I was told that it’s possible for an American citizen to lose his citizenship if he hasn’t returned to the U.S. within 14 years of leaving. A political science professor told me this.
Is this true?
:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: NO NO NO
but you lose your class participation grade, get two demerits, and have to sit in coach on the way back TWICE ! 
o.k. maybe that was less than helpful (but I couldn’t help myself) check out
[quote=“cipos”]I was told that it’s possible for an American citizen to lose his citizenship if he hasn’t returned to the U.S. within 14 years of leaving. A political science professor told me this.
Is this true?[/quote]
I think that you certainly lose your voting rights in local and state elections.
What are some of the ways I can lose my U.S. citizenship
Status of your passport would be an item to consider in this. If you lapse in keeping your passport current, it may, and most probably will, cause you problems, including deportation, from your country of residence.
More info here:
usconstitution.net/consttop_citi.html
Look under the heading…“Losing your citizenship”
Your right to vote in local or state elections can be lost as soon as you no longer claim residency, however you will still have the right to vote for federal offices, including congressional offices, in the jurisdiction you were last resident in, no matter how long you’ve been outside the US. (In practice many jurisdictions allow overseas residents to vote in local and state elections because it is simpler to just have one ballot. However, check your state tax laws to check if voting in a local or state election would result in being considered a resident for tax purposes.)
Thanks for that info jlick , so in other words “you can’t have your cake and eat it too” hmmm :no-no: only fair I’d say, since our country was founded on the principle of "No taxation without representation. 
Slightly OT but…
If you’ve acquired Australian citizenship recently(migration etc.) you will lose it if you are away from the country for an extended period - five years if I remember correctly. There has been a change to the legal status of recent acquirers of citizenship not ones before a particular date (which I can’t remember).
I think it was in response to a recent consular crisis (Lebanon?) where scores of AU passport holders (long gone from Australia and having no intention of returning) demanded government assisted evacuation during a flare up of bombing and mayhem. Some had been out of Australia for 10 years + and were living comfortably in Lebanon on their AU$ pensions…
So basically, I can stay out of the U.S. as long as I like without ever going back as long as I keep my passport current. This makes everything a lot easier.
Sure but the reason you’d need to keep your passport current has to do with the foreign country you are in. A passport is simply a document that “validates” a fact. Need a VALID passport, right? Remember to renew at LEAST 6 months before or BETTER and always have at least 6 months… no better a year left and ALWAYS order a 40 page passport, it’s free. You can’t travel anywhere without 6 months validity left on a passport or its essentialy useless for anybody regardless of nationality, visa-free or not (whew) :blah:
[quote=“llama_lout”]Slightly OT but…
If you’ve acquired Australian citizenship recently(migration etc.) you will lose it if you are away from the country for an extended period - five years if I remember correctly. …[/quote]
What a load of horseshit…
I really dont know where you get your info from but it this unfounded drivel like this that leads to myths being bandied about by those the least knowledsgable about another countries citizenship laws.
Hope it’s OK to revive this thread.
What about someone who just received citizenship in the US?
IOW, she went through the naturalization process, took the oath, applied for and got a US passport, and within 2 weeks was in Taiwan again (entering using her Taiwan passport). She plans to live here on this basis for 5 years or more.
Are there any precautions she should take to avoid hassles in reentering the US as a citizen?
[quote=“llama_lout”]Slightly OT but…
If you’ve acquired Australian citizenship recently(migration etc.) you will lose it if you are away from the country for an extended period - five years if I remember correctly. There has been a change to the legal status of recent acquirers of citizenship not ones before a particular date (which I can’t remember).
I think it was in response to a recent consular crisis (Lebanon?) where scores of AU passport holders (long gone from Australia and having no intention of returning) demanded government assisted evacuation during a flare up of bombing and mayhem. Some had been out of Australia for 10 years + and were living comfortably in Lebanon on their AU$ pensions…[/quote]
Yes but they were only holding resident visa and were not citizens. [color=#0000FF]Residency visa’s can expire if you leave Australia[/color]. There is no expiry date on citizenship until you yourself expire. However you can do what I did and renounce it to obtain another citizenship.
You can also resume it as well.
Just make certain that she gets a new passport before the current one expires.
Nothing else to worry about.
Come on. Simply not voting in a U.S. election (for whatever length of time) will not cost you your citizenship. Hell, less than 1/2 of the citizens vote. Are you suggesting that 1/2 of the U.S. population are no longer citizens? If you are not a citizen, you can’t work (I know, some minor exceptions). Do you really think that the U.S. would not accept taxation from these “illegal” residents? What would they do with them? The mind boggles. Think of the social service folks who would be put out of work. What Embassy do we call when a prisoner, who can’t vote, has been locked away for 14 years? Maybe just kick them out of the prison and deport them to Zanadu. Come on!
[quote=“Satellite TV”][quote=“llama_lout”]Slightly OT but…
If you’ve acquired Australian citizenship recently(migration etc.) you will lose it if you are away from the country for an extended period - five years if I remember correctly. …[/quote]
What a load of horseshit…
I really dont know where you get your info from but it this unfounded drivel like this that leads to myths being bandied about by those the least knowledsgable about another countries citizenship laws.[/quote]
I’m sorry but changes to legislation mean that if you have gained permanent residency in the last little while and don’t reside in Australia for at least one day in a set period you loose permanent residency. This isn’t bullshit as it affects a friend at the moment who has gained permanent residency through marriage but lives here. She has to go to Oz for 1 day to activate her residency and must do so every 5 years to maintain this. This bullshit is in the letter from the immigration department she has shown me. So the horshit is fresh from the immigration department.
I think permanent residency and citizenship are two completely different things. If you are not a citizen you can lose your permanent residency but you cannot lose your citizenship even if you have not been in the country for 20 years. You are still a citizen just not a resident.
It sounds like your friend is not a citizen but only has permanent residency.
One day in five years is hardly an onerous requirement for someone who’s supposed to be resident. In Taiwan you will lose your permanent residency if you’re in the country less than 183 days in any one year (although you can apply on a per-case basis for an exemption to this rule). I think Taiwan’s requirements are excessive, but the Aussie rules seem reasonable (or even too lenient).
[quote=“TainanCowboy”]What are some of the ways I can lose my U.S. citizenship
Status of your passport would be an item to consider in this. If you lapse in keeping your passport current, it may, and most probably will, cause you problems, including deportation, from your country of residence.
More info here:
usconstitution.net/consttop_citi.html
Look under the heading…“Losing your citizenship”[/quote]
Hey thanks for the link. I just found out that I can run for PRESIDENT OF THE USA after all. I didnt know that. Cuz being born in tAiwan, I thought I am out of luck . But according to that link. Me born of one parent who was a US CITIZEN and having lived at least five years in the USA before I was born I can indeed run for Prez.
Right on. Move over Barack ! Tommy525 for Prez !! hip hip hooray.
As US prez I would be licensed to kill, much like James Bond. Invade countries, etc.
p.s. I AM kidding.
McCain was born in Panama and while there were a few people grumbling about whether he could run, it seems to pass muster so far.