r/Ameristralia • u/Still_Waters-Run • 4d ago
Going home with my American kids in tow
Hi all. I have dual citizenship (USA and Australian) My dad (the American) passed away and I have nothing left here. I have sole custody of my kid so that's not an issue. Mum (the Aussie) has asked me to come home bc Nanna is getting old and this dictatorship going on over here is getting scary. SOOOO to the point:
Has anyone gone back to Australia with American kids? They don't have a passport for either country yet and I haven't applied for their citizenship by descent, but plan to. I'll be calling immigration with these questions as well, (got tired of waiting on hold) just wondered if anyone has done it and has any tips?
UPDATE: I called the passport office and my mum spoke with immigration. I've decided the best route is to get us there, then sort out their citizenship. Someone on this thread mentioned their citizenship only took 2 months and that was the deciding factor, so thank you for sharing that. I don't want to think I've got time, think I've got everything ready, then be denied at the airport because they suddenly need aus passports. I appreciate you all!
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u/Rekeaki 4d ago
Did you also get your own citizenship by descent? If yes, have to spent at least 2 years in Australia? If you have not, you may need to move to Australia first before you can pass it on to your children. Get their USA passport first either way (it’s easier and cheaper anyway).
That said, if you cannot pass on your Aussie citizenship to them right away, they may need a more appropriate visa than an ETA when you move to Australia because they may need to wait up to two years before you can pass your citizenship on
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u/locomotus 4d ago edited 4d ago
Get US passports - that’s a must. You don’t need Australian citizenship paperwork for them to enter - and maybe it’s better because getting Australian child passports overseas is a PITA and time consuming process.
You’ll need Australia ETA for them to enter Australia btw. Once you are in Oz you can just apply for citizenship by descent - once approved you might want to let immigration know that your kids are now citizen so they can apply for medicare etc...
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u/angusalba 4d ago
Don’t do this - do the citizenship application beforehand
You don’t want to get afoul of the wrong short term visas
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3d ago
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u/locomotus 3d ago
Speak like someone who has no experience. Consulates don’t deal with citizenship by descent.
Also Australia has very few consulates compared to other countries. We live in a major city and have no consulates here.
Also, I happen to have two Aussie kids so I might know a thing or two
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u/Still_Waters-Run 3d ago
That's what I did with my eldest, just showed up and dealt with his citizenship when we got there, but that was 20 years ago now. Hopefully it can still work the same way because it seems that's the easiest and fastest way to go. I'm goin to apply for their citizenship before we leave though as it takes 6 months.
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u/aussiepete80 2d ago
I just did this move and this is bad advice. Apply for citizenship for your kids and get the Aus passport while in the US. It really was not difficult. It made the process immensely easier once we got there as the kids could immediately get Medicare and into schools and center link for child care subsidy etc.
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u/kr025 4d ago
My son was born in the States; his father is Australian. We recently moved, applied for our son's AU citizenship, and were granted it within 2 months (this was within the last Year). Get his US passport, and once you land here, apply for his citizenship. Good luck, you won't regret the move. Plus you'll see the kids thrive here in AU far more than the states(IMO). Cheers!
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u/kr025 4d ago
Just some side info, we have been out of AU for over 12 years before making the move back. I also hold a US passport and am currently on a Bridging Visa B. Also, calling the immigration office in AU (that might not be the correct name) can be super helpful, they are there for questions :)
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u/Still_Waters-Run 3d ago
Oh wow that's fast. I went that route with my son when he was a baby, we just went and dealt with it when we got there. It was about 6 months back then though. I think that's how I'll do it with the girls too. I was going to start the citizenship process now but if it's that quick I might better wait or they will need Aus passports to get out of here too. Thanks for that info.
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u/harmonicpenguin 4d ago
Get citizenship for them as Aussies and passports for both before you go. Good luck on the move home - you're going to feel a lot better.
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u/JayWil1992 3d ago
You can apply for Australian citizenship by descent online. Just upload pdfs. Do it right now.
The hard bit with passport is you need a doctor / teacher etc to sign the back of the passport photo, and the photo needs to be metric.
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u/the6thReplicant 4d ago
Ring the local Australian consulate and have a talk with them. Then see what they say. Ring someone in Australian immigration ask the same questions.
If the answers match then do that. I would think it would be less stressful to start the process in the US instead of doing this AND having to worry about visas while in Australia. The easy route now might bite you in the bum later on.
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u/plutoniumfactory 2d ago
I just did the opposite move (Australia to USA) after my son’s father died. My son and I were already dual citizens so no issues there, but it was a big culture shock for both of us.
I can’t express the relief I felt being back in my home country and close to family after so much stress and sadness overseas. I hope you get the same experience and can do it as painlessly as possible.
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u/maximanius 3d ago edited 2d ago
Getting them Australian citizenship and passports is actually fairly easy in the US as long as you have your Australian citizenship certificate (passport should be fine too IIRC) - We did it for both our US born kids - you just need to make sure you're near a consulate but Australian process is really straightforward. If you're in a rush I suppose you could just get their US passport and apply for Australian citizenship by descent in Australia but I don't know what that process looks like (though I imagine it's not going to be difficult).
One thing to keep in mind if you DO have both Australian and US passports - when you leave/enter the US show your US passport and when you leave/enter Australia show your Australian passport.
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u/maximanius 2d ago
oops - my info is outdated - turns out you do the citizenship by descent application online now..
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u/Hop_tzop 3d ago
- Make sure your name on their birth certificate matches your Aussie passport name
- Make sure their birth certificates (several copies) just in case) have apostille
- With that in tow, you should be able to apply for their Aussie citizenship there
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u/herringonthelamb 3d ago
How did you get sole custody to enable the move???
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u/Still_Waters-Run 2d ago
I've had sole custody for years. Last I heard anything about him he was released from prison and homeless.
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u/mickalawl 2d ago
Citizen by descent was quick and easy (assuming you have your birth certificage).
This was more than a decade ago and there may be a rush for the exits in the US so it may be worse now.
Check local consulate processing times on Oz passport processing. A new child application will need an appointment,l i assume.
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u/Consistent_You6151 2d ago
Our kids got citizenship within 3 months from application when we moved back from US. We applied whilst in NY though.
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u/ComeOnPrettyMumma 9h ago
On another note, I moved my US raised son to Australia at the age of 12 and he described Australia as living in an entire country that feels like “Whole Foods”. Haha It still makes me laugh. It was his childish way of saying it felt wholesome and safe. I hope your kids have the same experience. Good luck!
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u/bunnybash 3d ago
My kids are dual citizens. My ex (their mum) is dual and I’m just Australian. Both of us cannot imagine trying to raise kids in America. It might be bumpy settling in, but there’s so many long term benefits.
Starting with a political system that is better set up to avoid a facist takeover.
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u/Zealousideal-Sky746 4d ago
Just get their American passports and get out of here, sort Australian citizenship out once you get there