Citizenship

[RamonP23]

Hello evryone.

I am an international student studying in California, but I want to become a citizen.
I asked in inmigration and in my college office and they told me that I can't become a citizen for being a student.

Some one knows some about this??
I heard that I can change to worker visa so I could stay in the country.

Anyone knows, please??????

 

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[CactusWren]

First you have to become a permanent resident:

USCIS - Green Card

Then you can apply for citizenship:

http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/M-476.pdf

Obviously , thousands if not millions are interested but few qualify.

Googling is always a good place to start any research.

 

[GlobalWealth]

The question I have is why do you want to become a US citizen?

 

[onmission]

I'm in the same situation, and I'll let you know that after consulting with several lawyers there are only 2 options for international students on F-1 visas.

Transferring on to an H-1B work visa is one of the options, but you will need an employer to hire you and "sponsor" you for the visa which requires a lot of work on the employers behalf. Its hard enough for many qualified US citizens to find jobs in this economy so there really is no incentive for employers to hiring someone who they'll need to get a work visa for unless you really have a specialized skill that is hard to find. This path could take over 10yrs before you become a citizen, because from the work visa you'll have to become a permanent resident (green card) first for several years before you can apply for citizenship.

The second option which (believe it or not many lawyers will flat out tell you is your best chance) is to get hitched (married) to a citizen. This path could take 3-5 yrs before you become a citizen.

There is a reason why out of the 10 million illegal citizens in the US, a solid percentage of them are people who overstayed their visas, in other words they came here legally but became illegal. Best of luck.

 

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[RamonP23]

Thank you so much for your help and information :yourock:

I want to become a citizen because everything is cheaper (specially school) and I would have more rights.

So thank you again for your effort answering this question.

 

[GlobalWealth]

Thank you so much for your help and information :yourock:

I want to become a citizen because everything is cheaper (specially school) and I would have more rights.

So thank you again for your effort answering this question.

Define rights...

This sounds a bit like the 'grass is greener' mentality. Maybe the grass is greener, maybe not. You need to really think about what mean by 'more rights' as that is a very abstract comment. Do you think you will have more rights in Spain than in the US? Are you sure?

As a Spanish citizen, you can easily obtain citizenship in many South American countries like Argentina or Uruguay as well. Have you considered other options?

The big issue I see, especially for foreign students is taxation. Students come there with the idea this is the holy land of opportunity. And at some point you may decide for some reason to move back to Spain, or some other locale. But once you obtain US citizenship, you are liable for US taxes for the remainder of your life no matter where you live.

But not only tax, but also reporting. You will be required to file a tax return, even if you owe no taxes. Failure to file carries very high penalties (read expensive). If you have a bank acount in Spain, you have to file the proper paperwork to let the US tax department know you have a bank account outside of the US. This one reporting requirement carries a $10k penalty plus up to 50% of the account balance in the offshore account.

If you earn enough money, you will still owe US taxes, even if you don't live there. Forever, or at least as long as you remain a US citizen. If you attain a certain amount of wealth, you will owe estate taxes in the US upon your death, even if you haven't lived there for 40 years.

I am not saying don't pursue it, just saying that you do a bit of homework before you make such a major decision. Think beyond what tuition costs and think about the rest of your life.

 

[RamonP23]

This sounds a bit like the 'grass is greener' mentality. Maybe the grass is greener, maybe not. You need to really think about what mean by 'more rights' as that is a very abstract comment.

For example, right to get finalcial aid for school, scholarships, rent a home or appartment...

Do you think you will have more rights in Spain than in the US? Are you sure?

I don't understand this question. I said I want to become US citizen, not Spain citizen.

As a Spanish citizen, you can easily obtain citizenship in many South American countries like Argentina or Uruguay as well. Have you considered other options?

These options would help to have a better and cheaper life in USA?
And I would love to pick a better option.

I am not saying don't pursue it, just saying that you do a bit of homework before you make such a major decision. Think beyond what tuition costs and think about the rest of your life.

This is a good point, and that is why I'm asking for information all people I can and looking for information on internet... And, of course, asking you guys.

Getting back to the options of South America... Do you really think that would be a good option?
I just want to know what you think. You seem smart.

Thank you.

 

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[GlobalWealth]

My understanding from a previous post was you are Spanish. This is why I referenced Spain. Maybe I was incorrect.

Only you can decide what is the best option for you as there are too many factors to consider. I think there are several great options in South America. But that is based on my reasons, not yours.

You need to determine what you want to do/be/have in life and direct your choices around your goals.

My point was to determine this and then do the homework.

 

[RamonP23]

My goals are:

1) Finish my major on Business.
2) Make my multimillionaire business.
3) Invest money in great acting coaches to become a great actor.
4) Make my own movies.
5) Write entertaining-didactic books.
6) Open more businesses.
7) Have houses all around the world, such as California, New York, Miami, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Hawaii, Arabia...

 

[andviv]

I saw this today and thought of you, GlobalWealth...

U.S. Expat Taxes Drive Americans to Give Up Citizenship - TIME

 

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[RamonP23]

Dang... I guess I should look for another options...

 

[Bobo]

For example, right to get finalcial aid for school, scholarships, rent a home or appartment...


Thank you.

You can get academic scholarships, rent a home or apartment.....

Now if you want government subsidy of those things than I think the South America suggestion was much better.

 

[Melody]

Depending on how much money you can scrape up you can always contact an EB-5 regional center and by investing in a US corporation you can become a US citizen and become a part of a growing corporation (job security)

Check out: eb5info(dot)com

 

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