If you are a citizen of the United States, you have many rights due to that status. However, it is not necessarily something permanent or guaranteed for life.
If you are a natural-born citizen or even naturalized, you will remain so for life unless you voluntarily choose to renounce your citizenship. But there are some ways in which your citizenship can be revoked against your will.
Both people who were born citizens and those who obtained citizenship later in life can have their citizenship revoked, but the required circumstances differ for the two groups.
Here’s what you need to know about when and how you might cease to be a citizen of the United States.
Different Ways to Lose Your American Citizenship
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a person born a citizen of this country cannot lose their nationality unless they voluntarily and intentionally renounce it.
However, there are certain behaviors that can result in the loss of nationality, even if you were born in the United States. This is because the Court has decided that actions incompatible with the permanence of citizenship can be a form of voluntary renunciation.
Here are some different situations in which citizenship status is at risk for natural-born citizens.
Running for Public Office or Working for a Foreign Government
If you run for public office in another country for a policymaking position, this may be grounds for losing your citizenship, even if you were born in the United States. Becoming a citizen of another country or declaring loyalty to another country and then accepting a position in that government can also result in the loss of your American nationality.
However, the key is to know whether your action demonstrates a specific intent to renounce U.S. citizenship. If so, and if you are over 18 and have left the United States, it may be considered that you voluntarily renounced your status as a U.S. citizen.
Serving in a Foreign Army
If you are over 18 and join the army of another country when it is engaged in wars against the U.S., or if you become an officer in the army of another country, this may be seen as a voluntary revocation of your citizenship, and you may lose your status as a U.S. citizen.
Applying for Citizenship Elsewhere with the Intent to Renounce U.S. Citizenship
Simply becoming a citizen of another country is generally not enough to lose your U.S. citizenship status. Instead, you must do so with the intent to sever your ties with the United States, be over 18, and have left the U.S. at the time your citizenship is lost.
Committing an Act of Treason Against the U.S.
If you participate in an effort to overthrow the government of this country or commit other acts of treason, such as bearing arms against the U.S., you may lose the right to be a citizen.
What is Denaturalization?
Denaturalization occurs when you lose American citizenship acquired through the naturalization process.
The naturalization process is the steps a person must follow to become a citizen of this country when they were not born here. The denaturalization process happens when the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) identifies a problem with your application or identifies behaviors after you become a citizen that should result in the loss of your nationality.
Reasons for Denaturalization
Behaviors and actions taken before and after naturalization can result in denaturalization. They include the following reasons.
Becoming Naturalized Illegally
There are certain requirements you must meet to become a naturalized citizen, including having physical presence in the United States, being legally admitted for permanent residence, and showing good moral character.
If you did not meet these requirements and became naturalized illegally, your citizenship may be revoked.
Intentional Misrepresentation or Concealment of Facts in a Naturalization Application
When applying for U.S. citizenship, you must be honest and straightforward about the facts related to your application. If you deliberately lie or fail to disclose a material fact (relevant and important), you will be subject to denaturalization.
Becoming a Member of Certain Organizations After Naturalization
If you become a member of the Communist Party, a terrorist organization, or any totalitarian party within five years after naturalizing, you may be subject to denaturalization.
This is because the U.S. government believes that membership in these organizations shows that you cannot meet the requirements of being attached to the U.S. Constitution and “well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States.”
Dishonorable Discharge from Military Service
If you became a citizen based on military service and received a discharge that is not honorable, you may lose your nationality.
Source: Forbes