Rosebloom
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- May 23, 2012
- Messages
- 3,943
jaysonsmom said:Congrats Ginger!I'm taking my US citizenship test tomorrow! Studying tonight......
Good luck!! Dust!
jaysonsmom said:Congrats Ginger!I'm taking my US citizenship test tomorrow! Studying tonight......
Yssie|1374548939|3488202 said:justginger|1374543356|3488146 said:Yssie|1374540892|3488120 said:Congrats Ginger!!!!!
I remember the US citizenship ceremony very well - they're good about the pomp and circumstance and I felt so awfully special that day
Me too!justginger|1374534365|3488033 said:As it is, I am now a dual citizen and will carry passports for both countries.
ETA: I lied. Mine are US and NZ. Close enough?
ETA: (I can hear the choking all the way from here...)
Mine would have been much better, with the anthem, and the food, and the gifted native plant if I had waited 3-6 months for the ceremony that is arranged by my local council. Unfortunately, I really want the financial benefits for being a citizen when it comes to my uni fees, so lodged a request for an expedited ceremony. I guess it's like a wedding at the registry office vs a white monstrosity - get in, say the oath, get out. Thankfully DH took me out for a lovely lunch in the city afterwards, so that made up for it.
Are you actually Kiwi, yssie? Or one of your parents? DH has dual Oz/Kiwi due to FIL being from the South Island. I haven't investigated if my future child/ren can hold triple citizenship, but I think they could. That being said, I expect they would denounce their American citizenship at a certain point. Only the US requires all of her citizens to continue filing taxes (regardless if they've ever even visited the country before!), and will double tax income over a certain level, in addition to taxing our tax-free retirement superannuation here. It's not really a benefit to be a US citizen abroad if you have no expectation to ever live there.
I laughed out loud at the description of the "white monstrosity". Glad you and your DH got a nice lunch at least!
Yes, I still have my NZ citizenship, but it's not by birth. My parents moved there when I was very young and I hardly remember anything of the process, I'm afraid, so I'm no help. Neither I nor my parents have property there and I use my US passport for all practicalities (travel) so it's really just in name. DH is an Israeli dual citizen and he's looking into getting rid of it because apparently it's frowned upon when courting DOD contracts. I have heard that the US is beastly wrt. taxing income earned overseas - a friend is moving to Mexico and doesn't envision returning, and plans to renounce her citizenship for exactly that reason.
Do you plan to keep your US citizenship?
She doesn't believe in dual citizenship as a meaningful institution to begin with. I can see her perspective: you are essentially pledging your allegiance and loyalty to two independent parties that may or may not embrace the same philosophies. Practically speaking there is no denying that taxes factor into the incentives, whether or not the council cares to hear it stated as such... She's a bright one though, I'm sure she'll figure it all out!justginger|1374568277|3488337 said:Yssie|1374548939|3488202 said:justginger|1374543356|3488146 said:Yssie|1374540892|3488120 said:Congrats Ginger!!!!!
I remember the US citizenship ceremony very well - they're good about the pomp and circumstance and I felt so awfully special that day
Me too!justginger|1374534365|3488033 said:As it is, I am now a dual citizen and will carry passports for both countries.
ETA: I lied. Mine are US and NZ. Close enough?
ETA: (I can hear the choking all the way from here...)
Mine would have been much better, with the anthem, and the food, and the gifted native plant if I had waited 3-6 months for the ceremony that is arranged by my local council. Unfortunately, I really want the financial benefits for being a citizen when it comes to my uni fees, so lodged a request for an expedited ceremony. I guess it's like a wedding at the registry office vs a white monstrosity - get in, say the oath, get out. Thankfully DH took me out for a lovely lunch in the city afterwards, so that made up for it.
Are you actually Kiwi, yssie? Or one of your parents? DH has dual Oz/Kiwi due to FIL being from the South Island. I haven't investigated if my future child/ren can hold triple citizenship, but I think they could. That being said, I expect they would denounce their American citizenship at a certain point. Only the US requires all of her citizens to continue filing taxes (regardless if they've ever even visited the country before!), and will double tax income over a certain level, in addition to taxing our tax-free retirement superannuation here. It's not really a benefit to be a US citizen abroad if you have no expectation to ever live there.
I laughed out loud at the description of the "white monstrosity". Glad you and your DH got a nice lunch at least!
Yes, I still have my NZ citizenship, but it's not by birth. My parents moved there when I was very young and I hardly remember anything of the process, I'm afraid, so I'm no help. Neither I nor my parents have property there and I use my US passport for all practicalities (travel) so it's really just in name. DH is an Israeli dual citizen and he's looking into getting rid of it because apparently it's frowned upon when courting DOD contracts. I have heard that the US is beastly wrt. taxing income earned overseas - a friend is moving to Mexico and doesn't envision returning, and plans to renounce her citizenship for exactly that reason.
Do you plan to keep your US citizenship?
The US is GHASTLY with taxing foreign income. However, it is actually unacceptable to renounce your citizenship for the purposes of avoiding taxes -- they have created new laws that allow the US to tax you AFTER you've renounced, simply so people cannot financially escape Uncle Sam, in the case of a big windfall. Tell your friend to ensure she renounces for ideological reasons, with no mention of finances.
Me? I intend to hold on to my citizenship, at this point. That may change in the future, but for now I still identify as at least partially American, and I know my citizenship means something to my parents. That may change in the future, the longer I remain abroad, but we'll see.
Smith1942|1374607268|3488637 said:Congratulations, Ginger! I like your photo. Your immigration story is amazing! Glad you're so happy in Oz.
How did you come to move to Oz? Was it for lurve? I, too, would never in a million years have predicted that I'd leave the UK, but I did. For lurve, seven years ago like you.
Someone said the chest x-ray seemed odd...well, the US immigration medical was very strange indeed. It had to take place at a private doctor in Knightsbridge, chosen by the US government. It involved blood tests, immunisations, AIDS test, chest x-rays, a sight test, spinal alignment test, and a good look at your genitals. YES. Every item on the medical list was mandated by the US government. My husband-to-be had been born in the US so no military-style medical for him. I was intensely angry about the whole thing at the time. Afterwards, the doc's was right next to Harrod's, and I went in and bought a Mulberry handbag for myself from the joint account. Hah.
Rosebloom|1374554790|3488257 said:jaysonsmom said:Congrats Ginger!I'm taking my US citizenship test tomorrow! Studying tonight......
Good luck!! Dust!
perry|1374624069|3488808 said:Congratulations Ginger!
As for the time and cost.... I am sure well worth it.
To put things in perspective: Last year I went through the legal cost to bring my wife into the US to get a provisional Green Card. I hired a very experienced and very good lawyer for that to ensure no problems due to several potential issues (she had entered the US on a tourist visa to visit her brother and for shopping - and I have a security clearance for my job that could be affected by things not going well). Then we also had to get Princess's Ukraine passport renewed as it was expiring this year and she would need it for future non-US travel during the period before she can apply for US citizenship. The normal process in Ukraine to renew a passport is 3-5 months. We did the 3 week process so she could return back to the US and be with me. Total cost for US immigration fees, medical exams, legal services, and a 3 week renewal process of her Ukrainian passport: $18,500. That... was a bit more... than I anticipated.... But well worth it. She had her US provisional Green card in about 4 months after we filed.
Permanent Green Card I think will be about $750 in fees next year (and I see no need for a lawyer for that); and US Citizenship I think is about the same for Fees several years down the road.
Anyway, congratulations again on your Aussie Citizenship - and what is almost certainly a good investment.
Perry
justginger said::
Rosebloom - you know what? I actually hated Bali. I know so many people fell in love with it from "Eat Pray Love," but holy moly, if I won a free trip back to Bali, I'd try to sell it.
And because Jane was so exuberant with her emoties, here are a couple of Poppy shots. Iphone only (black cover), of course - taken on our tea room balcony at work, lunch time.
justginger|1374625011|3488821 said:Immigration lawyers absolutely nail you to the wall, don't they? Only $2000 of my costs were paid to a lawyer, and that was while I was in panic mode. My partner had just walked out, and I was on a PARTNER visa. I basically had 30 days before deportation, so I contacted a professional. Once I did a bit of further research myself, I realised I was the victim of frantic highway robbery. He was charging me at just under $800 per hour! He did the necessary paperwork for me, I chuffed off to Bali, and when I got back I (painfully) paid him and severed that arrangement. I was more than capable of doing all my own paperwork (tedious as it was). Had I been in your position, I would have stayed with a professional. But I anticipate my $15,000 of immigration expenses would have been more than doubled with the ongoing use of an immigration lawyer!
I didn't realise the actual immigration fees for US permanency were so low, Perry. I've put off looking into American visas for my husband due to the excessive fees I've dealt with over the last 8 years. For example, my PR application fee here was around $5000 - not refundable in the case you're denied! Additionally, my sponsoring workplace, the Dept of Health, paid a further $600 ($800?) towards my permanency.
Zoe|1374624005|3488805 said:Smith, I said that the chest x-rays seemed odd but I've never given thought to everything involved in applying for citizenship. All the medical stuff never crossed my mind.
Yssie|1378232670|3514084 said:Ginger, I just saw this thread re-appear and reread my last responses and I'm rolling my eyes at myself. Can you say foot-in-mouth?
So if you do read this... I'm sorry! I truly didn't (don't!) mean to imply that dual citizenship is somehow less meaningful or sincere than singular - my friend may feel that way but I disagree, because I think the countries that permit it are, by doing so, inherently indicating that they believe that they're likely to espouse the same values and support each other in expressing them. And I think that permitting a person to express loyalty to values that cross national boundaries makes a pretty significant and laudable statement all by itself
(A very heartfelt) congrats, again!! And I hope it came out better this time!