Us citizen adopted by a canadian wants to come live in canada

[afata5]

Hey All,

I've been looking on the internet for quite some time and I'm all confused regarding the right course of action:

-My girlfriend's mom married a Canadian in the 80s and moved to BC. The father (a Canadian man born in Canada) formally adopted her in 1984. Years later, unfortunately, a divorce happened and my girlfriend and her mother moved back to the US.
-My girlfriend now wants to come back to Canada and be a citizen (or permanent resident, whichever is easier). She has applied for her adoption papers and they have come in. The paperwork states that she was adopted but doesn't come with his proof of citizenship...

Here's where it gets a little complicated:
- Apparently, you need to get proof about the Canadian father being actually Canadian but she doesn't have this option as we don't know where he is now and can't seem to find an online presence in order to establish contact.
- My girlfriend also has kids (under 18) and should she eventually be allowed to get into Canada, apparently, this would be a problem for her kids (not eligible as a result of it the "first generation rule")? Unless we have understood this portion wrong....


So, what are the options? At this point, does it make a difference whether she was adopted or not since we can't find the adoptive father?

Thanks,

Al

Note: Sorry if I am posting in the wrong forum. Please let me know where it should go if I am at the wrong place. Thanks.

 

[Leon]

So what was her status in Canada, did she know? He never applied for her citizenship?

If she thinks it is possible that he applied for her citizenship when she was a child and she never knew about it, she could apply for a search of citizenship records, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/search.asp to find out if they have her on file. If they do, that is still not proof of her citizenship but with the letter, she could apply for a citizenship certificate, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/proof.asp

If he never applied for her citizenship and she wants to try it now, she would find the forms here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/cit-adoption.asp but she would need the adoptive father to fill out some of the forms.

If she does manage to find him and get citizenship or she finds that she already was a citizen all along, her kids may be eligible for citizenship as well if they were born before April 2009 because that was before the 2nd generation rules took effect. Otherwise, she would be able to sponsor them for PR.

 

[afata5]

Thank you Leon.

We see if they applied for citizenship.

With regards to the adoptive father, if he is not found, what options are left?

Thanks,

Al

 

[Leon]

Thank you Leon.

We see if they applied for citizenship.

With regards to the adoptive father, if he is not found, what options are left?

Thanks,

Al

If she finds out that he has died, she could request a search of his citizenship records and she could write to every province to try to get a copy of his birth certificate and then she might still be able to apply. Otherwise, talk to the Canadian embassy in the US, talk to an immigration lawyer. If he is alive but simply can't be found, I don't know if she has any options.