<p>I adopted from my uncle(u.s. citizen) when I was fifteen. That was the fastest way to come to America and get a citizenship.
but I didn't even get green card yet. It's on processing. Am I consider as U.S. permanet resident? or international student?
If I have to put as u.s. permanent resident, I have to put alien registeration #. i don't know i have it, but someone said i got it when i apply for getting a green card, so i am guessing i has it. if not i will probably have to put as international student, and i have to put a visa type which is B-2 tourist.
i am so confused what to do, and no one would like to help me...please help me someone!!</p>
<p>Contact college admissions offices and ask them. That way, you'll get the most accurate advice.</p>
<p>Miralee, if you are legally adopted, your adoption lawyer and US immigration should have taken care of this long ago. Here is the link:</p>
<p>Child</a> Citizenship Act Of 2000</p>
<p>Tomorrow morning, sit down with your adoptive parent(s) and sort out the paperwork so that you can get your US passport as soon as possible.</p>
<p>I notice that in another thread, you say your parents live in Maryland. What's the explanation for being adopted by your uncle?</p>
<p>well my uncle is american citizen. and he is my legal parent now and his address is in maryland and his wife lives there all year long, but he teaches in SD and i'm in SD.
i was adopted by my uncle so then i could come to america for remainder of my education.</p>
<p>happymomof1 do i need an american passport? my uncle never want to help me out...i don't know if he would do it...:(</p>
<p>bump bump please!!</p>
<p>If you were adopted and became an American citizen then you will have a social security number. That is what you need for college apps....you dont need a passport</p>
<p>Miralee -</p>
<p>Your uncle is now your legal father. Of course he wants to help you! He was willing to go through the adoption process, and he is willing to have you live with him now isn't he? </p>
<p>You need to find a way to communicate with him so that he can help you finish this process. Read everything at the link I posted above and figure out what pieces are missing.</p>
<p>While you don't necessarily need a US passport, your life will be a lot easier when you get it. It is the formal proof that you are a US citizen and that you can live, work, and study here without any questions being asked.</p>
<p>It will take 2 or 3 weeks for you to get your passport after you apply for it.</p>
<p>You also need to practice referring to him as your father. Legally, he is. If you don't feel comfortable with "father" or "dad", you could try saying "This is Joe, my adoptive father." </p>
<p>Please be careful who you tell that the reason why he adopted you was so that you could get to the US easier. Some people might view this as immigration fraud.</p>
<p>ok...but i don't have a citizenship though..that is why i apply for green card.
after i get green card i can apply for citizenship...isn't it?</p>
<p>Miralee - </p>
<p>You need to visit the website that I posted earlier. It explains the steps that you and your adoptive parents must follow in order to get your citizenship straightened out. </p>
<p>Reading through it, it looks to me like if you already have the right stamp in your passport and finalized adoption papers you may be able to skip over the green card stage. If you and your new parents can't figure things out from the website, you should talk to an immigration lawyer. If you can't pay for one, you can try the legal aid office of your closest law school.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Miralee,</p>
<p>How old are you now? From what you described, it sounds like you are not an orphan, but that your natural parents are still living outside the US and that they requested or agreed that your uncle should adopt you. Is that correct?</p>
<p>Did you come to the US on a B-2 visitor visa and then your uncle did an adoption of you here in the US? Was the adoption process legally completed before your 16th birthday? (If not, the adoption is not legal for immigration purposes unless your adoptive parent already had adopted your brother or sister before he/she turned 16).</p>
<p>If you were adopted legally, formally OUTSIDE the US, then you should have entered the US as a lawful permanent resident, and your social security card and green card would have come in the mail within 30-60 days of arrival. And then under the CSPA, you may have immediately acquired US citizenship upon entering the US as an adopted LPR --depends on date of entry, citizenship of adoptive parents, etc.</p>
<p>Adoption must be completed before your 16th birthday and then you would not be eligible for LPR until you lived with your adoptive parents for a period of two years with the adoptive parents having legal custody of you. If the adoption took place INSIDE the US, that could explain why you would not yet have a green card, because you cannot apply for the green card until the two year residency/custody requirement is met.</p>
<p>If you were adopted outside the US, it had to be a formal adoption that was legal in the country where the adoption was done. It could not just be an informal agreement between your uncle and your parents -- whatever legal procedures apply in the home country for adoptions had to be followed. Adoptions for immigration purposes may require a home visit and adoption agency. </p>
<p>If you came on a B-2 visa as a tourist but the real purpose of your trip was to be adopted inside the US, there may be an issue of visa fraud. Also, adoption outside the US would have required you to live with your adoptive parent (uncle) under his legal guardianship/custody for two years prior to entering the US -- doesn't sound like this could have happened since uncle lives in US.</p>
<p>When the adoptive parent (uncle) is related to the natural parents and they are still living, USCIS looks with great suspicion on the adoption. You did not say you are an orphan, but if so, then the two year residency/custody requirement does not apply, and other requirements also differ.</p>
<p>As for international student status, if you are not a LPR or USC, you cannot be an international student on a B-2 visa --must have F-1 visa, I-20, private funding source for tuition, etc. And if you are in the US now out of status as a B-2 visitor, you may not be able to get an F-1 visa in order to be an international student if you are over 18 1/2 years old. Violation of prior visa status can result in denial of a new visa, and if you are over 18 1/2 and still in the US out of status more than 6 months, then you will be barred from returning to US for 3 years or 10 years for the overstay once you leave to consular process a new visa.</p>
<p>If you were legally adopted by your uncle to get LPR status for you, then hopefully your uncle was represented by an immigration attorney who guided your uncle through all the proper steps. If not, you should get a consultation with an immigration attorney ASAP to find out where you stand.</p>
<p>Foreign adoptions and immigration benefits/consequences of adoptions can be very, very complicated. Do not take anything I said as legal advice -- instead, if you have any doubts about your immigration status in the US, go to a licensed, experienced immigration attorney (you can find one on AILA.org) for a personal consultation.</p>