Consular Affairs News
30 March 2007 Talk to the Consul London
Have you ever wanted to discuss the things that your Embassy can do for you as a private American citizen living abroad? Do you have questions about renewing your U.S. passport, registering your child as a U.S. citizen, or what the ramifications are of holding multiple citizenships? Have you ever wondered whether you can register to vote (yes) or renew your U.S. driver's license (no) at the Embassy? Andre Goodfriend, Chief of American Citizen Services at the U.S. Embassy in London, will talk with you about Embassy services available to American citizens, particularly those in the UK, in the 7th of a continuing series of Talk to the Consul sessions.
André Goodfriend began serving as First Secretary and Consul in London in August, 2004, where he is Chief of the American Citizen Services branch of the U.S. Embassy's Consular Section.
Born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Mr. Goodfriend studied at universities in Tucson, Jerusalem and London before joining the Foreign Service in 1987.
Mr. Goodfriend's postings have included Tel Aviv, New Delhi, Moscow, Washington and as a Regional Consular Officer working with a number of US embassies in Africa. He speaks French, Hebrew and Russian, as well as some Spanish, Greek and Hindi.
André Goodfriend
Good Afternoon on this our seventh American citizen webchat. We apologize for the late start. The Embassy just had an unannounced evacuation exercise -- one of the regular exercises we have to help prepare our staff for any eventuality. Now that we're back, we look forward to answering your questions.
Question from Donna : Respected sir, my name is donna, i have been in ISLE OF MAN for a year with my husband, i just had a son, i have read in you web site that to get my SON a US passport i have to bring him they, but as we are in ISLE OF MAN, how could my son travel with me? he doesnt have a passport? what should I do? THANK YOU Sincerly donna
André Goodfriend
Donna, thank you for this question. Generally you'll be allowed to bring your infant from the Isle of Man to Belfast or London to have him documented as an American citizen. It would be similar for a child born to a British citizen who wished to travel within the United Kingdom with their child. You may need to have documentation showing that the child is yours, but the birth certificate will generally suffice, since it lists you as the parents.
Question from Mary Elaine : My Name is Mary Elaine and I will be in London between 30th May and the 7th June. I want an interview at the American Embassy at this time. I need details of sponsoring my British friend. I am an American Citizen and I have lived all my life in Carver, Massachusetts. I need to know what papers to bring with me. I would be grateful for all information.
André Goodfriend
Mary Elaine, I'm assuming that you are asking about how to obtain a visa for your British friend? Without more detail, it will be hard to know if I'm answering your question correctly. However, assuming that you are asking about having your friend just come for a short tourist visit, there's no real need for an American citizen sponsor. Nonimmigrant visas to the United States are not based on sponsorship, but are based upon the qualifications of the applicant him/herself. Sponsorship plays more of a role with regards to immigrant visas. For an immigrant visa an American citizen can file a petition for an immediate family member or for a fiancé/e. But again, if you are writing about a nonimmigrant visa for your friend, there is no real sponsorship role for an American citizen.
Question from Tony : I am a 30 year old male who is the legitimate son of a US citizen based in the UK since 1970. I am attempting to visit the US at the beginning of July to propose to my long term Irish girlfriend, however due to unfortunate events that occurred in my youth I am ineligible to enter the US under the VWP. As I am the son of a US Citizen am I then unable to travel under a visa? I would prefer to obtain citizenship and a passport but I do not know where to begin. A solicitor has attempted to charge me £300 for 1 meeting to discuss this but surely I have the ability to approach the consul directly.
André Goodfriend
Tony, thank you for asking this. As the child of an American citizen, it's true, you may have a claim to U.S. citizenship. We have posted information about the criteria for U.S. citizenship at birth based on a parent's citizenship on our website at http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/acs/passports/robirth.html. You have written that you are 30 years old, which would mean that you were born around 1978. The criterion is therefore as follows:
Child born in wedlock to one U.S. citizen parent and one non-U.S. Citizen parent between December 24, 1952 and November 13, 1986: A child born outside of the United States to one U.S. Citizen parent and one non-U.S. Citizen parent, may be entitled to citizenship providing the U.S. Citizen parent had, prior to the birth of the child, been physically present in the United States for a period of ten years, at least five years of which were after s/he reached the age of fourteen.
If you meet this criterion, you should apply for a passport, following the instructions at http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/acs/passports/fta.html
The fee for a first-time passport application is currently $100 -- far less than the £300 you cited.
Question from U.S. Embassy London: I am an American, 17 years old, and studying in London. I will be 18 on Oct. 31, can I vote in the upcoming Presidential Election? (submitted by the Embassy on behalf of an American who called in with his question)
André Goodfriend
There is a tremendous amount of interest in the U.S. elections this year, and I'm glad that you're already looking to "exercise your franchise" (i.e. to vote). Yes, the fact you will reach the age of 18 by the election date entitles you to apply for a ballot. The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website at http://www.fvap.gov provides the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) and the state-by-state instructions for completing the form. You should complete the FPCA in accordance with the instructions for the state in which you normally reside.
Question from U.S. Embassy London: Dear Mr. Goodfriend: I received an email from the LondonWarden email address a few days ago but it does not look genuine. I have never received any requests for personal information via email from the Embassy without logging on to a website. Please confirm with me how to handle this email appropriately. Thank you for your time. (submitted by the Embassy on behalf of an American who had emailed us her question)
André Goodfriend
I was expecting this question. First, yes, it was a genuine email. I'm glad that people don't trust every email that comes their way asking for personal information. All offical correspondence from a U.S. Government office will generally have a .gov email address -- and this one is legitimate, coming from London-Warden@state.gov .
The Embassy is updating its registration records so that we can better respond in an emergency. We've recently restructured our database geographically so that we can better reach out to American citizens when a situation affects a specific geographic area (such as the flooding last summer, or the fuel depot explosion near Hemel Hempstead a couple years ago). Many of our records have only the email address, or are several years old. So, we're trying to get them up to date. As indicated by the emergency drill we at the Embassy went through just before the beginning of this webchat, we value preparedness in advance of an emergency. We appreciate your understanding as we go through this exercise.
Question from Alan: : i have just found out that a certain person from northern ireland who resides in the usa has a daughter whos father is also from northern ireland but has a friend in usa who is down as the father to make the child american so the family can stay is this legal
André Goodfriend
Allan, am I right in understanding that someone you know has provided false information to our Consulate in Belfast in order to fraudulently document a child as an American citizen? If that is the case, then "no""it isn't legal.
Question from U.S. Embassy London:: I frequently look at the travel.state.gov website for information before I travel outside the UK. The page looks different now. (submitted by the Embassy on behalf of an American who had emailed us her question)
André Goodfriend
Thank you for this. In January, the Department of State began introducing changes to its Consular Information Program (CIP) - "Consular Information Sheets" became "Country Specific Information" and "Public Announcements" became "Travel Alerts." On February 22, this project to improve our public outreach continued with the introduction of new designs of CIP content on travel.state.gov. Among the new features are an interactive map that allows users to browse Country Specific Information by region and a more intuitive alphabetical menu. We've also updated the format of our Country Specific Information pages. The new CSI design features more prominent links to travel warnings and alerts, a country map, easier navigation of CSI content, and links to individual Embassy American Citizen Services (ACS) pages when possible. We hope you enjoy this new look.
Question from Donna : Hello Andre WhatIwould like to do is sponsor her as apart of my family. I would like to have an appoint to bring her home with me and to live with me
André Goodfriend
Donna, it looks then like you are seeking to have her immigrate to the United States. In your earlier question you had indicated that she was a friend. Unfortunately, there is no immigrant visa category for friends -- even if they will be like a part of the family. For more information about the visa process, you should call 09042-450100. This is a "user pays" number, however the fees collected help ensure that it can run extended hours and your call will be answered promptly. At this number can discuss the type of visa that might be appropriate, and what documents would be required.
André Goodfriend
We have again appreciated the opportunity to answer questions on issues of interest to the American community in the UK. Again, I apologize for the late start to this afternoon's webchat. However, emergencies are often unexpected, and drills such as the one we just had at the Embassy can help ensure that we will know what to do if a real emergency were to occur. We hope that Americans residing in the UK or just visiting also know what they would do in an emergency. One place to go for good information about emergency preparedness is the State Department's website at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/emergencies/emergencies_1212.html . Until next time. Andre Goodfriend Chief, American Citizen Services U.S. Embassy, London
Webchat ends.
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