MJ Lee of CNN Politics has written “5 Things to Know about the Asian Anchor Baby Controversy,” quoting attorney Gary Chodorow. Jeb Bush was trying to dig himself out from a pile of criticism for using the term “anchor babies.” But his comments at a press conference Monday only brought heaps of new outrage. Defending… Continue reading CNN on Jeb Bush’s “Anchor Baby” Comments (Quoting Gary Chodorow)
Category: Naturalization and Citizenship
Rolling Stone, “Welcome to Maternity Hotel California” (Quoting Gary Chodorow on Chinese Birth Tourism)
Writing for Rolling Stone, in this long read Benjamin Carlson describes the birth tourism odyssey of one Beijing couple, Peter and Ellie Yang.
Immigration Issues for Dual Nationality Chinese Children
China’s Nationality Law “is causing big headaches for the growing number of mixed-nationality families in China,” as recounted in Visa Complexity Vexes Parents of Dual Nationality Chinese Children (Los Angeles Times, Apr. 19, 2015).
Feds Raid Birth Tourism Businesses in Southern California (BBC, USA Today Interview Gary Chodorow)
On March 3, 2015, federal law enforcement officers executed search warrants at about 37 Southern California locations in what is potentially the biggest federal criminal case to date against birth tourism agencies.
Shady Chinese Agencies Promoting U.S. Birth Tourism–Part 3: Policy Responses
This three-part series looks at shady Chinese agencies promoting U.S. birth tourism. Part 1 is an English translation of an investigative report about these agencies by Yicai, a Chinese financial news website. It focuses on the motivations of the intended parents from Mainland China. Part 2 discusses Hong Kong’s struggle with the problem. A crackdown by… Continue reading Shady Chinese Agencies Promoting U.S. Birth Tourism–Part 3: Policy Responses
USCIS Teleconference on Assisted Reproductive Technology Policies
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites you to participate in a stakeholder listening session on Tuesday, Nov. 18, from 1–2:30 p.m. (Eastern) about a policy update on assisted reportoductive technology (ART). This policy update (PA-2014-009) clarifies the definition of “mother” and “parent” under the Immigration and Nationality Act to include gestational legal mothers using… Continue reading USCIS Teleconference on Assisted Reproductive Technology Policies
Enrolling Binational Children in Beijing International Schools: Immigration Law Issues
The school year has just begun in Beijing. But for children of binational couples, it’s not too early to start thinking about immigration-related requirements for enrolling in Beijing international schools next year. In some cases, a child may need to renounce Chinese citizenship in order to become eligible for enrollment. An “international school” [1] is… Continue reading Enrolling Binational Children in Beijing International Schools: Immigration Law Issues
Ministry of Public Security Encourages Whistleblowers to Report on Persons with Dual Nationality
China’s Ministry of Public Security posted this appeal on its website: members of the public with knowledge of family residence registration (hukou) violations should report their tips to the public security bureau. This includes persons who have acquired foreign nationality but failed to cancel their hukou.
A U.S. Citizen Working Abroad Asks about Expeditious Naturalization for Her Husband
Juliana and her husband both work abroad at a U.S. Embassy. She writes to ask about her husband’s eligibility for “expeditious naturalization”: I am a U.S. citizen, and I would my husband to be one too. We both work at the U.S. Embassy in Brazil. We got married in the U.S. in 2007 and moved to… Continue reading A U.S. Citizen Working Abroad Asks about Expeditious Naturalization for Her Husband
Chinese Turning to American Surrogate Mothers
Chinese couples who are unable to have children are turning to a surprising place for help these days: America. By hiring American surrogates, Chinese couples get around a ban on surrogacy in China. Also, by having a child born abroad, parents skirt the one-child policy and get a U.S. passport for their child. These same… Continue reading Chinese Turning to American Surrogate Mothers
Chinese Birth Tourism (Story by Germany’s ARD TV)
Germany’s public broadcaster, ARD, has a story on Chinese birth tourism to the U.S. Karin Dohr interviewed attorney Gary Chodorow for the story. Chodorow says that birth tourism can put couples at risk if they misrepresent the purprose of their visit to the U.S. Consulate when applying for a visa or to U.S. Customs when entering the… Continue reading Chinese Birth Tourism (Story by Germany’s ARD TV)
Birth Tourism: $50,000 for a U.S. Birth Certificate?
The governor of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI), Eloy Inos, and the territory’s delegate to the U.S. Congress, Gregorio Kilili Sablan, say they are working to try to stop birth tourism.
Cult-Induced Renunciation of United States Citizenship
The U.S. State Department instructs consular officers about how to treat “cult members [who] wish to relinquish U.S. nationality.” (7 FAM 1296). Yes, that’s a thing.
Duplicate U.S. Passport: Do American Expats in China Need One?
Do American expats in China need a duplicate U.S. passport? The Public Security Bureau holds your main passport for 15 working days when you apply for a residence permit, which can cause many hassles.
Best Passport for Visa-Free Travel (2013)
Here’s a global ranking of countries by the ability of their passport holders to enter other countries visa-free. The U.S. ties for 2nd place, with its citizens able to enter 172 countries with no visa. And China is in 82nd place, with its citizens able to enter 44 countries with no visa.
Birth Tourists Face Prison in Hong Kong
About 420 mainland Chinese women have been sentenced to prison in Hong Kong since October 2010 for violating immigration laws in order to give birth in the city, according to Te-Ping Chen of the Wall Street Journal.
Shady Chinese Agencies Promoting U.S. Birth Tourism–Part 2: Hong Kong’s Struggle with the Problem
This series looks at shady Chinese agencies promoting U.S. birth tourism:
Shady Chinese Agencies Promoting U.S. Birth Tourism–Part 1: Undercover Investigation
This series looks at shady Chinese agencies promoting U.S. birth tourism:
Translation: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Release, “How Chinese Citizens Should Deal with Nationality Issues” (Apr. 14, 2008)
Source: China Web Due to global integration and the day-by-day increase of Sino-foreign contacts, nationality problems are arising for Chinese citizens living in Mainland China . Some Mainland Chinese citizens qualify under foreign law to apply for or automatically acquire foreign citizenship (even if they have never been abroad) due to a foreign adoption, foreign… Continue reading Translation: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Release, “How Chinese Citizens Should Deal with Nationality Issues” (Apr. 14, 2008)
Translation: Nationality Law of the People’s Republic of China
(Source: Ministry of Public Security. The English translation is not official.) NATIONALITY LAW OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (Adopted at the Third Session of the Fifth National People’s Congress, promulgated by Order No. 8 of the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on and effective as of September 10, 1980)… Continue reading Translation: Nationality Law of the People’s Republic of China