It is common for U.S. citizens to have children outside of the country. This may be particularly true for military members and other federal personnel stationed abroad. Usually, when these children are born, they are still considered as residing in the United States. However, New Jersey readers may be interested in recent immigration policy changes that may put an end to that automatic citizenship.
This recent change has many immigration attorneys and advocates confused and concerned over the repercussions this policy could have. Apparently, acquiring citizenship for children born or adopted abroad by military or federal personnel will now require additional paperwork rather than the children immediately obtaining a “residing in the United States” status. Though officials claim that these children will still have a path to citizenship, some immigration advocates feel that it will merely give the government a chance to deny that citizenship.
The rollout of this new policy was apparently not handled as intended, which may have contributed to the confusion. Officials claim that only 20 to 25 people a year would be affected by this policy change and that birthright citizenship would not be affected. Still, there are worries that the modification could negatively affect the rights of military members and their families.
It seems as if changes to immigration policies are happening every day. Because of this, it is not surprising that many people are confused about how the changes could affect them and their families. If individuals have concerns about having children abroad or adopting while living abroad, they may wish to consult with New Jersey attorneys about how this policy and others could affect the citizenship of their children.