Legal Help Needed: US Citizenship Claim Through Father with Limited Documentation

[ForgottenVoice]

Hello everyone,

I'm reaching out to seek legal advice regarding my attempt to claim US citizenship through my father.

Background: My father was a US citizen and held a US passport during my childhood. I was born outside the United States, and I'm currently trying to obtain US citizenship through him. Unfortunately, I lack direct documentation proving his US citizenship, and to complicate matters, I don’t believe he met the residency requirement of 10 years in the US, with at least 5 of those years after the age of 14, which the law seems to mandate for me to be eligible.

Steps I’ve taken:

I submitted my application to the US embassy, including my birth certificate and a family register.
I requested their assistance in verifying my father’s US citizenship, but I’m concerned that the residency requirement will disqualify me.

Additional Concerns: I am also deeply concerned about my safety in Germany. The country feels increasingly unsafe due to the rising number of violent incidents involving migrants, and I fear for my life every day. This makes obtaining US citizenship even more urgent for me, as I seek to move to a safer environment.

I’m looking for advice on the following:

Are there any legal precedents or alternative paths to claim citizenship despite not meeting the residency requirement?
What additional steps or documentation should I consider to strengthen my case?
Would it be advisable to seek legal representation at this stage?

I'm feeling quite overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation and the growing insecurity in Germany. I would greatly appreciate any guidance or similar experiences that anyone here can share.

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[rampart]

i hope someone can help. was your father in our military service? that might help to prove citizenship through the va (depending upon branch of service) rather than state??????

 

[struth]

Hello everyone,

I'm reaching out to seek legal advice regarding my attempt to claim US citizenship through my father.

Background: My father was a US citizen and held a US passport during my childhood. I was born outside the United States, and I'm currently trying to obtain US citizenship through him. Unfortunately, I lack direct documentation proving his US citizenship, and to complicate matters, I don’t believe he met the residency requirement of 10 years in the US, with at least 5 of those years after the age of 14, which the law seems to mandate for me to be eligible.

Steps I’ve taken:

I submitted my application to the US embassy, including my birth certificate and a family register.
I requested their assistance in verifying my father’s US citizenship, but I’m concerned that the residency requirement will disqualify me.

Additional Concerns: I am also deeply concerned about my safety in Germany. The country feels increasingly unsafe due to the rising number of violent incidents involving migrants, and I fear for my life every day. This makes obtaining US citizenship even more urgent for me, as I seek to move to a safer environment.

I’m looking for advice on the following:

Are there any legal precedents or alternative paths to claim citizenship despite not meeting the residency requirement?
What additional steps or documentation should I consider to strengthen my case?
Would it be advisable to seek legal representation at this stage?

I'm feeling quite overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation and the growing insecurity in Germany. I would greatly appreciate any guidance or similar experiences that anyone here can share.

Thank you in advance for your help!

If your father was a citizen then you are.

 

[ForgottenVoice]

Thank you for your response. My father was not in the US military. However, my grandfather (my father's father) lived in the United States for decades before moving to Germany with his children, including my father. I'm not sure why they moved back to Germany, but that's the situation.

Given this background, is there any other way I can prove my father's citizenship and secure mine? I'm really hoping to find a path forward. Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

 

[ForgottenVoice]

If your father was a citizen then you are.

Thank you for your response. I understand that I would be a citizen if my father was, but I'm struggling to prove his citizenship due to a lack of documentation. He had a US passport during my childhood, but I don’t have access to any records that confirm his citizenship status now.

Given that his father lived in the US for decades before moving back to Germany, do you think there could be a way to prove my father's citizenship through my grandfather's records? Any advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JoeMoma]

You need to contact a lawyer.

 

[ForgottenVoice]

After all the issues with my US citizenship application, I turned my frustration into a song. It’s about feeling let down by the system.

You can listen to it here:

 

[frigidweirdo]

Hello everyone,

I'm reaching out to seek legal advice regarding my attempt to claim US citizenship through my father.

Background: My father was a US citizen and held a US passport during my childhood. I was born outside the United States, and I'm currently trying to obtain US citizenship through him. Unfortunately, I lack direct documentation proving his US citizenship, and to complicate matters, I don’t believe he met the residency requirement of 10 years in the US, with at least 5 of those years after the age of 14, which the law seems to mandate for me to be eligible.

Steps I’ve taken:

I submitted my application to the US embassy, including my birth certificate and a family register.
I requested their assistance in verifying my father’s US citizenship, but I’m concerned that the residency requirement will disqualify me.

Additional Concerns: I am also deeply concerned about my safety in Germany. The country feels increasingly unsafe due to the rising number of violent incidents involving migrants, and I fear for my life every day. This makes obtaining US citizenship even more urgent for me, as I seek to move to a safer environment.

I’m looking for advice on the following:

Are there any legal precedents or alternative paths to claim citizenship despite not meeting the residency requirement?
What additional steps or documentation should I consider to strengthen my case?
Would it be advisable to seek legal representation at this stage?

I'm feeling quite overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation and the growing insecurity in Germany. I would greatly appreciate any guidance or similar experiences that anyone here can share.

Thank you in advance for your help!

You're probably safer in the Germany than the US.

 

[ForgottenVoice]

You're probably safer in the Germany than the US.

Thank you for your opinion, but I strongly disagree. Germany has become a place where violence is escalating rapidly. Knife attacks are becoming a terrifyingly common occurrence, and just today, more lives were tragically lost in Solingen. The country feels increasingly unsafe, and the system is growing more autocratic by the day.

The EU, in my view, is a union on the brink of collapse, and I don't want to be a part of its downfall. This isn’t the life I want to live, constantly in fear and under a system that feels like it’s suffocating any chance of a better future. That's why I'm so desperate to find safety and new opportunities elsewhere.

 

[struth]

Thank you for your response. I understand that I would be a citizen if my father was, but I'm struggling to prove his citizenship due to a lack of documentation. He had a US passport during my childhood, but I don’t have access to any records that confirm his citizenship status now.

Given that his father lived in the US for decades before moving back to Germany, do you think there could be a way to prove my father's citizenship through my grandfather's records? Any advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

He doesn’t have a birth certificate???

Also check with the US State Department, he would of had a Social Security number

 

[frigidweirdo]

Thank you for your opinion, but I strongly disagree. Germany has become a place where violence is escalating rapidly. Knife attacks are becoming a terrifyingly common occurrence, and just today, more lives were tragically lost in Solingen. The country feels increasingly unsafe, and the system is growing more autocratic by the day.

The EU, in my view, is a union on the brink of collapse, and I don't want to be a part of its downfall. This isn’t the life I want to live, constantly in fear and under a system that feels like it’s suffocating any chance of a better future. That's why I'm so desperate to find safety and new opportunities elsewhere.

Yeah, I know. And for the US this has been normal for a century.

I've lived in both Germany and the US, and the US has a lot of scary places. Even the scary places near the university in Germany that I went to which had ethnic Russians getting drunk was safer than a lot of places I went to in the US.

 

[Mac-7]

Hello everyone,

I'm reaching out to seek legal advice regarding my attempt to claim US citizenship through my father.

Background: My father was a US citizen and held a US passport during my childhood. I was born outside the United States, and I'm currently trying to obtain US citizenship through him. Unfortunately, I lack direct documentation proving his US citizenship, and to complicate matters, I don’t believe he met the residency requirement of 10 years in the US, with at least 5 of those years after the age of 14, which the law seems to mandate for me to be eligible.

Steps I’ve taken:

I submitted my application to the US embassy, including my birth certificate and a family register.
I requested their assistance in verifying my father’s US citizenship, but I’m concerned that the residency requirement will disqualify me.

Additional Concerns: I am also deeply concerned about my safety in Germany. The country feels increasingly unsafe due to the rising number of violent incidents involving migrants, and I fear for my life every day. This makes obtaining US citizenship even more urgent for me, as I seek to move to a safer environment.

I’m looking for advice on the following:

Are there any legal precedents or alternative paths to claim citizenship despite not meeting the residency requirement?
What additional steps or documentation should I consider to strengthen my case?
Would it be advisable to seek legal representation at this stage?

I'm feeling quite overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation and the growing insecurity in Germany. I would greatly appreciate any guidance or similar experiences that anyone here can share.

Thank you in advance for your help!

You should hire a lawyer

Any advice you get from this forum is worthless

 

[Curried Goats]

Thank you for your response. I understand that I would be a citizen if my father was, but I'm struggling to prove his citizenship due to a lack of documentation. He had a US passport during my childhood, but I don’t have access to any records that confirm his citizenship status now.

Given that his father lived in the US for decades before moving back to Germany, do you think there could be a way to prove my father's citizenship through my grandfather's records? Any advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately you're probably going to need something like his birth certificate to prove his citizenship and then you're going to have to prove he was in fact your father through DNA testing. I had to do all that to get my daughter a Consular Report of a Birth Abroad I think is the name of the offical document.

 

[ForgottenVoice]

Unfortunately you're probably going to need something like his birth certificate to prove his citizenship and then you're going to have to prove he was in fact your father through DNA testing. I had to do all that to get my daughter a Consular Report of a Birth Abroad I think is the name of the offical document.

Thank you for the information. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my father's birth certificate, and the lack of documentation is a major hurdle for me. The suggestion of DNA testing makes sense, but without his citizenship being confirmed first, I feel like I’m stuck in a catch-22 situation.

It’s frustrating to think that my connection to the U.S. could be so easily dismissed due to missing paperwork, especially when my father lived in the U.S. for so long and had a passport. It’s like the system is set up to make it as difficult as possible for people in my situation.

I’ll explore the DNA testing option, but I’m worried that even with that, I might not get the outcome I need.

 

[ForgottenVoice]

Thank you for the advice so far. I’m starting to think that my best bet might be to try to prove my case through my deceased grandfather instead of my father, as I believe the chances of finding records for him are higher. He lived in the US for many years and barely spoke any German when he moved back to Germany.

Does anyone know the best way to go about finding records for someone like my grandfather? Specifically, I’m looking for advice on how to find immigration, naturalization, or census records that might help establish his time in the US. Any tips or resources would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Unkotare]

Total BS

 

[Meathead]

Thank you for your response. I understand that I would be a citizen if my father was, but I'm struggling to prove his citizenship due to a lack of documentation. He had a US passport during my childhood, but I don’t have access to any records that confirm his citizenship status now.

Given that his father lived in the US for decades before moving back to Germany, do you think there could be a way to prove my father's citizenship through my grandfather's records? Any advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

Still have your pp?

 

[Meathead]

Still have his pp? Ignore Unk, he specializes in hissy fits.

 

[ForgottenVoice]

Unkotare I understand that it might sound far-fetched, but I’m just trying to explore all possible avenues. The situation is really challenging, and I’m doing my best to find a solution. If you have any better suggestions or insights, I’m open to hearing them. I’m just looking for any possible way to establish my claim.

Meathead If by "pp" you mean my passport, yes, I still have my current passport. Unfortunately, it doesn’t contain any information that would help prove my father’s or grandfather’s citizenship in the US. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to gather the necessary documentation.

 

[Meathead]

Unkotare I understand that it might sound far-fetched, but I’m just trying to explore all possible avenues. The situation is really challenging, and I’m doing my best to find a solution. If you have any better suggestions or insights, I’m open to hearing them. I’m just looking for any possible way to establish my claim.

Meathead If by "pp" you mean my passport, yes, I still have my current passport. Unfortunately, it doesn’t contain any information that would help prove my father’s or grandfather’s citizenship in the US. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to gather the necessary documentation.

German or American pp?