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My father born in Havana, Cuba in the 40's and in '56 he immigrated to the US. I have a card of that time that says "This is to certify that was admitted to the United States as an immigrant on 9/22/56 and has been duly registered according to law. Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization".

He passed in 1984, in Havana. My question is: I, as legit son of his born in marriage, do I have any benefits since he was an US citizen? Can I apply for an US Visa and later apply for citizenship? I have no clue whatsoever.

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I assume that you were not born in the United States, and that your mother was/is not a US citizen. If these assumptions are incorrect, the answer below does not apply.

A child born outside the United States to a US citizen and a non-US citizen will be a US citizen so long as the parent spent a certain amount of time physically present in the United States. For a child born before 1986 to gain US citizenship through a single parent, that parent would have had to spend 10 years total in the USA, of which at least 5 years were after the parent’s 14th birthday. So if your father was a citizen and lived in the US until at least 1966 or his 19th birthday (whichever was later), you would be a US citizen.

However, the document you describe does not prove that your father was a US citizen. Instead, it only proves that your father was admitted to the US as an permanent resident (a so-called “green card”). If your father did become a citizen, he would have received a Certificate of Naturalization. This would be necessary to prove your father’s US citizenship and, by extension, yours.

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  • Thank you sir. I assume green card along won't be enough for me to be a US citizen Commented Jun 17, 2021 at 2:40
  • @AramAlvarez: That's correct. The only ways to gain US citizenship by birth are to be born in the US, or to be born to a parent who is a citizen (not just a legal resident). Commented Jun 17, 2021 at 11:52
  • Someone gave a negative to a question that starts with “deceased father”!? Shame on you whoever you are.
    – kisspuska
    Commented Jun 17, 2021 at 16:31
  • @Aram Alvarez Is there a way for you to learn whether or not he also was a citizen?
    – kisspuska
    Commented Jun 17, 2021 at 16:38
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    @kisspuska: I suspect it had to do with the "specific legal advice" close-vote it received. I can see why someone might have thought that, but I tried to confine my answer to a description of the law on citizenship through descent and the difference between residency and citizenship. Commented Jun 17, 2021 at 18:46

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