizenship Act took effect. We were told we could apply for a Certificate of Citizenship. None of us really knew what that … Continue reading →

“To Secure the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves and Our Posterity”

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Most parents would assume that once a child is legally theirs, their citizenship extends to that child. After all, plenty of parents serving abroad in the military or on business give birth overseas and their children are citizens. We have always been told that having one parent who is a U.S. citizen automatically makes a child a U.S. citizen. Except, adopted children haven’t always had this protection. Until recently, children adopted from other countries had to go through a separate naturalization process (forms, filing fees, sometimes court appearance). There have been cases in which adoptive parents assumed that their citizenship … Continue reading →

Getting Married on the 4th of July?

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The 4th of July celebrates and honors the birth of the United States. It is the day we celebrate our freedoms as well as honoring all those in our history who have gone before us to ensure that freedom. It marks a unique day for celebrating a personal union and can make a great day to get married for the couple who embraces history or a patriotic theme. I know a number of military families that married on or around July 4 because of the deep meaning it has. Patriotism has a very personal meaning for everyone and for our … Continue reading →