Second Citizenships, Residencies, and/or Temporary Relocation • Hacker News Board

Re: Second Citizenships, Residencies, and/or Temporary Relocation

#221

Post by Grazester » Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 5:29 PM UTC

sangnoir wrote: post #198

1996 wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With a Swiss passport and the place of birth being Switzerland, nobody will ever ask them. If they are asked if they have other citizenship, they can always say Germany - end of the inquiry.

Banks ask everyone during application if applicant have a US citizenship, because of some anti-terror-funding law which non-American banks find onerous. Are you saying the kids should lie and deny being American?

It's not about anti terrorism measures. It about fatca

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/foreign-account-...

Re: Second Citizenships, Residencies, and/or Temporary Relocation

#222

Post by mrsaint » Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 5:31 PM UTC

hiq wrote: post #126

mrsaint wrote: post #96

Our two children are 4 and 6, and they both hold four citizenships. My wife is US American, I am German, my dad is Croatian and we've been living in Switzerland for almost 15 years. When the kids were born, they both had US and German citizenship jus sanguinis. German passports arrived almost instantaneously. The US passports required us to visit the US embassy multiple times and fill out plenty of paper work. Them g…

As a German, why did you get Croatian citizenship for your kids? For sentimental reasons, or were there practical advantages as well?

Sentimental perhaps, because of my heritage, but definitely also practical advantages. For one, citizenship makes owning property in the respective country easier. Also, should my children ever decide to live in Croatia, they could do so, no strings attached. Who knows what the geopolitical future holds? Will the EU still exist in 20 years? Will Croatia still be a member? How will current and future refugee crises shape local immigration laws?

Re: Second Citizenships, Residencies, and/or Temporary Relocation

#223

Post by disabled » Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 5:34 PM UTC

vecinu wrote: post #109

disabled wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The European Union member states subscribe to multiple fundamental ideas, one of which is the principle of solidarity. This means that there is a strong social safety net, and we take care of the vulnerable. I do not have to worry about the cost of my medical care or other social needs. I pay my taxes, do my part as a citizen, and I know I will be taken care of. Essentially, because of this I do not have to live in f…

Thanks for sharing. I spent some time in Europe albeit that was a long time ago and I feel like I was too young to experience the hardships of life I'm facing in the US. I know the safety nets you're referring to, they're there for health care, unemployment and worker rights. Things that don't really exist for most people in the US if they're unemployed or in a regular job. I'm lucky to be in a well paid, high lucrat…

> I have a Romanian passport so it's easy to jump over the pond but I'd love my US residency and all the years I put in to be able to start switching jobs more easily. I don't want a ridiculous amount of wealth but I'd love to have a head start and secure financial freedom for my family.

That is 100% totally understandable, and is basically the American dream, as you know.

No matter what, as soon as you can: After you hold your green card long enough, make sure to naturalize as a United States citizen. A lot of green card holders never bother to become US citizens. I always encourage people I know to do so. But, generally speaking, once you are a citizen, you are a citizen: it can never be taken away from you. We need people like you and your family as US citizens.

I would get a lawyer, but many lawyers can be sketchy. My best advice would be to go to the Embassies of Switzerland/France/Germany/Canada/UK/etc. to the US websites' and go to their "legal advice" page. There usually is a PDF list of American lawyers. On there, it will specify their area of practice. Obviously, you want an immigration lawyer.

Lawyers can be sketchy, so you need to vet them out for any possible red flags, such as "positive counter-reviews", "any bad reviews", or "painting an overly perfect picture of oneself". If they are involved in commerce associations or any sort of business association (especially if it involves complicated laws or situations), this can be a good sign, as they have to get along with others and just get stuff done in general. From there you make a list of prospective lawyers, email them, and go from there. I would also ask for references, both on a professional level and from actual clients, too.

Re: Second Citizenships, Residencies, and/or Temporary Relocation

#224

Post by PeterisP » Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 5:37 PM UTC

mrsaint wrote: post #96

Our two children are 4 and 6, and they both hold four citizenships. My wife is US American, I am German, my dad is Croatian and we've been living in Switzerland for almost 15 years. When the kids were born, they both had US and German citizenship jus sanguinis. German passports arrived almost instantaneously. The US passports required us to visit the US embassy multiple times and fill out plenty of paper work. Them g…

From what I understand of German law, all of you may have lost your German citizenship, depending on how you handled the Croatian and Swiss paperwork - Germany allows for dual citizenship at birth, however, obtaining any other citizenship means loss of German citizenship unless you have obtained a specific “Beibehaltungsgenehmigung” permit beforehand; so the German passports you have might be legally not valid if you haven't filed for and obtained this permit in both cases (which you hopefully have done).

Re: Second Citizenships, Residencies, and/or Temporary Relocation

#225

Post by jahewson » Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 5:39 PM UTC

tonfa wrote: post #141

mrsaint wrote: post #96

Our two children are 4 and 6, and they both hold four citizenships. My wife is US American, I am German, my dad is Croatian and we've been living in Switzerland for almost 15 years. When the kids were born, they both had US and German citizenship jus sanguinis. German passports arrived almost instantaneously. The US passports required us to visit the US embassy multiple times and fill out plenty of paper work. Them g…

I hope the kids won't mind having to declare/pay US taxes :)

Switzerland has a tax treaty with the US which avoids double-taxation.

https://sigtax.com/en/switzerland-united-states-tax-treaty

Re: Second Citizenships, Residencies, and/or Temporary Relocation

#226

Post by mrsaint » Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 5:44 PM UTC

PeterisP wrote: post #224

mrsaint wrote: post #96

Our two children are 4 and 6, and they both hold four citizenships. My wife is US American, I am German, my dad is Croatian and we've been living in Switzerland for almost 15 years. When the kids were born, they both had US and German citizenship jus sanguinis. German passports arrived almost instantaneously. The US passports required us to visit the US embassy multiple times and fill out plenty of paper work. Them g…

From what I understand of German law, all of you may have lost your German citizenship, depending on how you handled the Croatian and Swiss paperwork - Germany allows for dual citizenship at birth , however, obtaining any other citizenship means loss of German citizenship unless you have obtained a specific “Beibehaltungsgenehmigung” permit beforehand; so the German passports you have might be legally not valid if yo…

The Beibehaltungsgenehmigung is outdated in this regard. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beibehaltungsgenehmigung

Re: Second Citizenships, Residencies, and/or Temporary Relocation

#227

Post by hackyhacky » Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 5:51 PM UTC

SlavikCA wrote: post #111

I was born in Russia. That's my red passport. My parent moved with us to USA, when I was 18. That's my dark blue passport. When I was working as Software engineer in California, our company got aquired and they asked us to relocate to Canada. I got PR here and soon will have light blue passport here. Personal thoughts: USA citizenship gives me best opportunities and access to best job market. Canada citizenship gives…

Russia is not exactly a country conducive to unfettered freedom of speech. What are you afraid of getting "cancelled"? Does your Russian passport exempt you from a Twitter ban for spreading misinformation?

Re: Second Citizenships, Residencies, and/or Temporary Relocation

#228

Post by AnotherGoodName » Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 5:57 PM UTC

ericmay wrote: post #162

refurb wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Read your link and what I quoted. It does measure natural resources and a bunch of other “wealth” that goes far beyond personal, disposable wealth. You basically referenced a link you didn’t read. And like I said, when you look at the ranking it doesn’t make sense unless they did include things beyond personal wealth. You really think the average Spaniard is wealthier than the average Norweagean?

Agree completely. I think these numbers look more realistic as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)... Sorry for the "downvotes are the disagree button" that you are experiencing for raising good and interesting discussion points, and frankly calling out misleading numbers that were posted. I didn't know that the average German was worse off and poorer than the average person from Greece…

That reinforces the whole point i'm making. The USA is wealthier per person. The USA is poorer on median wealth. This occurs because the wealth is concentrated in a small number of extremely wealthy people whilst the typical person is poorer. This can be easily fixed to the benefit of the majority with higher taxes on the ultra rich.

Re: Second Citizenships, Residencies, and/or Temporary Relocation

#229

Post by AnotherGoodName » Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 5:59 PM UTC

iso1210 wrote: post #173

AnotherGoodName wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I don’t know what it is about Europeans on American websites telling us how great it is to have 1/3 less PPP and higher taxes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_wealth_pe... I don't mean to be rude but please look at that above link and understand how poor you as a citizen of USA are. It's frustrating to come from a country thats ~3X as wealthy as the USA in terms of median wealth (i'm Australian) an…

Australia's tax burden is 27.8% of GDP USA's tax burden is 27.1% of GDP Not an enormous difference.

The tax brackets are the point i'm making. Australia literally has 0% for the lowest bracket whereas the USA starts at 10% even on the lowest wage earners. The difference is made up for in the higher brackets. This boosts median wealth for a nation whilst it doesn't affect the average wealth per person. Having the median wealth higher so that there's a functioning middle class is a good thing.

Re: Second Citizenships, Residencies, and/or Temporary Relocation

#230

Post by laurencerowe » Sun, Feb 21, 2021, 6:01 PM UTC

cletus wrote: post #217

disabled wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It took several years and a good lawyer to get passed the beaucracy. Ultimately I received the Croatian passport and so did our children about half a year later. Yeah, it is always advisable to get a Croatian lawyer when applying for Croatian citizenship, for example, even if you know exactly what you are doing. Croatian law allows for loose arbitrary interpretations of the law by government servants in the bureauc…

Applying for US citizenship is actually pretty straightforward unless there is something weird about your case (eg a conviction). Nowadays it can take a lot of clock time. But the application itself (N-400) is easy.

Successfully filling in the application form became more difficult recently. I will soon apply and may well engage a lawyer to check my work since I’m not sure these rules have been rescinded yet. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-trump-administra...