Renunciation and Relinquishment of United States Citizenship: Discussion thread (Ask your questions) Part Two
Ask your questions about Renunciation and Relinquishment of United States Citizenship and Certificates of Loss of Nationality.
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NB: This discussion is a continuation of an older discussion that became too large for our software to handle well. See Renunciation and Relinquishment of United States Citizenship: Discussion thread (Ask your questions) Part One
@UtterlyFrustrated
Congrats. I dont know where you live, but I never had to have my CLN translated. I just handed over a photocopy to the bank.
@Polly it’s not for bank purposes. The citizenship office needs it so they can officially give me my citizenship, and they can’t read English.
@UtterlyFrustrated, what great news to start the week with! Congratulations. Now go and be the citizen you want to be without the US burden.
Thanks, @MedeaFleecestealer! I found it doubly fitting that I got it today because it’s my father’s birthday and it’s the first one without him (he died in February) so I felt like even though it was HIS birthday, he gave ME a gift. There are no words to even begin to express the incredible weight that’s been lifted off my shoulders. That is, until tax filing time comes :s
@UtterlyFrustrated
Huzzah! How wonderful! Here’s hoping the rest of everything goes smoothly for you to make up for the travails you have had so far.
@UtterlyFrustrated
I can so relate to your emotional whirlwind upon receiving your CLN.
When I went to the Toronto consulate to renounce back in mid-April, I was told to expect a wait of 9 months before receiving my CLN. Me thinks that they over-estimate the wait time so that there are fewer call-backs from anxious renunciates as to “when will my CLN arrive”.
In any event, last Monday I got a call from this consulate confirming that my CLN had arrived and that they would be mailing it to my home. HOORAY!!!!! So the CLN took just over 4 months (rather than 9) to arrive.
With thrill, relief, still a bit of sadness mixed with the joy, I went to our bank and crowed to my friend (a teller at the bank who has been empathetically aware of the process & regularly monitoring the situation that I and others have been dealing with).
Congrats and enjoy the new freedom; let’s both hope that our new CLNs are sufficient for our FFIs to leave us alone.
@Queenston. Sounds like the Calgary consulate is more reasonable than Vancouver. When I wrotet to them I told them that when I took Canadian citizenship in 2002 I relinquished my US citizenship, and I wanted to book an appointment to get a CLN as proof of relinquishment. I answered ‘no’ to question 10 and crossed out question 11 and wrote N/A since I have relinquished and am not renouncing. They would not accept this and wrote back that whether I am relinquishing or renouncing I have to answer question 11. Since I figured I wouldn’t get an appointment without answering I checked off ‘affirm’. They responded ‘thank you.’ I am still waiting to see if they will give me a December appointment. If I do get an appointment I am going to insist on a CLN for relinquishment as I have done absolutely nothing to claim US citizenship since becoming Canadian. I refuse to renounce as there is no way I can afford the over $2,000 ridiculous fee. We are like indentured slaves. If I had over $2,000 I would donate it to the charter challenge before I would give it to the US.
@UtterlyFrustrated
What an incredible relief this must be for you. Congratulations. It must mean so much more to you that you received it on your father’s birthday.
@UtterlyFrustrated, Congratulation, What a wonderful gift the CLN is. Enjoy your new freedom!!
@ Utterly Frustrated,
Delighted to read that your CLN arrived today! Your situation sounded like a particularly stressful one to be in. Really happy you got your freedom and can move forward with life!
Got my CLN late last week. Since I get a (VERY SMALL) monthly Social Security check deposited in my local (Cdn) bank, I wondered if I needed to inform them about this change in my citizenship status. It took several tries at calling before I got in the wait-line (rather than the “too many callers, we’re hanging up on you now” line, but glad I persisted.
For Canadians receiving Social Security payments, the rule is that you don’t have to let them know immediately but that this information should be provided to them when one fills out their annual “Change of information” mailing. For those who are not yet connected with Social Security, this form is just a general form ( e.g. change of name or address, etc).
Thus, for those in Canada, it seems, loss of citizenship/nationality does NOT effect receipt of Social Security payments. I don’t think this is the case for residents/citizens all countries, although I imagine there are some other countries where getting your CLN does not jeopardize one’s SS monthly payments.
Just thought this info would be helpful for others to know……
The “I hate you twice as much as I did when you only had the intention to renounce” has already started. I mentioned for those who were curious on Facebook that I had received my CLN, no more, no less. Just: “I got my CLN!”. Well, the hate storm exploded like a volcano, and I am treated to constant news feed updates by various people preaching how much they love America from the rooftops and how they are so glad they live in the “greatest country in the world” and “couldn’t imagine living anywhere else”. I’ve also had the pleasure of seeing the national anthem repeatedly posted. I don’t get why all the hate is here. For me, it would be as if I moved to a different state in the US. It would take a very special person in your home town to hate you because of that. It’s not like I really need their approval, I’m just a little disappointed. I was hoping that with the receipt of my new nationality I would see the US through new positive eyes. Instead I feel like they’re being gouged out by the poisonous hate spew I’ve come to know and tolerate.
@Utterly..simple jealousy and fragile egos.
@UtterlyFrustrated, don’t take it to heart. Remember, these are people who have probably never even been outside of the US, not even for a holiday. They can’t see any place being better than where they live because they’ve never experienced anything else. When it’s all you know of course it’s the best.
Simple solution, close your Fascebook account.
@UtterlyFrustrated Congrats on receiving your CLN, now you can get on with your life. These people who cannot support your decision are not your friends. They are also totally unaware of how they would be treated by their country if they also decided to live elsewhere. They don’t believe our stories. Until the internet, people in the US has very little access to any news outside their country unless they traveled. Many still do not know much about anywhere else.
Is there a spot on this website where we have a listing of companies or individuals that offer good pricing or good services for those who are interested in getting compliant with there US taxes. The accountant that I used was great for pricing and services.
I will not make mention of any names if this is not the place for it. But I was very happy with the work that my accountant did and he was very good in terms of answering questions, pricing and knowledge. He was not one of the hucksters who was trying to take advantage of people in a bad/stressful situation.
Cheers.
@TokyoRose that’s really not the solution, as it accounts for only 3% of my Facebook friends, who just happen to be extremely annoying. The best thing is just to delete them, which I already have done, but my main reason for posting it here was to express disappointment that I, in my apparent delirium, did not expect them to go THAT far. Was just wondering if anyone else here was having to deal with things like that, though I assume so.
@Utterly
Hows about this one, you are so not alone: “The only fee should be for the price of a 9mm bullet put to the head of the applicant and seizure of their assets. Death should be the only way of voluntarily giving up US citizenship.” Oh, and another one I had was “scream like you like it bit*h”. How anyone can ever think this way I will never understand. Who are these people? Unfortunately there sure seems to be a LOT of them.
@Charl You definitely win. I’m surprised you didn’t want to choke someone for that! I’m speechless at the idiocy that runs rampant through these people’s veins. The worst I’ve been called was a Nazi and the usual traitor. I was told through a third party that someone believed all renunciants should be lined up and shot, but as it wasn’t directed personally towards me, I’ll not count it.
@UtterlyFrustrated
Congratulations! What a relief to be free!
I don’t have anything to do with Facebook (nor almost any other US based internet service for that matter), but I’m not surprised at the response. Don’t look to Americans for sympathy or even understanding; they generally aren’t able to comprehend the matter at all.
The US Consulate General site in Germany now states that the renunciation fee is $2350. Yesterday it was still $450. No further information or explanation is provided; they simply changed the numbers.
http://germany.usembassy.gov/acs/citizenship/renounce/
It is amazing and horrifying that the Embassies/consulates can just, with the flick of a pen or keyboard, change the price so dramatically. Most organizations where there is a fee allow people who have already made arrangements to come in for whatever “service” to be charged the fee that was agreed upon when the service was arranged, the higher fee going to those who arrange the service beyond the date of the fee increase. Not so here – – just “poof” the fee is now $2,350…….
Also, looking at the Germany Consulate’s web-page, it says:” …. renouncing your U.S. citizenship may have no effect whatsoever on your U.S. tax or military service obligations”.
Here on IBS there has been +++ discussion about the lingering tax obligations. But what is this about lingering military service obligations????? Is this something our Cdn-born-US-tainted sons need to worry about????
@LM — at my meeting, quite a while ago, the officer suggested I could still be drafted. Last I checked, there is no draft, and the selective service obligation only goes until age 26…an age I’m quite a ways beyond. Did he know something?
The document that you sign (in Canada and likely world-wide) when you renounce mentions that both tax and military obligations may not be affected by relinquishing your USC. This is not specific to Germany.