1. A natural born citizen is a person born in the United States of America, consisting of any of the 50 States plus Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. John, & St. Croix), and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands since 11/04/1986.
2. A foreign born person and Legal Resident of the U.S. who meets the requirements to request naturalization (submits a NS-600 form) and is granted a Naturalization Certificate from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) or presently the BCIS.
3. A foreign born child who meets the requirements stated under the "Child Citizenship Act of 2000" (More information later).
4. An Adopted child by at least one U.S. Citizen Parent, who meets the requirements for derived citizenship (Topic covered later ).
5. A foreign born child whose parents are both U.S. Citizens at the time of the child's birth.
6. A child born of one U.S. citizen parent and a foreign citizen parent may have a claim to derived U.S. citizenship. (Topic Covered later).
7. Foundlings Section 201(f) of the Nationality Act of 1940 provided that a child of unknown parents found in the United States; until it is discovered that the child wasn't born in the United States, shall be regarded as a citizen of the U.S. at birth. Further, Section 301(a)(6) of The Immigration and Nationality Act, provides that a person of unknown parentage found in the United States while under the age of five (5) years; until shown ( prior to age 21) not to have been born in the United States, shall be regarded as a citizen of the United States at birth.
Exceptions:
The U.S. Constitution's 14 th amendment states that all persons born in the U.S. and subject to its jurisdiction are U.S. Citizens. Therefore those born in the U.S. that are NOT subject to U.S. jurisdiction are not U.S. citizens. Some examples are:
1. Children of foreign heads of state.
2. Foreign Diplomats.
3. Members of an occupation Army.
4. Persons born in a foreign warship while in U.S. territorial waters.
U.S. Nationals
A U.S. National is:
A person who owes his alliance to the United States of America .
A citizen U.S. National is afforded all protection and privileges of citizenship.
A non-citizen National owes alliance to the U.S. and is granted Government protection, but does not enjoy the full privileges of citizenship granted by the U.S. Constitution.
Persons born in American Samoa and The Swain Island are U.S. Nationals but are not U.S. citizens unless they can claim citizenship through parents.
U.S. Nationals (non-citizens) can obtain a U.S. Passport. How?
With an endorsement specifying that they are U.S Nationals and not US Citizens.
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Very interesting article, Jose. I would have to admit that I know very little about what it takes to become a U.S. citizen--and I am one. I guess a person should be ashamed to admit that they know so little about their country's citizenship requirements. Thanks for sharing.
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