Hi, I want to know if my children are US citizens. The story goes like this: I married a Lebanese and we lived in NY. Two years after our marriage we went to live in Lebanon. We had two children , they eventually became green card holders like I was. I travelled back and forth with the children but that wasn't for long. My husband would not allow the children to travel with me (in Lebanon you need the fathers permission to travel) I eventually became a citizen. My children are now 19 and 23 they are free to choose on their own . I have noi idea what their status is. Can someone help!! Thanks
If Igo to the American embassy in Beirut I have no idea what to say.

Morisious - you are a US citizen now, but you were not a citizen at the time the children were born, correct? Since your husband is not a US citizen and the children were both born outside the US, they would be considered US citizens only if all of the following conditions are true (different rules apply if the child was born out-of-wedlock):

1. The person's parents were married at time of birth.
2. One of the person's parents was a U.S. citizen when the person in question was born.
3. The citizen parent lived at least five years in the United States before the child's birth.
4. A minimum of two of these five years in the United States were after the citizen parent's 14th birthday.

It seems like you don't meet the second criteria, and hence the children are not US citizens.

Thank you ebaines that was very helpful. What if I became a citizen and my children were born out of wedlock were would that leave them. What rules apply to that situation? Thnks in advance, I'm asking for a friend, she also lives in Beirut. Her situation is the same as mine, but she's not married.

I became a US citizen, Ihad two children out of wedlock at the time, does that make them citizens as well? What rules apply to that situation?

ONE thread per topic by site rules... you have three. ANd one already HAS answers.

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