Unmarried parents, citizenship inquiry

Garrix · Post by **Garrix** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 4:12 am

My father was born in England, and his family was there for several generations as far as I am aware (have yet to be able to get ahold of family over there or a good record library in the area). Does that allow me to apply for a dual citizenship? I have lived in Canada my whole life, as well as being born here. My mother was born in Canada, and both sides of grandparents were born in Europe (mother's are German, father in England); though I don't know if that information means anything.

I ask this because I did a bit of looking and seemed to see something that said direct family could only apply in this case if your parents were first generation and had obtained a citizenship on merit instead of through inheritance, which seems like the opposite of what one would think.

Just looking for some clarification (I really wish I could actually talk to someone and ask it, but it seems pretty much every phone number I get is an automated system that sends me to an email address which replies with an automated message...) before I figure out what to do over the next few years.

Post by **Jambo** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 7:09 am

From the sounds of it - your father is British and so are you (you can probably also claim German nationality but that depends on your family circumstances).

Did you father ever hold a British passport? What year were you born? Were you parents married at the time of your birth?

In general, British nationality is passed only one generation down if you are born abroad so you will not be able to pass it to your children unless they are born in the UK.

Garrix · Post by **Garrix** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 4:54 pm

I was born in 1989. My father did/does have a British passport, but my parents were never married (currently separated). Does that cause issues?

Post by **Jambo** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 6:31 pm

It does.

If they never got married, it become more complex. This is outside my comfort zone. Maybe other member (vinny/JAJ) would be able to give advice as they are more knowledgeable than me in those areas.

Garrix · Post by **Garrix** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 6:37 pm

Should I send one of them a PM or just wait to see if they reply? Not too sure what the policy on this forum tends to be.

Post by **Jambo** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 7:01 pm

No need to PM. They will pick up the thread. It might be helpful to modify the subject of the thread to something more meaningful.

Garrix · Post by **Garrix** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 7:09 pm

Thanks for the help; now I guess it's time to wait and refresh the page every half hour.

Post by **vinny** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:09 am

Unfortunately, it's too late to register now.

Any chance of your parents subsequently marrying each other?

Garrix · Post by **Garrix** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:48 am

vinny wrote:Unfortunately, it's too late to register now.

Any chance of your parents subsequently marrying each other?

From what I see I am over 10 years old as specified and 'of good character,' I was born before July 1, 2006. I don't see how that page shows anything relating to age, it only seems to specify that there is some sort of proof provided (birth certificate or DNA testing, that sort of thing). Am I missing something?

Post by **Jambo** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 2:06 am

The page talks about a child registration which means you need to be less than 18 when applying.

Garrix · Post by **Garrix** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 2:22 am

Basically SOL then? So is there anything at all I can use from my father's side to get a citizenship, or do I try for straight immigration?

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Unmarried parents, citizenship inquiry

Unmarried parents, citizenship inquiry