For all those bazzilion I want to be a Japanese citizen/ preminant resitant people

[Paul11]

Choosing a nationality is a huge responsibility. You should choose the country you truly love. No one who loves their country wants to see someone else come to their country just for the benefits.
Once you gain citizenship in that country you should assimilate to that country's culture. Multiculturalism isnt all its cracked up to be. Tolerance of race and creed and multi-ethnicity is a great thing. But become part of the country you intend to stay in. If Nyororin can do that, that's great and she appears happy. Probably a benefit to her community. Most people cannot necessarily assimilate to Japan.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

You should never willingly limit your options, or those of your son. The bureaucrats at the embassy are little different from those who work at the Department of Motor Vehicles or Post Office. They are small people who have much in life to resent, and they often take it out on others (and each other), as you have probably seen in frequent and often sensational news stories.

You might be able to cope without American citizenship for your son, but he would do better to have it.

You seem to have taken a very specific part of what I said and interpreted it as the sole reason my son does not currently have US citizenship. That bit was nothing more than insult upon injury.

The real reason is that there was no feasible way to pull it off. Please read my message again - We were basically given 3 options -

1) Bring him in, along with a medical team to keep him alive for the trip to Osaka and back. 2) Bring in 3 doctors to verify that what we were saying was true - along with a translator certified by the embassy ($$$$$) if they couldn`t speak fluent English.

or 3) pay triple fees, along with additional late fees if we were unable to pull that off within the first 90 days after birth. It appears that now they are not even willing to make that much of an exception these days. If you can`t bring your child in, then they do not receive citizenship. It`s that simple.

Fees, well, they`re painful but something that can be dealt with. Risking the life of my son for citizenship is not.
I didn`t specifically choose not to get my son citizenship. I had no option to get him citizenship in the first place. The choice was made for me by the inflexible laws in place.

As for why we haven`t applied for citizenship after he was released from the hospital... Well, THIS -

What good would getting an American citizenship do her son, if he lives in Japan, speaks Japanese, is being raised in Japan, etc.?

Exactly how am I limiting the options of my son? (And, as implied, limiting my own options by choosing Japanese citizenship over US?) Especially as this

If her son grows up and wants to go to the US, live there, then I'm sure he can go through the procedure of getting a citizenship there

is true.

There is nothing in his future preventing him from receiving US citizenship. Other than the fact that he will have to be considered of "sound mind", which is quite a wall in our case, but that`s really beside the point. He can make that choice on his own, later, when he is ABLE to make that choice. At this point, there is absolutely NO advantage that I can see. In fact, there are quite a few disadvantages. As my son is small, underweight, and bruises easily, I find it extremely easy to imagine a situation in which a trip to the US could lead to him being taken away from me on suspicion of abuse. I was already interrogated about it at the airport, but non-citizens aren`t exactly given the same priority. In Japan, I have medical records to back me up and show that it`s due to health issues. In the US, nothing.
This also opens the window for my less-than-desirable mother to challenge my husband for custody in the case that something happens to me.

If he grows up and has the mental capacity to make such a choice, then it is up to him. For now though, I honestly see no particular reason to bother with it. Anyone that feels I am doing my son a disservice is invited to tell me exactly what amazing advantage having US citizenship would be for my son. Keep in mind that A) We have no plans to make anything but short trips abroad. B) We plan to live exclusively in Japan. C) My husband does not speak English, and we use only Japanese in the home. D) My son is officially recognized as having a developmental disorder that will likely later be classified as mental retardation. E) My son will likely require some level of support/care for the rest of his life - he has a projected adult developmental age of 12.... And F) He is unlikely to ever be fluent in *any* language, let alone be bilingual.

He does have a citizenship. He's over three years old, isn't he, and he was born in the country to an actual Japanese.

He will be 4 next Sunday. He didn`t receive Japanese citizenship due to being born in the country, he received it because his father is a Japanese citizen. He has a Japanese passport, and we have visited the US with it.

And finally - to Paul11;

Thank you. That is exactly how I feel. Japan is my home, and it is the country I love and want to spend the rest of my life in. It`s not that I dislike the US - it`s just that I do not really consider it my country at this point. As I consider Japan my home and my country, I think it is only natural to want to be a citizen and be an official part of the community.

[MMM]

Early Happy Birthday to your boy, Nyororin.

I have seen this thread be really close to you, and I appreciate how you have opened up here.

[blimp]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

He didn`t receive Japanese citizenship due to being born in the country, he received it because his father is a Japanese citizen.

tu, then there is no need for me to repeat this to ssjup81.

and i ditto what mmm said, happy early birthday to ur son.

[JoshAussie]

Originally Posted by james1254

you can't do lots of stuff without permanent residence like get large loans lol.

this^^^ lol

[SSJup81]

Double Post...

[SSJup81]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

He will be 4 next Sunday. He didn`t receive Japanese citizenship due to being born in the country, he received it because his father is a Japanese citizen. He has a Japanese passport, and we have visited the US with it.

That's pretty much what I meant, but what you said is more elaborated on.

That aside, I hope your son has a very nice birthday. ^_^

Originally Posted by blimp

tu, then there is no need for me to repeat this to ssjup81.

But I already said this.

Originally Posted by SSJup81

He does have a citizenship. He's over three years old, isn't he, and he was born in the country to an actual Japanese.

I guess, in my post here, I should've been more specific and added "citizen" to the end of it.

[timelesssymphony]

good discussion, I originally posted this as another remind that it isn't easy to get citizenship or permanent residency in Japan to the scores of people I see posting here over the past few months who seem to think that it is easy and I think that this even further illustrates my point, I'm sorry some of you who are legitimately trying to go through the process are having a frustrating time but it seems like a good thread.

[blimp]

Originally Posted by SSJup81

But her son wasn't born in America. He was born in Japan. He's automatically a Japanese citizen by default because of that alone. Since she plans on residing in Japan, along with her husband, and remaining there, with her husband, why go through the trouble of getting her already Japanese citizen of a son an American citizenship? If anything, she'd be better off getting her son a passport so they could visit the states. What good would getting an American citizenship do her son, if he lives in Japan, speaks Japanese, is being raised in Japan, etc.?

i am sry to have to continue this, but no my friend u said exactly the above, and especially this:

Originally Posted by SSJup81

.....He was born in Japan. He's automatically a Japanese citizen by default because of that alone......

more technically u get japanese citizenship by being born by a japanese mother and/or by a japanese father who is married to the foreign mother or if not married to the foreign mother who at the time of birth or within a certain time period after the birth recognises the fatherhood.

there is an excellent case on a philippine (i am not certain about the nationality perhaps someone else knows for certain) mother giving birth to a girl in japan where the father was japanese but where no recognition of this was done done within a certain period of time and therefore the girl as not given japanese citizenship. do i remember it correctly that they were even given deportation orders by a lower court too?

[SSJup81]

And I rewrote it later on. Shouldn't the later post apply as opposed to the earlier one since I'd actually forgotten that those in the country don't become a citizen by just being born into the country, but being born to an actual Japanese citizen?

http://www.japanforum.com/forum/livi...tml#post502974