A Canadien in Team USA

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Drake1588

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Birth place is not the only, nor is it always the most important, delineating factor in citizenship for many countries.

Owen Nolan has played for Team Canada, despite being born in Dublin. Peter Bondra was born in the Ukraine, but he is a Slovak national and lived much of his childhood in then-Czechoslovakia. He plays for Slovakia in international competition.

It's not really so very rare.
 

tmg

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Drake1588 said:
Birth place is not the only, nor is it always the most important, delineating factor in citizenship for many countries.

Owen Nolan has played for Team Canada, despite being born in Dublin. Peter Bondra was born in the Ukraine, but he is a Slovak national and lived much of his childhood in then-Czechoslovakia. He plays for Slovakia in international competition.

It's not really so very rare.

Owen Nolan was born in Belfast. :teach:

Another 'foreign Canadian': Steve Thomas, born in Stockport, England.
 

leafaholix*

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jiggs 10 said:
But lived in New York City during his entire youth. Until he went to high school in, I believe, Connecticut?
That doesn't change the fact that he probably has Canadian citizenship.

His parents (or one of them) is/are from Quebec.
 

Hitman*

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SpItFiReZ said:
i believe Regher was born in Brazil actually....

Correct. And his younger brother was born in Indonesia I believe before they moved back to Saskatchewan (missionary parents)
 

jol

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Canuck21t said:
Oh so does that make his brother Indonesian? :shakehead
Different countries have different laws, if somebody happens to be
born in USA, that means automatic citizenship, if somebody happens
to be born in Germany, that might not mean that baby becomes German,
only if his/hers parents are Germans then the baby has a chance
to get German citizenship, i.e Heatley is not German.

World/Canada Cups have had relaxed rules when determining players eligibility,
for example Finland went after two swedish players earlier, the Canada Cup 1987,
Matti Pauna and Thomas Sandstrom, both were born in
Finland, Sandstrom, of course, chose Swedish Canada Cup Team
and Pauna wasn't sure if playing for Finland would hurt his chances
to play for Swedish Olympic Team.
Anyways bottomline is that rules are not so strict, for example
I haven't seen Russian's roster but I'm sure that San Jose's
Nabokov would be eligible for Russia.
 

Canuck21t

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jol said:
Different countries have different laws, if somebody happens to be
born in USA, that means automatic citizenship, if somebody happens
to be born in Germany, that might not mean that baby becomes German,
only if his/hers parents are Germans then the baby has a chance
to get German citizenship, i.e Heatley is not German.
Voila! This is what I was thinking but wasn't sure. I have suspected that Heatley is not German because there are plenty of immigrant kids who were born in Germany and even grew up there without ever getting their German citizenship. Blood relation is important in Germany.
 

Canuck21t

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Bicycle Repairman said:
Heatley's dad Murray finished up his pro career in Germany. His mother is indeed German but now lives here. Doesn't change the fact that Dany grew up in Calgary.
Really? That I didn't know. If his mother is indeed German, then it is possible that Dany could be also, but birthplace alone means nothing.
 

Rabid Ranger

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Canuck21t said:
Really? That I didn't know. If his mother is indeed German, then it is possible that Dany could be also, but birthplace alone means nothing.


Birthplace alone does mean something. If you're born in the United States, you are an American citizen.
 

ladybugblue

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Rabid Ranger said:
That doesn't change the fact that Brett Hull was an American citizen at birth and could decide, for whatever reason, to suit up for either nation in international events. People need to let this one go...............

Brett Hull is not an American Citizen at birth. He was born in Canada. He has Canadian citizenship at birth. He had to apply to become an American citizen. Also, from what I understood he lived in Canada most of his life where he played Junior hockey there. Yes he can decide which country to represent but he grew up Canadian.
 

Postman

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ladybugblue said:
Brett Hull is not an American Citizen at birth. He was born in Canada. He has Canadian citizenship at birth. He had to apply to become an American citizen. Also, from what I understood he lived in Canada most of his life where he played Junior hockey there. Yes he can decide which country to represent but he grew up Canadian.

I believe he was, due to his mother being an American. That makes him an American citizen.
 

Hitman*

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Postman said:
I believe he was, due to his mother being an American. That makes him an American citizen.

I beleive that ladybug is right in this case. For example, my dad is from Ireland but I had to apply to become a citizen. I just didn't have to ever live, or even be in Ireland before to get it.

A few of my friends also have American mothers and had to apply to get theirs. Its not difficult at all, but you still need to go through the formalities.
 

Postman

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Hitman said:
I beleive that ladybug is right in this case. For example, my dad is from Ireland but I had to apply to become a citizen. I just didn't have to ever live, or even be in Ireland before to get it.

A few of my friends also have American mothers and had to apply to get theirs. Its not difficult at all, but you still need to go through the formalities.

Well, Ireland has different rules. So that doesn't mean anything in this case. And it all depends on the parent, so your friends' cases may also be different.

If the child is born in wedlock with 1 American parent who has spent at least 5 years in the US prior to the birth of the child, along with having spent 10 years in the US with 5 of those years coming after the age of 14, the child is an American citizen at birth. If born out of wedlock, the mother needs to show she spent one continuous year in the US.

So who knows at this point. Either way, Brett Hull is an American citizen and it doesn't make a difference.
 

Rabid Ranger

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ladybugblue said:
Brett Hull is not an American Citizen at birth. He was born in Canada. He has Canadian citizenship at birth. He had to apply to become an American citizen. Also, from what I understood he lived in Canada most of his life where he played Junior hockey there. Yes he can decide which country to represent but he grew up Canadian.



Incorrect. Read this: http://www.greencardplus.com/citizenship_faq.html#2
 

Canuck21t

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Rabid Ranger said:
Birthplace alone does mean something. If you're born in the United States, you are an American citizen.

Same for Canada. I guess I didn't explain myself properly (nothing new). Like jol said, different countries have different laws about citizenship. The United States grant automatic citizenship for whoever is born in their territory, but other countries like Germany doesn't. That's why I get annoyed when people are so sure that x player is a citizen of x country with only the birthplace as reference. It doesn't work that way all the time.
 
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thrill_me_mogilny

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Postman said:
If the child is born in wedlock with 1 American parent who has spent at least 5 years in the US prior to the birth of the child, along with having spent 10 years in the US with 5 of those years coming after the age of 14, the child is an American citizen at birth. If born out of wedlock, the mother needs to show she spent one continuous year in the US.

So who knows at this point. Either way, Brett Hull is an American citizen and it doesn't make a difference.

Are you serious that marital status has anything to do with citizenship? That's insane in this day and age. I think the reason many of us Canucks got upset with Brett Hull is because we just expected him to follow in Dad's foot steps on Team Canada, and when he wasn't talented enough he went elsewhere.

As many have pointed out, birth place alone does not guarantee citizenship. Look at all the NHlers who have kids here and their kids aren't citizens. My parents had the chance to move to Germany and turned it down because of citizenship laws at the time. My husband was born in Canada, never set foot in the UK, yet he could get UK/Euro citizenship because his mum is a citizen. I can easily get Slovak citizenship without ever spending a day there. Irish citizenship extends three generations. Hubby's brother married a US woman and moved there; his kids were born in the US and never had to apply for US citizenship. In case of draft, right after birth he got their Canadian citizenship - they were technically born Canadian even though born outside the country.

The IIHF has had the brains to amend the nationality rules because people do move, marry, have kids, in different nations. A person should not be penalised for playing for their current homeland.
 

ladybugblue

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Rabid Ranger said:

Your link didn't work but anyway Green card is not the same as Citizenship. You can be a Green card holder (legal permanent resident) and not be a citizen of this country. This is a better link http://uscis.gov/lpBin/lpext.dll/in...?f=templates&fn=document-frame.htm#slb-act301 . It indicates that if one parent is of U.S. citizenship they need to be residing in the country for the year prior to birth. I don't know where they were residing but nonetheless he was born a Canadian citizen as he was born in Canada and may have had U.S. Citizenship by birth but I know many friends right now that are applying for citizenship and even if it is your birthright you have to apply and put in the necessary paperwork. I guy I work with has his entire family born here in the U.S. and he happened to be born while his family was on vacation and he said that he still has to apply to get citizenship. Again citizenship is not "a given" even if you are born there. What makes you a citizen in one country may not apply to other countries. The rules vary from country to country. The point being he was born and grew up and spend most of his early life in Canada. I am guessing he has duel citizenship and thinks of both countries as home. He can choose whatever country he wants to represent. However, I think some peoples arguments here were that he grew up in the Canadian Hockey system and I would be nice for him to represent the system that made him that player he is today.
 
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Rabid Ranger

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ladybugblue said:
Your link didn't work but anyway Green card is not the same as Citizenship. You can be a Green card holder (legal permanent resident) and not be a citizen of this country. This is a better link http://uscis.gov/lpBin/lpext.dll/in...?f=templates&fn=document-frame.htm#slb-act301 . It indicates that if one parent is of U.S. citizenship they need to be residing in the country for the year prior to birth. I don't know where they were residing but nonetheless he was born a Canadian citizen as he was born in Canada and may have had U.S. Citizenship by birth but I know many friends right now that are applying for citizenship and even if it is your birthright you have to apply and put in the necessary paperwork. I guy I work with has his entire family born here in the U.S. and he happened to be born while his family was on vacation and he said that he still has to apply to get citizenship. Again citizenship is not "a given" even if you are born there. What makes you a citizen in one country may not apply to other countries. The rules vary from country to country. The point being he was born and grew up and spend most of his early life in Canada. I am guessing he has duel citizenship and thinks of both countries as home. He can choose whatever country he wants to represent. However, I think some peoples arguments here were that he grew up in the Canadian Hockey system and I would be nice for him to represent the system that made him that player he is today.


My info had nothing to do with a Green Card. Here's the pertinant info:

Who is born a United States citizen?
Generally, people are born U.S. citizens if they are born in the United States or if they are born to U.S. citizens:

(1) By being born in the United States - If you were born in the United States (including, in most cases, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), you are an American citizen at birth (unless you were born to a foreign diplomat). Your birth certificate is proof of your citizenship.

(2) Through birth abroad to TWO United States citizens - In most cases, you are a U.S. citizen if ALL of the following are true:

Both your parents were U.S. citizens when you were born; and
At least one of your parents lived in the United States at some point in their life.
Your record of birth abroad, if registered with a U.S. consulate or embassy, is proof of your citizenship. You may also apply for a passport to have your citizenship recognized. If you need additional proof of your citizenship, you may file a Form N-600, "Application for Certificate of Citizenship" to get a Certificate of Citizenship. All application forms are included in the U.S. Citizenship Information and Application Kit.
(3) Through birth abroad to ONE United States citizen - In most cases, you are a U.S. citizen if ALL of the following are true:

One of your parents was a U.S. citizen when you were born;
Your citizen parent lived at least 5 years in the United States before
you were born; and
At least 2 of these 5 years in the United States were after your
citizen parent's 14th birthday*.
Your record of birth abroad, if registered with a U.S. consulate or embassy, is proof of your citizenship. You may also apply for a passport to have your citizenship recognized. If you need additional proof of your citizenship, you may file an "Application for Certificate of Citizenship" (Form N-600) with BCIS to get a Certificate of Citizenship.
*If you were born before November 14, 1986, you are a citizen if your U.S. citizen parent lived in the United States for at least 10 years and 5 of those years in the United States were after your citizen parent's 14th birthday.
 
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