She Did It....

[glassdude007]

hi all my thai wife of 15 years passed her usa citizenship test today (boston) hip-hip horay...

all she has to do now is attend the oath ceremony on jan 27th 2006 and she will be a naturalized usa citizen..

so does this mean when we go to thailand she has to get a visa same as me??

i think so..she still has thai passport will they let her have dual citizenship??

any how its been a great day for our family as its been a long hard (rad tape) road..

best regards ..glassdude007

[SiamOne]

    hi all my thai wife of 15 years passed her usa citizenship test today (boston) hip-hip horay...

all she has to do now is attend the oath ceremony on jan 27th 2006 and she will be a naturalized usa citizen..

so does this mean when we go to thailand she has to get a visa same as me??

i think so..she still has thai passport will they let her have dual citizenship??

any how its been a great day for our family as its been a long hard (rad tape) road..

best regards ..glassdude007

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Congratulations, all that bureaucracy stuff does take it out of you!!

as to the passport thing, well, it is really up to you. I am not sure if she has to declare that she has the passport and wishes to continue using it in US.

Make sure of the regulations as you don't want to risk losing anything gained!!

[OZONE]

Congratulation! Its always nice to hear good news

Hmm. curious myself about the dual citizenship. I'm not sure if Thailand allow dual citizensgip. I will ask mrs ozone and see. If anyone else knows please let us all know.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Both Thailand and the United States permit duality of nationality, and there certainly is no risk to either citizenship from either government as the laws stand now..

[tallthai]

Congratulations!!! My wife just had a very different experience with the US. We, after living, working, paying taxes and social security in the States for 20 years decided to accept a proposal to work in Malaysia for three years after which we would return to Thailand to live, hopefully permanently. Well, everything went well with her returning to the US each year to visit the family and keep her green card current. Last January she went back as scheduled and was pulled out and interviewed by immigration. Well the upshot of the story was, they confiscated her green card saying since she no longer resided in the US, she didn't deserve the green card any more. How can this happen? She paid into social security and I guess has lost all claims to it in a few years when she becomes eligible. This has really soured me and I do not believe I will ever return to the country which has treated my wife as a criminal while letting illegals have the run of the country.

Bob

[thaihome]

Congratulations!!!  My wife just had a very different experience with the US.  We, after living, working, paying taxes and social security in the States for 20 years decided to accept a proposal to work in Malaysia for three years after which we would return to Thailand to live, hopefully permanently.  Well, everything went well with her returning to the US each year to visit the family and keep her green card current.  Last January she went back as scheduled and was pulled out and interviewed by immigration.  Well the upshot of the story was, they confiscated her green card saying since she no longer resided in the US, she didn't deserve the green card any more.  How can this happen?  She paid into social security and I guess has lost all claims to it in a few years when she becomes eligible.  This has really soured me and I do not believe I will ever return to the country which has treated my wife as a criminal while letting illegals have the run of the country.

Bob

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I know several people working overseas whose wives hold green cards. They are all very careful to make sure the requisite amount of time is spent in the US in order to maintain the green card. This is the first instance I have heard where it got pulled on entry. I would contact an immigration layer and discuss with him. I do know that certain exceptions are in place for dependents of US citizens working overseas for US companies.

TH

[corkscrew]

Congratulations!!!  My wife just had a very different experience with the US.  We, after living, working, paying taxes and social security in the States for 20 years decided to accept a proposal to work in Malaysia for three years after which we would return to Thailand to live, hopefully permanently.  Well, everything went well with her returning to the US each year to visit the family and keep her green card current.  Last January she went back as scheduled and was pulled out and interviewed by immigration.  Well the upshot of the story was, they confiscated her green card saying since she no longer resided in the US, she didn't deserve the green card any more.  How can this happen?  She paid into social security and I guess has lost all claims to it in a few years when she becomes eligible.  This has really soured me and I do not believe I will ever return to the country which has treated my wife as a criminal while letting illegals have the run of the country.

Bob

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As long as she went back each year and stayed for a certain amount of time I thought she was entitled to keep her Green Card. I don't recall if she has to stay for what % of the time in the US each year. I know that to convert the Green Card into US citizenship she has to spend 50+% in the US.

[corkscrew]

    hi all my thai wife of 15 years passed her usa citizenship test today (boston) hip-hip horay...

all she has to do now is attend the oath ceremony on jan 27th 2006 and she will be a naturalized usa citizen..

so does this mean when we go to thailand she has to get a visa same as me??

i think so..she still has thai passport will they let her have dual citizenship??

any how its been a great day for our family as its been a long hard (rad tape) road..

best regards ..glassdude007

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dr. Pat Pong is right. The US recognizes dual citizenship and Thailand does not prohibit it. So she can come and go both places without a visa.

[lopburi3]

    hi all my thai wife of 15 years passed her usa citizenship test today (boston) hip-hip horay...

all she has to do now is attend the oath ceremony on jan 27th 2006 and she will be a naturalized usa citizen..

so does this mean when we go to thailand she has to get a visa same as me??

i think so..she still has thai passport will they let her have dual citizenship??

any how its been a great day for our family as its been a long hard (rad tape) road..

best regards ..glassdude007

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dr. Pat Pong is right. The US recognizes dual citizenship and Thailand does not prohibit it. So she can come and go both places without a visa.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Above is the current situation and keep in mind that the US requires her US passport be used for entry/exit from the US. She can use her Thai passport at the Thai end (flash the US Passport to airline staff when leaving). If she uses her US passport at the Thai end she will be subject to visa rules but can easily obtain a one year extension of stay from immigration.

[TRIPxCORE]

My wife just had a very different experience with the US.  Last January she went back as scheduled and was pulled out and interviewed by immigration.  Well the upshot of the story was, they confiscated her green card saying since she no longer resided in the US, she didn't deserve the green card any more.  How can this happen?  She paid into social security and I guess has lost all claims to it in a few years when she becomes eligible.  This has really soured me and I do not believe I will ever return to the country which has treated my wife as a criminal while letting illegals have the run of the country.

Bob

Bob, you are not alone in your feelings towards our good old USA. The U.S. Immigration policies and the people running the INS (now USCIS) are completely inept. One of the things that really pis**s me off is how I brought my wife to the USA legally, did all their worthless paperwork, paid all that money, and waited forever to get things done. What do I get for doing it the "legal" way? More running around, more stringent rules, more money and if I fail to complete any of these steps, she could be penalized for it and possibly deported. Then the icing on the cake is how our government wanted to grant immunity to the Mexican people that came to the USA illegally. The government wanted to give them automatic green cards and integrate them into society immediately without having to do any of the things my wife and I had to go through. Why do things legally then if they are just going to let you skate on easy street by doing it illegally?

I know that to convert the Green Card into US citizenship she has to spend 50+% in the US.

I am confused by what you implied here. To convert the Green Card and get US citizenship, the person has to spend 50% or more in the US? When one becomes a citizen of the US, you can come and go as you please. If you leave for 20 years and just decide to go back one day, they cannot keep you out.

Above is the current situation and keep in mind that the US requires her US passport be used for entry/exit from the US.  She can use her Thai passport at the Thai end (flash the US Passport to airline staff when leaving).  If she uses her US passport at the Thai end she will be subject to visa rules but can easily obtain a one year extension of stay from immigration.

Mr. Lopburi is correct. My wife passed her US Citizenship test a month ago and has her swearing-in ceremony on December 2nd. She fully plans on keeping both passports and both citizenships. There is nary a problem unless you get some naive person at an airport that tells you different but they would just be flat-out wrong. You can keep both. Congrats!

[tallthai]

I've looked at the arrest (yes, technically she was arrested and then let go on her own rocognizance (sic?)) record. The reason given was that since she was not 'residing' in the US, she didn't qualify for the card. We sold our house and no longer even have a bank account in the US. Could this be the reason or did we just get a dumby immigration officer. The wife said the officer spoke very accented English not even as good as hers. After 4 hours she just threw her hands up and said let me out of here. She then went along for her visit and left the states one month later on schedule. If we ever decided to go back (last resort) I could probably go to the Embassy and get her a visa very easily. If not, the hel_l I would raise would be heard from a considerable distance.

Bob

[dr_Pat_Pong]

My wife just had a very different experience with the US.   Last January she went back as scheduled and was pulled out and interviewed by immigration.  Well the upshot of the story was, they confiscated her green card saying since she no longer resided in the US, she didn't deserve the green card any more.  How can this happen?  She paid into social security and I guess has lost all claims to it in a few years when she becomes eligible.  This has really soured me and I do not believe I will ever return to the country which has treated my wife as a criminal while letting illegals have the run of the country.

Bob

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bob, you are not alone in your feelings towards our good old USA. The U.S. Immigration policies and the people running the INS (now USCIS) are completely inept. One of the things that really pis**s me off is how I brought my wife to the USA legally, did all their worthless paperwork, paid all that money, and waited forever to get things done. What do I get for doing it the "legal" way? More running around, more stringent rules, more money and if I fail to complete any of these steps, she could be penalized for it and possibly deported. Then the icing on the cake is how our government wanted to grant immunity to the Mexican people that came to the USA illegally. The government wanted to give them automatic green cards and integrate them into society immediately without having to do any of the things my wife and I had to go through. Why do things legally then if they are just going to let you skate on easy street by doing it illegally?

I know that to convert the Green Card into US citizenship she has to spend 50+% in the US.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am confused by what you implied here. To convert the Green Card and get US citizenship, the person has to spend 50% or more in the US? When one becomes a citizen of the US, you can come and go as you please. If you leave for 20 years and just decide to go back one day, they cannot keep you out.

Above is the current situation and keep in mind that the US requires her US passport be used for entry/exit from the US.  She can use her Thai passport at the Thai end (flash the US Passport to airline staff when leaving).  If she uses her US passport at the Thai end she will be subject to visa rules but can easily obtain a one year extension of stay from immigration.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mr. Lopburi is correct. My wife passed her US Citizenship test a month ago and has her swearing-in ceremony on December 2nd. She fully plans on keeping both passports and both citizenships. There is nary a problem unless you get some naive person at an airport that tells you different but they would just be flat-out wrong. You can keep both. Congrats!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ignore the fool at the airport, but be sensible in trying to use both passports.

[glassdude007]

just an update we have not been back too Thailand yet but...

when she took the USA citizenship oath part of it was.. she had to renounce all past country's,Commonwealths and kingdoms allegiants and swear too it, i purposely asked the big wig at the ceremony about the dual citizenship and he quoted that part of the oath and said she is a naturalized American citizen now and AMERICA does not recognize dual citizenship for its citizens..maybe the Thais do but America does not so in the future when we travel to Thailand she will have visa in her passport same as me just too be on the safe side...

[corkscrew]

just an update we have not been back too Thailand yet but...

when she took the USA citizenship oath part of it was.. she had to renounce all past country's,Commonwealths and kingdoms allegiants and swear too it, i purposely asked the big wig at the ceremony about the dual citizenship and he quoted that part of the oath and said she is a naturalized American citizen now and AMERICA does not recognize dual citizenship for its citizens..maybe the Thais do but America does not so in the future when we travel to Thailand she will have visa in her passport same as me just too be on the safe side...

I am amazed. I thought that the US recognized dual citizenship. I certainly do NOT want my wife to give up her Thai citizenship if she ALSO gets US citizenship. Now she has a Green Card. Of course, we want to spend most of our time in Bangkok.

[Maizefarmer]

My other half got her USA passport in the 90's - at which time there were a lot less hurdles to complete.

It what no easy matter then - its even tougher now.

All I can say is congrats - wish you both the very best.

Just to put the whole matter of dual nationality straight - insofar as the Thai authorities view it.

There is a common misconception that Thai's (in particular women) cannot hold dual nationality.

This was the case way back whenever, but it is no longer the case - Thai citizens are permitted by the Thai authorities to hold dual nationality.

They are however obliged to report it i.e. the question is asked on Thai passport application forms, but many Thai's simply don't aginst the understanding that it is not permitted. It is permitted.

I can't speak for all countries but know for a fact that in the case of the USA and the UK, there is no restriction - as far as those countries are concerned, and suspect that is the case in respect of all EU member countries.

I am told that the USA authorities, on their own initiative formally notify the Thai authorities when they issue dual nationality to a Thai citizen (?)

[Woodaaa]

Hi

Very interesting thread. (to me anyway)

I am currently contemplating my decision on weather to take up the green card i some how managed to win on the DVlottery (which i incouraged my thai friends to enter but they never botherd seem to prefer europe).

Firstly it is expensive enough to go through the interview process and full medical approx $1,000

Secondly i am worried about losing it. Back in the day they didnt care about the whole not being in the country thing but now i think they are strict. I have been trying to get some accurate info on what the enforcement levels are like but dont seem to be able to find it. I also hear they have decreased the amount of time one can be out of the US to 6 months not sure? (not very long especially since my plans have changed since applying for the lotto and dont think i will be there full time for a nother few years now but i dont want to lose this chance as its less than a 1% chance of winning the lotto. Flying back and forth every 6 months would be very expensive.

My plan was to go there first fill out all paper work (make myself known to the draft authorities fun!!! (especially if they decide to attack Iran) legal requirement if you are under 25) get them to mail the card to the address of a friend over there, open up bank account and get a driving licience so i have some links wih the country and then travel back in once a year/18 months untill i moved there more permamently but i am unsure if this will work now.

i have to spend 5 years there to become a citizen not sure if i want to do that but maybe best in the long run. You have to renounce your country (bit harsh why cant you just pledge loyalty to US first instead of renouncing your country of birth you dont have to do that in most other countries) but luckily my country still loves me and will afford me and any kids/wife/mother of my kids duel citizenship could come in very handy for the free third level education i have enjoyed here!!

anyway i say there is alot of experiance on this board with green card regulations and how far rules can be beant any experiances would be great in helping me come to my decision on weather its worth it or not.

[GracelessFawn]

I think, dual citizenship is allowed, but not dual allegiance!

[barryofthailand]

Dual citizenship is allowed. You can keep your Thai passport and ID card. the best thing to do is to renew your ID card when it expires at a Thai consulate in the U.S.

Barry

[Sing_Sling]

Woodaa:

You have to renounce your country (bit harsh why cant you just pledge loyalty to US first instead of renouncing your country of birth you dont have to do that in most other countries

I believe you will find that most countries are like that and pledging allegiance to the US would be ridiculous if it were to say:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, followed by Thailand and Paraguay, possibly in rhe future the flag of Botswana, depending on their immigration policy -I also reserve the right to pledge allegiance to the flags of all ASEAN nations as I need visa-free travel there.

I swear.

[Little_Buddy]

Hi

Very interesting thread. (to me anyway)

I am currently contemplating my decision on weather to take up the green card i some how managed to win on the DVlottery (which i incouraged my thai friends to enter but they never botherd seem to prefer europe).

Firstly it is expensive enough to go through the interview process and full medical approx $1,000

Secondly i am worried about losing it. Back in the day they didnt care about the whole not being in the country thing but now i think they are strict. I have been trying to get some accurate info on what the enforcement levels are like but dont seem to be able to find it. I also hear they have decreased the amount of time one can be out of the US to 6 months not sure? (not very long especially since my plans have changed since applying for the lotto and dont think i will be there full time for a nother few years now but i dont want to lose this chance as its less than a 1% chance of winning the lotto. Flying back and forth every 6 months would be very expensive.

My plan was to go there first fill out all paper work (make myself known to the draft authorities fun!!! (especially if they decide to attack Iran) legal requirement if you are under 25) get them to mail the card to the address of a friend over there, open up bank account and get a driving licience so i have some links wih the country and then travel back in once a year/18 months untill i moved there more permamently but i am unsure if this will work now.

i have to spend 5 years there to become a citizen not sure if i want to do that but maybe best in the long run. You have to renounce your country (bit harsh why cant you just pledge loyalty to US first instead of renouncing your country of birth you dont have to do that in most other countries) but luckily my country still loves me and will afford me and any kids/wife/mother of my kids duel citizenship could come in very handy for the free third level education i have enjoyed here!!

anyway i say there is alot of experiance on this board with green card regulations and how far rules can be beant any experiances would be great in helping me come to my decision on weather its worth it or not.

Just curious - what is your nationality?

Also why do your Thai friends prefer Europe? And which countries do they prefer?

[Little_Buddy]

Lots of dual-citizenship info here:

map of dual citizenship

[Scott]

The US recognizes dual citizenship. This is particularly true of persons who are citizens of another country because of birth. It can get dodgy if you become a naturalized citizen of a second country--in some instances the US may chose to cancel your citizenship. Also remember an oath of allegiance doesn't necessarily result in a denial of all other things.

[Little_Buddy]

The US recognizes dual citizenship. This is particularly true of persons who are citizens of another country because of birth. It can get dodgy if you become a naturalized citizen of a second country--in some instances the US may chose to cancel your citizenship.

Really? In what instances might the US cancel your citizenship?

I thought it was now just about impossible to lose your US citizenship unless you have another citizenship and go to a US embassy and officially renounce your US citizenship.

Do you have any examples of people who've had their US citizenship revoked, and the reasons why?

[The Professor]

Wow, old thread we got here

[Woodaaa]

Just curious - what is your nationality?

Also why do your Thai friends prefer Europe? And which countries do they prefer?

Im Irish

I think they have just met more europeans, know there are more safety nets if they get into trouble in Europe and that wages for menial low end labour are higher. But of course they still have an idealised view of the place being the land of milk and honey untill they actually get there and realise work is work and you work ###### hard in the west to enjoy the type of lifestyle they have lived and are used to in thailand always eating out etc..

Sing sling im not sure that most countries actually make you renounce your country of birth in a oath. most just make you say you will obay the laws be a good citizen pay tax and the rest. I have no problem with people jumping from country to country as long as it is all done legally.

Anyway do they really think that saying a few words when you are forced to will make the average philipino or whatever have more loyalty to america than the philipines. people will be loyal when they think what they are doing is right.

[Sing_Sling]

Sing sling im not sure that most countries actually make you renounce your country of birth in a oath. most just make you say you will obay the laws be a good citizen pay tax and the rest. I have no problem with people jumping from country to country as long as it is all done legally.

I don't think that many will ask you to formally renounce your country of citizenship as an oath, you're probably right there - actually I don't think many expect you to recite an oath.

I agree that people should be allowed to skip, hop and jump as long as the reason is not to take advantage of the social systems in place.

[glassdude007]

some good info here ....

check out the oath of allegiance section....

http://www.4immigrationservices.com/citizen.htm

Oath of Allegiance To become a citizen, one must take the oath of allegiance. By doing so, an applicant swears to: support the Constitution and obey the laws of the U.S.; renounce any foreign allegiance and/or foreign title; and bear arms for the Armed Forces of the U.S. or perform services for the

government of the U.S. when required.

Edited September 27, 2006 by glassdude007

[dr_Pat_Pong]

some good info here ....

check out the oath of allegiance section....

http://www.4immigrationservices.com/citizen.htm

Oath of Allegiance To become a citizen, one must take the oath of allegiance. By doing so, an applicant swears to: support the Constitution and obey the laws of the U.S.; renounce any foreign allegiance and/or foreign title; and bear arms for the Armed Forces of the U.S. or perform services for the

government of the U.S. when required.

Check it out with the State Department or the US Embassy.

[DrDweeb]

My other half got her USA passport in the 90's - at which time there were a lot less hurdles to complete.

It what no easy matter then - its even tougher now.

All I can say is congrats - wish you both the very best.

Just to put the whole matter of dual nationality straight - insofar as the Thai authorities view it.

There is a common misconception that Thai's (in particular women) cannot hold dual nationality.

This was the case way back whenever, but it is no longer the case - Thai citizens are permitted by the Thai authorities to hold dual nationality.

They are however obliged to report it i.e. the question is asked on Thai passport application forms, but many Thai's simply don't aginst the understanding that it is not permitted. It is permitted.

I can't speak for all countries but know for a fact that in the case of the USA and the UK, there is no restriction - as far as those countries are concerned, and suspect that is the case in respect of all EU member countries.

I am told that the USA authorities, on their own initiative formally notify the Thai authorities when they issue dual nationality to a Thai citizen (?)

You cannot acquire dual nationality if you are Danish. Denmark does not recognise dual nationality acquired by residence. Dual nationality is only recognised for individuals born with both nationalities.

I know this because (a) I tried to do it, and ( my daughter is it.