Why US Citizenship??

[bookworm]

Hello,

Its going to be a diff kind of a citizenship query...

We've been permanent residents for the past 4 years. Our 2 sons are US citizens (born here). Well, we've decided to move back to our India in about 3 months. All alongwhile, people who've been knowing about our plans to move back, were advising us to wait for the US citizenship and then move back. We have no intentions to wait for the US citizenship (we have actually made up our mind to move back). But i really want to know about all the hungama around the "US citizenship", as to what really are the advantages of a US citizenship...

Enlighten us in this regard. Thanx in advance

-Bookworm.

[peace]

I think you should wait till you become USCs , especially since you are only a year from applying.
RETURNING TO INDIA WITHOUT US CITIZENSHIP IS A DECISION YOU MAY REGRET LATER, SO THINK AGAIN.

Once you are a US citizen, you are done forever with US immigration (USCIS). I mean no more applying for visas and green cards etc.
Just like you changed your mind to move to India, who knows change in situation in India may make you want to come back to US some time in future.

In that case it will be
very easy for you to return as a USC but with a lapsed green card, you won't be able to return. Remember your kids are USCs, they may want to return and settle in US, and you will have to run to US embassy in India to get visitor visas to visit them which are very hard to get.

[bookworm]

Why US Citizenship??

Peace,

Thanks for your input.

The thing is, yes, we are 1 year from aplying for a USC. But isn't it true that we cannot move overseas just after applying for a USC? Also i came to know that you can take the interview and other stuff only in the US. So its like basically, 1 year for applying, another 13-15 month wait to actually get the citizenship, right?? So a total of another 2-21/2 yr of postponing our move.

Is it worth the wait?? Thats where we are kinda stuck on...

-Bookworm

[peace]

Benefits are worth the wait. They are speeding up the process and already
the processing times have started to come down.

If you leave US now, your green card will lapse and you will have to find a green card sponsor(employer or family) again in case you wish to return to US. Which I donot think will be feasible.

Secondly, it will be very hard for you to get a visitor visa because you have shown immigrant intent already.

So, pretty much you will never be able to come to US again.

[ASM]

Peace,

Thanks for your input.

The thing is, yes, we are 1 year from aplying for a USC. But isn't it true that we cannot move overseas just after applying for a USC? Also i came to know that you can take the interview and other stuff only in the US. So its like basically, 1 year for applying, another 13-15 month wait to actually get the citizenship, right?? So a total of another 2-21/2 yr of postponing our move.

Is it worth the wait?? Thats where we are kinda stuck on...

-Bookworm

Peace is right and to some extent you are either mistaken or have been poorly informed. If you are to apply today, and depending where you file your application, you should be able to get an N-400 interview date in about 9 to 10 months as long as you do not request for a name change. Typically this request slows the process down even further. If all goes well and no complications arise during this process from your end while they perform a background check you would have your new passport before you even know it.

Now to answer your question. Why did you come to the U.S. in the first place? What was your purpose? Granted that India, currently, is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and the job market there has more penetration and potential for future than the U.S. but have you truly seen the future? Can you really predict today what tomorrow would bring for you and your family? If this is so then by all means go back without further hesitation. People who have advised you correctly so far are no fools. They use logic in their reasoning. I agree with you to some extent that life, after certain age, would be far better in India than here. Why, because the conditions for social interaction in the day to day life are far better there than here. There you would not feel out of place at any given time.

The U.S. has its own advantages. People, over the years who've worked very hard, have gained name, respect and recognition in the society. They came penniless to this country with one goal and made fortunes in wealth , something that is extremely hard to achieve in a similar time frame if you were to be back home. In this country you can be who you want to be. Nobody can stop you if you have the drive and the desire. Life here is extremely hard and I agree but there's one more thing. You came here to give a better life to your kids. If you really want to go, be a U.S. citizen and then go. Apply for an "OCI" at the Consulate General of India right after you get your U.S. passport. Then go back and if you feel that you're never going to visit the U.S. again you still have the option of applying for Indian citizenship after having the OCI for one year. By doing so you will have one year to think on it.

Peace stated that one day you will need to come back to the U.S. for your kids. Do you think that statement is not justified and incorrect? Think twice and if that is not enough then take more time to probe yourself over and over again. You do not want to close any doors behind you as mistakes made today cannot be reversed tomorrow, unless you invent the time machine.

Good luck to your future.

[amadineni]

Different Strokes for Different Folks.

Bookworm: The idea is not to change any minds but to share my experiences as they may have some relevance to your situation.

I was in your shoes three years ago. I came to the US in 1987. Went to grad. school and started working. Waited till the last possible second before applying for Greencard. And then in 2004 (17 years after I came to this country) I just got sick and tired, packed up and went back to India.

I thought, "I have visited India so many times and every time I loved it. So why not live here." As I found out right away, going as a tourist is not the same as going to live there. Lot of headaches which you are not exposed to as a 3-week tourist.

I thought, "after all I don't need that much money. I will be OK with what ever I make and OK even if I don't make anything." As everyone with a bit of common sense (which I didn't have enough of) knows, we work for a lot more reasons than just money. And having worked here for so long, neither I nor my wife felt comfortable working in India (perhaps it is our own short-coming).

I used to reply flippantly to anyone who asked "if it is good for 1.3 billion people who live here, it will be good for me", until someone who was half my age pointed out "those who live here have no choice. You do." Good point.

Long and short, after living in Bangalore for five months, we moved back. Luckily, we were out of the country for less than six months. So it has not been a problem.

Still, I was reluctant to apply for a citizenship. I waited for more than a year after becoming eligible and finally applied last June. I have my interview on the 12th of May.

A lot depends on the kind of individual you are, the kind of family situation back at home, the kind of individual situation you are in, etc. I know a lot of people who celebrated their greencard or citizenship. I know some folks who treated the whole thing casually, I am currently feeling sad. Different people react to it differently.

My mis-adventure cost me a lot of money and a lot of heartache. I may still go back to India. But I now understand the wisdom of becoming a citizen first.

What ever decision you make, make it for your own reasons and your family reasons. Just remember that even if the decision you make is the right one, you will regret it if you make it for the wrong reasons.

Whatever you decide, hope it will make you happy. Cheers.

Amar

[C4us]

Being a US citizen has responsibilities as well as rights. Living abroad does not eliminate those resposibilities.

Don't forget that as a US citizen living abroad, you have the obligation to follow US tax code and will be required to pay income tax on worldwide income based on those regulations.

Male citizens are required to register with Selective Service and may be required to serve if the draft is reinstated.

A responsible citizen participates in the democratic process. Do you not want to be involved in that where you are living rather than some land across an ocen?

There are others but these are the first that come to mind.

I cannot imagine why you would become a citizen of a country in which you do not intend to reside and be full participants in the society. I guess, I must take being a citizen of my country as a greater duty than others.

[bookworm]

Thanks everyone for your valuable inputs.

-Bookworm

[rsc1098]

Live in today

Exactly three years back, we were in the same situation as Bookwarm. We had GC and our 5 yr old was US citizen. It was just too much to stick to US. So after 10 years of US stay, we decided to move back. We were well informed about all Pros-Cons about US citizenship and GC.
That time we decided that if possible then one of us will pursue for citizenship. If not, it's not going to stop our lives.

After 3 yrs we are still in India, staying happily and I am waiting for my US citizenship interview. With my job I could fullfill all the US citizenship criteria and applied for it. 2 months back I got finger printed and now waiting for interview. My wife has decided to surrender her GC. And I am ready to accept approval or denial for US citizenship.

Keeping an US option open is a good idea. But how much to sacrifice for it is individual's choice. After returning back to India, it takes atleast 2-3 years of stay to get Indianized. You will be not be accepted in India in 6 months or year.

One thing we strongly felt.....Your chances of successfully settling down in India are good if kids are in pre-teen age. After that it's probably too late.

I have friends settle down in India after giving up GC and after becoming US citizens. Also there are friend who tried and gave up and returned back.

Life is too short to enjoy.....Live in present and live happily.

RSC

[ishoeb734]

Hi RSC1098,

How can you fulfill US requirements via your job? Would you kindly elaborate?
I am also in a similar situation and thinking of giving up my GC.I have to wait till 2010 April to apply for Naturalization.

I have also decided to go back home...and live happily.Am I wrong?

[jrao124]

did u get the citizenship?

Hi Bookworm,

I know it's been a long time but I just saw ur post. I'm also trying to decide what to do. Just out of curiosity, did you get your citizenship before leaving?

J Rao

[Valhalla]

To each his own!

This is an old thread, but thought will bring it back to life as I was searching for an answer but always end up with more questions.

I have read so many threads on this topic. why are you returning to India, why did you apply for GC and stole someone's spot when you knew you are going back, why become a citizen and go back to India when you have duties to US!

These are some of the questions asked; people are so judgemental and I wonder why.

I will share some of thoughts incase some random wanderer happens to pass by this thread and just might get few clues to open that third eye.

I love music. Love Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, English, hell sometimes even spanish. It is my freedom to choose what I want to listen to. So you are free to choose where you want to live. Just go where your heart takes you.

Many of us ask why an Indian wants to go back to India - Simple he is going home.
US is a great country, but. As conspicuous immigrants, sometimes we are tolerated, are we well received? Not to talk of the identity crisis and the institutionalized racism. People here go by the color. Period. You cannot get past that. Even if your kids were born here, if they look brown they will always get the immigrant reception at first. That is the way things are. You may not agree because you might not know it yet. Anything less and you are living in a fool's paradise.

This might be your adopted country, that means you are adopted as well. Just like in IT how consultants are expendable, in a new found country if there is a racist war or there is an economic downturn the locals show their animosity to whom? no guesses there. You might argue there are problems back home. Yes there are. But you will fight for a solution. Here you just accept the problem. You will be an outsider. Period!

The world is changing everyday and shrinking too; we don't know how the laws are going to change. If someone is arguing that it is a better deal to get a citizenship and go (to someone who can't wait to get out) - what would you do if US brings in a law where they cancel all naturalized citizens? This has happened in the past.

I can list a thousand points supporting why someone should go back and someone should not. But guess we have to find the right answers.

Make sure you don't go back fickle-minded. you will always find a reason not to be happy. India is chaos, but there is sweetness to it. There is many richness in that soil and after all wasn't it a land that every white man wanted to plunder?

At the end of the day, you decide what your source of happiness is! Farewell my friend!

[nwctzn]

At the end of the day, you decide what your source of happiness is! Farewell my friend!

You really resurrected a very old but pretty good threat. Here are my two cents on this topic:

At the end, no matter where you decide to finally locate, there will be always struggle against narrow-minded people. Whether it is in the US, Europe, India, etc. So you need to decide where you want to struggle and where you think your children will be most likely happy.

I have lived in Europe and in Asia and I decided to settle here in the US. Of course, I always get the "that's a nice accent" comment and "where are you from?" question but I really do not care about it. This country was founded by past immigrants and remains strong because of work of current immigrants.

Good luck!

[Dtrain]

Good day nwctzn
Very well said, and I was wondering who slapped their hands or pulled them to live in the US or even going thru the GC process from their home country.