Taking my Brit born child to the US

Yes you have to go to London in person with the child.

Good to know, since it is pretty likely we'll have another when we get there!

Scott is an immigration officer in the US.  He is one of the guys who stamps you in at passport control.  He is not the person working at the processing center where applications for US passports or citizenship are sent.  So what he knows may be different than what those people know.  But I can tell you, that when we at BA have questions about whether or not someone has the proper visa to enter or transit a country, guess who we call?  The passport control immigration officers.  We have a huge list of them for various airports around the world and not a day goes by that at least one of us at my station has to consult them on something or other. 

So if the original poster's concern is whether or not she can take her son on a British passport to the US - a passport control immigration officer in the US has said this is not a problem and they are not concerned as long as he is only entering as a tourist.  Whether or not this will cause problems in the future about the OP's son's status as an American, the answer is that it will not - as this question has already been answered in the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Take his advice with a grain of salt if you wish.  But at least you've heard his point of view.

Brigette

How would they know if your son is eligible to be a US citizen if he went through the line for foreign nationals by himself?  I guess 6 is a little young for that, but if you have a child travelling alone, how does that work?  I know they usually have someone on the plane itself look after them but do they go to immigration with them, too?

How would they know if your son is eligible to be a US citizen if he went through the line for foreign nationals by himself?  I guess 6 is a little young for that, but if you have a child travelling alone, how does that work?  I know they usually have someone on the plane itself look after them but do they go to immigration with them, too?

I don't know. I don't let my sons travel alone. But when they travel with me I'm on my US passport so they would have to present their US passport also.

Sorry, I didn't read the other thread on this topic before I replied...I didn't realize how heated things got!  My comment was just an idle thought, I hope it didn't come across as snarky.

It's just something I wonder about, generally--every time I've been through immigration, in every country I've been to, they are always so busy that the immigration officers hardly give me a second look as long as I answer all the questions.  The same question came up for me when I was just married--we went to France for a week, and DH was worried that I'd have trouble getting back in to the UK because my visa was still a student visa.  But, how would the guys at the immigration desk know that I was now married to a UK national?  Nothing in my travel documents had changed.

I don't know. I don't let my sons travel alone. But when they travel with me I'm on my US passport so they would have to present their US passport also.

Can you keep us posted on what you decide to do and how it turns out?  I am contemplating doing the same thing later on this year... (only because my boys' father is refusing to do any paperwork to authorise their US passports being renewed...)

Can you keep us posted on what you decide to do and how it turns out?  I am contemplating doing the same thing later on this year... (only because my boys' father is refusing to do any paperwork to authorise their US passports being renewed...)

Well the beast wants to see them this summer but I told him I'm not schlepping back and forth this year. It's in our divorce papers that the children (any age) must be accompanied by an adult. I'll stick to this until the kids turn 18. Mostly out of inconvenience for him. 

Sorry to hear you're having a hard time getting your boys' father to sign for their passports. You know I've been there! I actually had to get a court order to get him to sign!  Are their US passports already expired? Does he have summer visitation rights that he regularly exercises? My ex does and he had me held in contempt of court because I couldn't bring them back simply because they didn't have valid passports and he had no intention of signing for them. The contempt charge was dropped of course but it did mean I had to go to friggin' Iowa to sort everything out. I got a letter from the US dept of state stating he was contacted but the passport office but he refused to sign. I'm hoping this document will help me get the boys' British Nationality without their fathers approval.

Here's some slightly new information on the subject.  My 18 year old was at the embassy the other day to get her passport and was told that the airlines are now cracking down on this (children entitled to US passports travelling into the US) and are actually not letting people fly but sending them to the embassy instead.  I guess it's a big headache.  So anyone thinking of flying to the US with kids on British passports should probably rethink this and get their ducks in a row.

my husband refuses to give our child dual citizenship as well. For a few reasons. The main one is if anything were to happen to us, we want her to remain in the UK with his family and not have any of my family get custody of her (long story..sooo not getting into it) .. also because he is proud of being English and doesnt want the US having any say in her life. We have agreed that once she becomes 18, we will support her in any decision she makes in the matter

Potential citizenship and what passport(s) she has probably won't matter when it comes to who might get custody of your child. 

If you die leaving no instructions, then social services takes charge.  Very unlikely that social services and courts here would give the child up to the US relatives if UK relatives were claiming her.  Most likely she'd end up with relatives here because courts anywhere hate to give up anything they have control over.  But, once social services are involved, they may always be looking over the UK relatives shoulder. 

You are probably assuming that family here would simply 'take her in' without social services ever being involved.  That could work out, except it leaves them 'exposed' to potential legal challenges from US relatives because UK relatives can't prove, legally, that you want them to have her. Though again, potentially, if anyone tries to go to court, the system will probably try to preserve the situation the child is in (again, during all that process, she may become a ward of the system.) Even if casually taking her in works out, should something happen to them, worst case scenario of her ending up in foster care could come into play. 

Long story short: make a will, name a guardian.  Even without citizenship questions, there's too many issues and opportunities for various government agencies to get involved with an orphan and the easiest way around that is by laying out your wishes in advance.   

If the thought of a will, or worry over potential costs keep you from dealing with the issue, at the very least, make sure several family members know your wishes.  PUT IT IN WRITING, so they have something to take to court if needed.

yep and I dont have to make my daughter a USC for her to have an american part in her. She half american and I'll support her in any decision she wants to take in becoming a dual but I refuse to make the decision for her

well, be sure to discuss with her in plenty of time to start the process to register her birth before she's 18, otherwise, you have made the decision for her.  Maybe she can sweet talk her dad into signing at that point. By registering the birth, your opening options, by not, your closing options.

How would they know if your son is eligible to be a US citizen if he went through the line for foreign nationals by himself?  I guess 6 is a little young for that, but if you have a child travelling alone, how does that work?  I know they usually have someone on the plane itself look after them but do they go to immigration with them, too?

they dont.  its a 'later' thing.

later, when he might want to live in us for his own reasons.  school, work, love & marriage. what we, as parents, do now affects the ease of their potential decisions later.

Good to know, since it is pretty likely we'll have another when we get there!

for goodness sake, get that paperwork done too!   


And just so you know:

-there is a flight of stairs outside and another inside but neither ramp nor elevator to get to the room you are going to in the embassy!  ironically, one of the teller style windows has a rampt built up to it for wheelchair users, though how anyone with a wheelchair would get that far I don't know.

-if you need the restroom, that's back down the stairs in the basement.  So, if both parents can possibly go, it will make life easier, especially if you are taking two children.   

-when you are approaching the embassy, don't fail to notice there is a seperate line for citizens.  The non-citizens line was so much further past the sign telling us this that we didn't notice. all that space along the fence was the empty line for citizens, we could have breezed right in.  (though the other line only took about  10 minutes.)