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Immigration & Naturalization Service
State Department Visa Services
ANNOUNCEMENT
PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNS "CHILD CITIZENSHIP ACT OF 2000"
On October 30, 2000, President Clinton signed into law H.R. 2833, the "Child Citizenship Act of 2000."
This new law amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide automatic U.S. citizenship for a child born
outside the United States when the following conditions are met: (1) at least one parent is a U.S. citizen; (2) the
child is under 18 years old; and (3) the child is residing in the United States in the legal and physical custody
of the citizen parent pursuant to a lawful admission for permanent residence.
Under prior law, foreign-born adopted children could be subject to removal if they did not acquire U.S. citizenship
after being brought to the United States - even if they had lived their lives since infancy in the United States.
The new law provides that all benefits, including citizenship, that accrue to a natural born child should accrue to an
adopted child. Certain qualifications still must be met and certain forms will still need to be filed under the new
law, which does not go into effect until February 27, 2001. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the
State Department will release further details in the coming weeks.
H.R. 2883 passed the House by voice vote on September 19, 2000 and passed the Senate by unanimous consent on October 10,
2000. I was pleased to support this legislation and grateful that the President signed it into law.
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