Q: My father became a naturalized U.S. citizen when I was underage. How can I verify whether I became a U.S. citizen too?
In 1996 my father became a naturalized U.S. citizen. At that time my parents were divorced and I was temporarily living with him, but court documents show that my mother had custody of me at the time of their divorce. My father said he petitioned for my citizenship since I was underage and claims that I also became a citizen when he did, however he doesn’t have a certificate for me as proof. How can I verify my U.S. citizenship? Thank you.
A:
The only way to do so is to do a Freedom of Information Act Request. It is unclear whether you were a lawful permanent resident, which 'you must be' in order to somehow derive citizenship through your dad. Normally, you would have to derive citizenship through the custodial parent if you were 18 before the Child Citizenship Protection Act.
I strongly recommend an appointment or teleconference with a competent and experienced immigration attorney before you do anything and there are any complications. Good luck.
The above is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney client relationship.
A: Your father can request his immigration file by filing a FOIA request. The file shold include the application he filed for you. Also if you have an A number you may inquire at your local USCIS office.
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