Are there any exceptions to the five-year residency requirement for children for naturalization?

Yes, there are several exceptions to the five-years of residency requirement for children to apply for naturalization in Virginia. One exception is the Child Citizenship Act (CCA) which states that any foreign-born, adopted child who is under eighteen-years-old and currently living in the United States can gain automatic citizenship if their adoptive parents have been a U.S. citizen for at least five-years. This can be acquired without any additional paperwork as soon as the adoption is legally finalized. Another exception applies to children under eighteen-years-old who have at least one parent with U.S. Citizenship. In this case, the child may be able to establish citizenship without meeting the five-year residency requirement. The child will need to go through a legal process of applying for a Certificate of Citizenship from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Also, a child who is under eighteen-years-old and has at least one parent who currently belongs to the U.S. Armed Forces, is also exempt from the five-year residency requirement. The child can apply for U.S. citizenship without having to meet the residency requirement through the Military’s Naturalization Program. Lastly, a child who is outside the United States, but is under eighteen-years-old and one of their parents is a U.S. citizen, can acquire U.S. citizenship without meeting the five-year residency requirement. In this case, the child will need to apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad. In summary, there are several exceptions to the five-year residency requirement for children to acquire naturalization in Virginia. These exceptions include the Child Citizenship Act, children with one parent who is a U.S. citizen, children of a U.S. Armed Forces member, and foreign-born children with one U.S. citizen parent.

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Existen excepciones a los requisitos de residencia de cinco años para niños para la nacionalización. Si el niño es menor de cinco años de edad al momento de presentar la solicitud, el padre, madre o tutor del niño debe cumplir con el requisito de residencia de cinco años, pero el niño es exento. Si el niño tiene entre 5 y 16 años, el padre, madre o tutor del niño no tiene que cumplir con el requisito de residencia de cinco años.

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