So, my family and I emigrated from Africa to America almost 10 yrs ago. My parents became citizens a couple years ago, but I am not yet a citizen.
Is this viewed negatively by colleges (or maybe even positively)? Would I be viewed as an international (don’t want that)? Should I make sure to become a citizen before applying to colleges (I’m HS class of 2017)?
I think you should look at it in other terms - I have a friend who became a citizen while she was a minor and her parents got citizenship, it was relatively easy. Her brother elected not to do that, so he had to go through the entire citizenship process from scratch.
Honestly, if you can get citizenship as a minor more easily than you would as an adult, do it now. Unless there is a reason you don’t want to become a citizen.
Talk to whoever helped your parents get their citizenship.
Yes, I think I’ll just do it sooner rather than later, since I would’ve become one anyway.
Most schools treat permanent residents as they do citizens, for admissions and merit aid processes.
“My parents became citizens a couple years ago, but I am not yet a citizen.”
Are you certain about that? Usually children are naturalized at the same time as their parents. Talk with an immigration lawyer and find out about this.
See this chart “Derivative Citizenship of Children” http://www.uscis.gov/policymanual/PDF/NationalityChart3.pdf
Thank you all for your help!
If I am following this correctly, we may have just had someone posting on these boards and learning for the first time that he (or she) is actually a U.S. Citizen.