us transmission requirements

[Sam03]

Hi everyone

When it is mentioned about the five year presence required after the fourteenth birthday, what exactly does this mean and why?

My mom was born in the US and lived there until she was fifteen - would this not count for the ten years physical presence, five out of which after the age fourteen?

All my relatives lived in the US, some still do and my uncles were in the US armed forces. Would this not account for anything?

Lastly what exactly does 'Jus Sanguinis'. I read it was 'right of blood' but after reading on this does not appear to account for anything either.

Thank you for any help on this but I would love to relocate to the US where my mom's roots are and would like to apply for a US passport.

[Bevdeforges]

US citizenship law comes directly from the US Constitution, and is basically jus sol. Those born in the US are US citizens. The adjustments to that policy come during the 20th century and to some extent were lobbied for by the various US expat groups.

Exactly how much physical presence your mother needs to have to transmit US citizenship to you depends on when you were born. But physical presence includes visits back to see family and all. The US Expat associations recommend that people save any sort of evidence related to their physical presence in the US, including airline ticket stubs, old passports - literally anything that would show that you were in the US for some period of time (particularly after age 14).
Cheers,
Bev