Natural-Born Citizen Act

Posted on July 5, 2008 by Pam Connell

Yesterday’s blog talked about our children’s citizenship. While our internationally adopted children now are considered citizens from the time the adoption is finalized and they have entered the U.S., they are not considered “natural-born citizens”. This means that they can never become President or Vice President of the United States. Granted, the chances of becoming President are not great and it is unlikely this will have a significant impact on their career decisions. If government is their calling, there are many positions in which they can serve. Nevertheless, “You could be President someday” is a common way of encouraging children, … Continue reading →

Ensuring Our Children’s Proof of Citizenship, and, A Little Ceremony Could Have Been a Good Thing

Posted on July 4, 2008 by Pam Connell

The Child Citizenship act of 2000 provides that children adopted by U.S. citizens automatically achieve citizenship, either when they enter the U.S. if the adoption was finalized in a foreign court, or when the adoption is finalized if there is a waiting period before the adoption is finalized in U.S. court. NOTE: Although under this relatively recent act, children are automatically citizens, it is still advisable to get a Certificate of Citizenship . Children who enter the U.S. on an IR-3 visa are now supposed to be sent one automatically upon entering the U.S. , but if you adopted before … Continue reading →

Mommy, Can I Be the President Some Day?

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Pam Connell

I remember wondering what I’d say if my daughter asked me whether she could become the President of the United States when she grew up. I hoped she wouldn’t. It’s not really that important, of course. Who in their right mind would want to be President, with all the criticism, loss of privacy, danger of being assassinated, responsibility for so many lives? Well, okay, I used to want to be. It just seemed like the fastest way to save the world, like I wanted to when I was an idealistic teenager. But I soon realized that I didn’t have the … Continue reading →

Celebrities Go Global

Posted on January 30, 2008 by Michele Cheplic

Talk show host Craig Ferguson knows how to get laughs the world over, but now the Scottish-born comedian says he wants to concentrate on making American audiences chuckle and he has just the plan to do so. Never mind that the guy already has a nightly late night TV talk show, the “Late Late Show” host says he wants to show his commitment to American audiences by becoming an official U.S. citizen. Ferguson recently announced that he got a perfect score on his citizenship test, taken late last week in Los Angeles. According to the late night chatter, he will … Continue reading →

My Country

Posted on January 25, 2008 by Dale Harcombe

Today, January 26th as it is already in our part of the world under the Southern Cross, is Australia Day. Our branch of the Sing Australia choir sang at Australia Day celebrations at Sussex Inlet. One the whole Aussies are a laid-back bunch and not given to huge displays of patriotism unless it’s Davis Cup or some other sporting event, although across the road in our neighbor’s yard is an Australian flag which flies all year round. Others only take to sporting a flag on this special day. But this is Australia Day, more than just a public holiday, it … Continue reading →

“To Secure the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves and Our Posterity”

Posted on July 4, 2007 by Pam Connell

Most parents would assume that once a child is legally theirs, their citizenship extends to that child. After all, plenty of parents serving abroad in the military or on business give birth overseas and their children are citizens. We have always been told that having one parent who is a U.S. citizen automatically makes a child a U.S. citizen. Except, adopted children haven’t always had this protection. Until recently, children adopted from other countries had to go through a separate naturalization process (forms, filing fees, sometimes court appearance). There have been cases in which adoptive parents assumed that their citizenship … Continue reading →

Citizenship Fun

Posted on June 19, 2006 by Heather Long

We’re coming up on the 4th of July and there’s a lot of celebrations that we’ll be attending including the most popular one related to the 4th of July and that would be the fireworks! Here are some great activities to not only get your kids into the spirit of things, but also to help you not only get into the spirit of it, but also to teach your kids about being citizens themselves. You’ll need: Construction Paper (Red and Blue) Poster Board Glue Stick Scissors Star Stickers Multi-Colored Markers Set your kids up with the poster board and the … Continue reading →