Hey everyone. I've searched around the discussions a bit and haven't really found anything relevant to my situation. I also have been up and down the Border Agency website countless times and haven't seem to come to any solid conclusions, so I'm hoping some of you might have some clearer insight.
Here is my situation: I'm a 21 year old American citizen, daughter of a British father and American mother who were never married (this seems to be part of the problem). I am not some long lost daughter thinking she is entitled to citizenship simply because of my British background. My father, my 2 half-sisters, my grandmother, etc, are all British citizens, and none of them have ever lived in the states. My mother and all of her family are American citizens - my parents developed a romance while my dad was visiting the US during university, and though they dated for a few years, they were never married. I was born in the States, and have lived somewhat of a double life - travelling to the UK once or twice a year for lengthy family visits since my birth. Though my father comes to visit every few years, due to the higher costs of flying over my sisters, grandmother, aunts/uncles, etc., it comes down to me making the trip from the US in order to see this entire side of my family. After a family tragedy, my father attempted to secure my British citizenship so that travelling between and spending time with my sisters could be accomplished easier. However, as I was a minor at the time, he encountered difficulties related to the fact that my American mother was both willing and capable of caring for me in the states, and that they were never married (though I believe this issue regarding parental marriage may have changed in more recent years? It would have been around 2000/2001 that this was looked into).
As I have grown older, my desire to spend more time with my father's side of the family has grown - my sisters are reaching their teenage years and I feel it's my responsibility to have a more persistent presence in their life at this point. My family in the UK have been pushing me for the past year or so to seriously pursue the issue, so spending more extended periods of time there would be possible. My father is also pursuing a relatively big business endeavor within the next year or so that would benefit greatly from my presence and help. I'm thinking I might have to seek the assistance of an agency because of the particular circumstances at hand, but any information or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Just some other relevant information... I am financially stable, no criminal record, have stable residency in the UK (lived in the same house there since I was a child) and I am a university graduate currently enrolled in a Master's program.
Thanks!
