Citizenship options/routes for our American child?
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 1:12 am
My wife and I are South Africans living in the United States, where our 3yo child was born and currently has US citizenship and the ability to register as a South African citizen.
My wife is already a British Citizen by Descent. Her father was born in the UK and she was born in South Africa before 1983 and was registered as a British citizen at the time of her birth.
I was born in South Africa before 1983, to a mother who was British by Descent. Her father (my grandfather) was born in the UK and she was born in South Africa. So I have the option of either an Ancestry Visa or citizenship by Double Descent following the Romein ruling.
We don't have any immediate intention to move to the UK, but I have been wondering if applying for my own citizenship using the Romein ruling would potentially hinder our child's options.
From what I can tell, if I apply for citizenship now and am successful, neither my wife nor I could register or apply for our daughter's UK Citizenship as both of us would be British by Descent and unable to pass on that citizenship. So if we eventually did choose to move to the UK before she turns 18, she would have to join us on a Child Settlement Visa and then naturalize after 3 years. Alternatively, should we not move before she turns 17, she could always apply for South African citizenship, then apply for a UK Ancestry Visa through her maternal grandfather (who was born in the UK), then move to the UK and ultimately follow the UK naturalization process on her own should she so desire.
I guess what I'm really asking is a.) Are these her only two routes to UK Citizenship? Where both options would require relocating to the UK? and b.) Would applying for my UK Citizenship now potentially hinder her options later down the line?
My wife is already a British Citizen by Descent. Her father was born in the UK and she was born in South Africa before 1983 and was registered as a British citizen at the time of her birth.
I was born in South Africa before 1983, to a mother who was British by Descent. Her father (my grandfather) was born in the UK and she was born in South Africa. So I have the option of either an Ancestry Visa or citizenship by Double Descent following the Romein ruling.
We don't have any immediate intention to move to the UK, but I have been wondering if applying for my own citizenship using the Romein ruling would potentially hinder our child's options.
From what I can tell, if I apply for citizenship now and am successful, neither my wife nor I could register or apply for our daughter's UK Citizenship as both of us would be British by Descent and unable to pass on that citizenship. So if we eventually did choose to move to the UK before she turns 18, she would have to join us on a Child Settlement Visa and then naturalize after 3 years. Alternatively, should we not move before she turns 17, she could always apply for South African citizenship, then apply for a UK Ancestry Visa through her maternal grandfather (who was born in the UK), then move to the UK and ultimately follow the UK naturalization process on her own should she so desire.
I guess what I'm really asking is a.) Are these her only two routes to UK Citizenship? Where both options would require relocating to the UK? and b.) Would applying for my UK Citizenship now potentially hinder her options later down the line?