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+--- Thread: US citizenship for babies born overseas to American moms: foreign zygotes need not apply (/showthread.php?tid=133781)
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Re: US citizenship for babies born overseas to American moms: foreign zygotes need not apply - Janit - 03-24-2012
Ombligo wrote:
I agree the law should be changed but I also wonder what allegience the child would have to the US if they are born, raised, and educated in another country? The US would be little more than a safe haven without paperwork. How is that truly (not legally) different than undocumented aliens who come here and quietly live their lives, pays taxes (using a false SSN) and break no other laws?
Nevertheless, it is the case that a child born abroad to American citizens is automatically an American citizen. The concerns you raise are addressed in the following generation. The language of the statutes is admittedly dense, but here is how it works;
A child of American citizens born outside of the US is a US citizen, but they can not pass that citizenship on to THEIR children unless they subsequently spend a minimum of five years living in the US, two of which must occur after the age of 14 years. This prevents the passage of citizenship by inheritance to lineages of people with no physical connection to the US.