Aurora, CO asked in Immigration Law for Colorado

Q: What passport should i be getting, UK or USA?

i was born in England,my mother married an american who is not my father. when we moved over i came over on my mothers passport with a temp alien number that has long since expired.

Since moving here i have been given my step fathers last name.

Unlike my mother,I never got a residential alien card but have SSN and state license. i have lived and worked in the USA for 30 years. I am needed to travel back to the UK but i have also never had a passport for either county. My mother has said that she had looked into a passport for me prior but the immigration office had no record of me. so i am a bit hesitant to get documents for either one, what should my next step be?

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1 Lawyer Answer

A: It can be very confusing. It is not clear to me what classification you are for immigration purposes (you should be a permanent resident or resident alien with a work visa). You should be able to qualify for full US citizenship via: your biological father, step-father (if he formally adopted you) or potentially your mother (the form is N-600; be aware you will have to take the citizenship test). Before you apply for a passport I highly recommend that to meet with an immigration attorney. The attorney can assess your status and provide guidance to correct any errors. You should not panic, but I would attend to this matter with some urgency--it is possible that you are in the US illegally (but only because the proper forms have not been filed).

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