Do I have dual citizenship? (American/Canadian)

[novembre]

I've always thought I had dual citizenship, having been born in Canada, emigrated to the US and obtained naturization papers years ago. But after reading today's posts on this subject, I'm not so sure.

 

I have applied for a US passport and expect to receive it well before my planned December cruise. But I wonder if I should also get a Canadian passport.

 

I don't expect to travel anywhere other than the Caribban, Bermuda maybe, and of course Canada.

 

What do you all think? Am I a "dual citizen"....and should I apply for a Canadian passport too?

Thanks for anyone's opinion or advice.

 

Nov

[SomeBeach]

Talking to my Canadian friend right now and she is a legal alien of the US with a permanet resident visa. Her understanding is that since you have become a naturalized citizen of US, a US passport is all you need.

If you did not claim duel citizenship at the time you were naturalized, you can't claim it now. Your papers should contain that info if you don't remember.

[G'ma]

I've always thought I had dual citizenship, having been born in Canada, emigrated to the US and obtained naturization papers years ago. But after reading today's posts on this subject, I'm not so sure.

 

I have applied for a US passport and expect to receive it well before my planned December cruise. But I wonder if I should also get a Canadian passport.

 

I don't expect to travel anywhere other than the Caribban, Bermuda maybe, and of course Canada.

 

What do you all think? Am I a "dual citizen"....and should I apply for a Canadian passport too?

Thanks for anyone's opinion or advice.

 

Nov

 

Here, from the United States Guide to Dual Citizenship:

 

US Dual Citizenship: The U.S. government allows dual citizenship. United States law recognizes U.S. Dual Citizenship, but the U.S. government does not encourage it is as a matter of policy due to the problems that may arise from it. It is important to understand that a foreign citizen does NOT lose his or her citizenship when becoming a U.S. citizen. An individual that becomes a U.S. citizen through naturalization may keep his or her original citizenship. However, as some countries do not recognize dual citizenship, it is important to consider it carefully before applying for U.S. citizenship.

 

Dual citizenship is a complex issue and it is important that you understand that there also obligations and not only benefits that comes with being a dual citizen. Being a citizen of two countries means that you need to obey the laws of both countries, including paying taxes and serving in the military (if required by any of the countries). The "United States Dual Citizenship Guide" explains these issues in detail.

 

Hope this helps!

[dforeigner]

I've always thought I had dual citizenship, having been born in Canada, emigrated to the US and obtained naturization papers years ago. But after reading today's posts on this subject, I'm not so sure.

 

I have applied for a US passport and expect to receive it well before my planned December cruise. But I wonder if I should also get a Canadian passport.

 

I don't expect to travel anywhere other than the Caribban, Bermuda maybe, and of course Canada.

 

What do you all think? Am I a "dual citizen"....and should I apply for a Canadian passport too?

Thanks for anyone's opinion or advice.

 

Nov

 

Did you resign your Canadian citizenship? Although it is my understanding that Canada will not honor your resignation.

[novembre]

Thank you all for the information.

 

No, I did not give up my Canadian citizenship. It was never an option during the naturalization process.

 

Nov

[DanJ]

We had a friend who was, or thought he was, or however it worked, that he was a dual citizen of Canada and the US. He lives in Canada, and he and his wife went on a cruise with us and another couple in the pre-911 days. We all sailed through immigration at Detroit airport with our Canadian passports, and because he wanted to show off his 2 passports in front of us, he was forever answering questions from the INS about the why's and wherefores of his dual citizenship.

 

I'm not offering any legal advice, as you need to find out for yourself, but don't get a second passport if you don't need it.

[tomc]

Or don't show it.

[DanJ]

Well, if he's not going to show it, no need to get it if it's not required. He didn't indicate he planned to travel where he might rather be Canadian again, so I wouldn't bother.

[notentirelynormal]

I've always thought I had dual citizenship, having been born in Canada, emigrated to the US and obtained naturization papers years ago. But after reading today's posts on this subject, I'm not so sure.

 

I have applied for a US passport and expect to receive it well before my planned December cruise. But I wonder if I should also get a Canadian passport.

 

I don't expect to travel anywhere other than the Caribban, Bermuda maybe, and of course Canada.

 

What do you all think? Am I a "dual citizen"....and should I apply for a Canadian passport too?

Thanks for anyone's opinion or advice.

 

Nov

 

If you have become an American citizen and you were born in Canada you are considered to be dual citizenship. You may legally have both a Canadian and an American passport. I do. Since I live in the US I only carry my US passport when traveling – and quite frankly getting a Canadian passport for 5 years and having to start at ground zero each time is a pain in the butt –so I only use my US passport. You do not have to claim one country or the other. Canada says once a Canadian, always a Canadian. The US says you are now an American.

[JanineM]

I'm a dual citizen and carry both passports. I only use my Canadian passport within Canada, but do keep it with me "just in case". I could be wrong, but figure it might be more helpful if I run into trouble in certain parts of the world - like in Commonwealth countries.

[NYCFOD]

It is likely that you do have Canadian citizenship, but the only way to tell for certain is to ask Immigration Canada. As other posters have said, the US government doesn't prohibit dual citizenship. The problem really arises with US Customs and Border Protection agents, some of whom are less informed about immigration law than they should be. I have read on the internet of people with two passports being held up at US border posts for hours. If you do get a Canadian passport, keep it in your pocket when entering the US. If the US immigration agents ask to see it, show it to them, otherwise don't.

 

Most other countries don't have an issue with this. I remember being behind someone when I was leaving Australia once, evidently he was an Australian/US dual natuional. He was showing the Australian Customs guy his Australian passport and a one way ticket to the US. The Australian Customs agent wasn't going to let him go through unless he could prove that he had the right to stay in the US, so he had to show his US passport.

 

So by all means get a Canadian passport, just be judicious about which customs officials to show it to.

[BobBeaSea]

Did you resign your Canadian citizenship? Although it is my understanding that Canada will not honor your resignation.

 

What!!! Someone better tell Conrad Black who indeed gave up his Canadian citizenship to become a British citizen, specifically Lord Black of Crossharbour. Something about wanting a peerage in the British House of Lords :). Also seemed to him being a Canadian citizen was "holding him back". Interestingly enough, he tried desperately to get his Canadian citizenship back (which can be done BTW, assuming you meet the criteria required) so as to do his "time" in a Canadian facility (as per agreements with the U.S. Government concerning the possibility of Canadians convicted in the U.S. of certain offences serving their sentence at home in Canada).

 

To give up your Canadian citizenship you need to file an Application of Renunciation.

[novembre]

A big thanks to all of you who responded with helpful info on this.

 

I do believe that I am indeed a citizen of both the US and Canada, and that gives me dual citizenship.

 

But....on this upcoming cruise I'm not going to say a word about Canada, and just hand over my US passport.

 

Again, I appreciate everyone's input, and advice.

 

Happy cruising to y'all...

 

Nov

[Steggall]

What!!! Someone better tell Conrad Black who indeed gave up his Canadian citizenship to become a British citizen, specifically Lord Black of Crossharbour. Something about wanting a peerage in the British House of Lords :). Also seemed to him being a Canadian citizen was "holding him back". Interestingly enough, he tried desperately to get his Canadian citizenship back (which can be done BTW, assuming you meet the criteria required) so as to do his "time" in a Canadian facility (as per agreements with the U.S. Government concerning the possibility of Canadians convicted in the U.S. of certain offences serving their sentence at home in Canada).

 

To give up your Canadian citizenship you need to file an Application of Renunciation.

 

Conrad Black is in a different situation. He did apply to the Canadian government to give up his Canadian citizenship. The reason being is that Canadian government has a policy called the Nickel Resolution, that prohibits Canadians from being granted British titles. Britain's government wanted to confer a peerage upon Black, and because Queen Elizabeth II is also the queen of Canada as well as of the UK, she would be prevented from granting Black the title if her Canadian ministers advised against it.

 

Well the Canadian Prime Minister did not like Black and chose to invoke the Nickel Resolution indicating that he would advise against giving Black the title. So, Black became a British Citizen. Still, Canada objected, so finally, Black applied to give up his Canadian citizenship so that he could eliminate any objection that Canada could make. With his Canadian citizenship gone, Britain was able to confer the peerage upon Black.

[sultan_sfo]

The US Passport shows Place of Birth. So it is obvious to any US Immigration that a Canadian Place of Birth entitles the holder to a dual citizenship.

[Gathina]

I would be on the safe side and ASK the canadian consultate or US consulate here.

 

I've always thought I had dual citizenship, having been born in Canada, emigrated to the US and obtained naturization papers years ago. But after reading today's posts on this subject, I'm not so sure.

 

I have applied for a US passport and expect to receive it well before my planned December cruise. But I wonder if I should also get a Canadian passport.

 

I don't expect to travel anywhere other than the Caribban, Bermuda maybe, and of course Canada.

 

What do you all think? Am I a "dual citizen"....and should I apply for a Canadian passport too?

Thanks for anyone's opinion or advice.

 

Nov

[fann1sh]

The law changed in 1977. If you were naturalized before that, you only have U.S. citizenship.

 

Peter Jenning got some pressure in 1976 to become a U.S. citizen as part of the Bicentennial celebrations. He waited until well after that change (2003) and retained dual citizenship until his death.

[BobBeaSea]

Conrad Black is in a different situation. He did apply to the Canadian government to give up his Canadian citizenship. The reason being is that Canadian government has a policy called the Nickel Resolution, that prohibits Canadians from being granted British titles. Britain's government wanted to confer a peerage upon Black, and because Queen Elizabeth II is also the queen of Canada as well as of the UK, she would be prevented from granting Black the title if her Canadian ministers advised against it.

 

Well the Canadian Prime Minister did not like Black and chose to invoke the Nickel Resolution indicating that he would advise against giving Black the title. So, Black became a British Citizen. Still, Canada objected, so finally, Black applied to give up his Canadian citizenship so that he could eliminate any objection that Canada could make. With his Canadian citizenship gone, Britain was able to confer the peerage upon Black.

 

Yes, I knew the whole story and you are right, Conrad Black would not be on Jean Chretien's XMAS card list :D. Great Britain does honour Canada's decisions so, for good old Conrad, it was bye-bye citizenship. Too bad though, if he was Canadian, he would be doing his time in a minimum security facility rather than a medium security prison.

[skf]

From other posts & research it seems one should not claim dual citizenship when entering China. If a dual USA/Canadian (or any other combo) enters China on a Canadian passport and gets in legal trouble he will not be permitted to seek help from the US Consulate.

Steve