Source: http://www.dillonsouthwest.org/citizenship.htm
Timestamp: 2013-05-23 21:11:54
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Dillon Southwest - Citizenship Information
You Child's Citizenship
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR CHILD'S CITIZENSHIP
We want to share important information with you regarding your child's citizenship. As you may recall, the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 went into effect in February of 2001. This bill automatically makes a child a US citizen at the time his/her adoption is finalized. At the time that this bill went into effect, no one realized that the child would still retain immigrant status with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The information contained here is important for all children who have been adopted since February of 2001. It is also important for all children who were adopted prior to 2001 if you have never filed for a Certificate of Citizenship with USCIS on behalf of your child.
This certificate is an important document for your child to have. It will also serve as proof of citizenship to Social Security and other governmental agencies. If your child was adopted from Korea, or if your child was adopted from another country and only one parent traveled to the country to complete the adoption, you must do this to ensure that your child is always looked upon as a citizen. USCIS will issue this proof of your child's citizenship through your citizenship. WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you file for a Certificate of Citizenship immediately.
If both parents traveled to a country other than Korea and adopted the child there, you should automatically receive this certificate in the mail. In order to file for a Certificate of Citizenship, you must file an N-600 with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. This must be accompanied by a variety of documents (send only COPIES) and a check for the amount stated on the form. Please check the USCIS website for the most current address to send your N-600 and supporting documents. You may need to appear for an interview after they have processed your form. Wait time for processing can be up to one year from the time of application.
FILLING OUT THE N-600 FOR CITIZENSHIP
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE N-600
Before filling out the N-600 collect the following documents:
Permanent Residence Card/Green Card
Passport (called Travel Certificate) from Korea
Final Adoption Decree from U.S.
Certified birth certificate (issued in U.S.)
If child was adopted from a country other than Korea, you will need the child's Final Adoption Decree from that country and the child's passport from that country.
You can download the N-600 form and instructions from www.uscis.gov.
Below are some details on specific parts of the form. Not all sections are listed below; but please fill out the form in its entirety. Type or print legibly in black ink in CAPITAL LETTERS.
Part 1: Information About You - (about minor child)
In the right hand box is a place for your child's "A number" - this is the number on your child's green card or Permanent Residence Card. Fill the 9 digit number in. If the A number has fewer than nine numbers, place enough zeros before the first number to make a total of nine numbers on the application. For example: A 12 345678 as A 012345678
Current legal name is the name of your child as stated on final decree of adoption
Name exactly as it appears on your Permanent Resident Card
Name of child in country before adoption was complete
U.S. Social Security Number if you have one, otherwise marked "N/A" or "NONE"
Child's date of birth Country of birth
Country of prior nationality
Height (give height in feet and inches)
Part 2: Information About Your Eligibility
You will check Box "C" - "I am a U.S. citizen parent applying for a Certificate of Citizenship on behalf of my minor (less than 18 years) ADOPTED child"
Part 3: Additional Information About You - (about minor child)
Complete information must be provided about the person seeking a Certificate of Citizenship.
Home address - Give the address where you live now. Do not put post office box address.
Only fill in if your mailing address is different than your home address.
Current marital status - refers to your child, check "single/never married"
Information about your child's entry into the United States and current immigration status -
5 A - I arrived in the following manner: Port of entry is the first airport your child arrived at in U.S. on entry into this country. Name used at time of entry will be the same name that is on child's passport.
5 B - I used the following travel document to enter: Check Passport then, give information from passport - sometimes called "Travel Certificate"
5 C - I entered as: An immigrant using an immigrant visa
5 D - Use Date of Arrival and Place of Entry in the U.S.
Information on adoption - provide information on the place and date of adoption. Date of legal custody is date of adoption in court. Date of physical custody began is the date of arrival in the U.S.
Re-adoption in the United States - For Korean children where only guardianship is granted before arrival in the U.S. and the adoption is finalized for the first time in the U.S.: Check "NO". Leave the rest blank and proceed to #9.
This is referring to the adoptive family, NOT the birth parents.
Does not need to be answered.
Part 4: Information About the U.S. Citizen Father (or Adoptive Father)
This section is asking for information about the child's U.S. citizen father.
Part 5: Information About the U.S. Adoptive Mother (or Adoptive Mother)
This section is asking for information about the child's U.S. citizen mother.
Part 6: Information About Military Service of U.S. Citizen Parent (self explanatory)
If you are under 18 years old and your U.S. citizen parent is filing the application on your behalf, your U.S. citizen parent must sign and date the application.
Part 8: Leave Blank
Part 9: Do not complete this part
Part 10: Do not complete this part
The following items need to accompany the N-600 form: ALL DOCUMENTS CAN BE COPIES OF CERTIFIED OR ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.
3 passport photographs taken within 30 days of the date of the application. They should be 2" x 2", and must be in natural color.
A birth certificate for the adoptive parent
A divorce decree (if applicable)
Proof of parents' residence in the US. This can be school or employment records, deeds, mortgages, or leases showing residence.
Please read over the instructions that come with the N-600 form for details on what needs to be included with your N-600 and specifics on the picture requirements. You can download those instructions at www.uscis.gov
If YOU WANT TO APPLY FOR A PASSPORT: For complete instructions on how to apply for a passport, go to: www.travel.state.gov/passport and click on "Minors under Age 16"
You will need the following form(s) which can be obtained online (hotlinks below).
Application for Passport DS-11
Application must be submitted in person with minor child present. If only one parent appears, you will also need Form DS-3053, Statement of Consent: Issuance of a Passport to a Minor Under Age 16, completed and signed by the other parent and it must be notarized! In addition to these forms, you will need the following:
Child's Resident Alien card
2 identical passport photos of the child - make sure the size of the child's face measures at least 1 1/8" to 1 1/4" from top of head to bottom of chin.
2 separate checks: We recommend you check with the appropriate authorities for the type of check they require, the correct fees and who to make the checks payable to.
Parental Identification i.e. Valid driver's license, military i.d. or U.S. passport
The clerk will send the original documents (birth certificate, adoption decree, resident alien card) with the application, however, they will be returned to you.
If the child needs a Social Security number right away for tax purposes, the parent should go to the Social Security office and apply for one. If the parent has not yet applied for the child's passport or Certificate of Citizenship, the child will still be listed as a resident alien. The parent will need to return to the Social Security office once he/she has a Certificate of Citizenship or passport for the child.
If the parent doesn't need a number right away, he/she should first get a Certificate of Citizenship or passport for the child and then bring it to the Social Security office. That way, the number will be issued and the status of the child will be listed as citizen without the need to make two trips to the Social Security office.
For an adoptee meeting the requirements for automatic citizenship whose parents have already obtained a social security number for him/her: Parent MUST go back to a Social Security office. Status will not be changed from resident alien to citizen automatically.
Parent MUST bring proof of citizenship. Either a Certificate of Citizenship or a U.S. passport is proof.
PLEASE NOTE: Your child does not need to have either a passport or Certificate of Citizenship to become a citizen. If your child was not already a citizen, he or she automatically became one on February 27, 2001, as long as he/she was under the age of eighteen. However, at this time, Social Security is requiring either a passport or Certificate of Citizenship as proof of citizenship. It is likely that it will become necessary at some other point to show proof of citizenship to someone. Therefore, Dillon Southwest strongly recommends that parents obtain a Certificate of Citizenship for their child. Many parents also choose to obtain a passport for their child.