Legal Question in Immigration Law in Panama

legalized

i have a friend who wants to come to the u.s. for a visit. he is having trouble getting a visa.he was born in a army hospital in panama, someone told him that if you were born in a american hospt that you were considered a american citizen. could you help us with this i have searched and i dont know where to look for the answer.thank you for any help you can give us


Asked on 4/03/04, 2:21 pm

3 Answers from Attorneys
Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

Re: legalized

The answer to your question is most assuredly, no,

unless one or both of your parents happened to be American citizens.

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Answered on 4/03/04, 2:28 pm
Jonathon Moseley Jonathon A. Moseley

Re: legalized

Please clarify: How old is your friend? Your friend may have had the right to elect US or Panamanian citizenship up through the age of 18, on the theory that the Canal Zone is U.S. territory. But if he was a citizen of Panama, I'm not sure. The more important question is why is he having trouble getting a visa? Are there any specific indications, hints, questions, feedback from the Consulate as to what the issues are he has to solve?

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Answered on 4/03/04, 4:57 pm
Beth Gray Gray & Co.

Re: legalized

You might check out the website: http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/0/0fdfb3fb60cad0e485256e370011ee66?OpenDocument which is the policy of the Social Security administration regarding those claiming to have US citizenship. As Mr. Moseley states, some persons born in the Panama Canal Zone before 1979 may be eligible to apply for citizenship, but I understand that you had to be properly registered there AND have elected US citizenship before reaching the age of 18.

In any case, I would recommend contacting INS or US Citizenship and Immigration Service: http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm.

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Answered on 4/03/04, 6:07 pm


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