The Trump administration Wednesday said it would change the citizenship process for children born to U.S. service members abroad.
Under current policy, children of service members and other officials stationed abroad effectively receive the same automatic citizenship as if they were born on U.S. soil.
But starting Oct. 29, parents of children born outside the U.S. will have to apply for citizenship on their child’s behalf, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a policy memo.“Children residing abroad with their U.S. citizen parents who are U.S. government employees or members of the U.S. armed forces stationed abroad are not considered to be residing in the United States for acquisition of citizenship,” the agency wrote. “Similarly, leave taken in the United States while stationed abroad is not considered residing in the United States even if the person is staying in property he or she owns.“
While the new policy does not change eligibility for citizenship, it makes the process more cumbersome and raises that possibility that some applicants could be denied, advocates said.
“It’s creating a bureaucratic maze for people to attain citizenship,“ said Tyler Moran, director of the Immigration Hub, a pro-immigration group.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine