People who demean them or call them “troublemakers” are unfortunate dunces who insult a guardian of their own rights.
C’est la vie.
The guys out there with cameras doing #firstamendment auditing in the face of police intimidation are civil rights heroes in my book.
From the perspective of exposure to a country's laws...
Light opt-in --> Travel to a country
Heavy opt-in--> Get permanent residency or citizenship
Light opt-out --> Leave a country
Heavy opt-out--> Renounce residency/citizenship
#freedomofmovement #extraterritorialjurisdiction
#mobilitymeme Monday 
he "Titanic" is single sovereign dependence, whether in LATAM, U.S. or Germany.
The focus should be from a mindset of moving from 1 to 1 to a mindset of moving from 1 to many (residency options).
From high heel to snowshoe.
9 Common Immigration Predicaments for a U.S. Citizen with a Foreign Spouse
"Mixed citizenship" couples have some unique issues that arise, such as:
1. How to bring the Foreign Spouse Permanently to the U.S. (Consular Processing vs. Adjustment of Status)
2. How to Deal with Non-U.S. Domicile of Sponsoring U.S. Citizen Spouse?
3. U.S. Citizen Needs to Spend 1-3 Years on Assignment in the U.S. How to make sure the Foreign Spouse Can Visit?
4. How to Determine if Child Born Abroad Will Acquire U.S. Citizenship at Birth?
5. How to Register Child's Birth Abroad (CRBA)?
6. How to Maximize Chances Foreign Spouse Can Visit the U.S. While Immigrant Petition (I-130) Is Pending?
7. How to Obtain and Apostille Vital Documents & FBI Report of U.S. Spouse Applying for Residency or Citizenship in Foreign Spouse's Country?
8. U.S. Citizen & Foreign Spouse Green Card Holder Spend 6-12 Months Continuously Outside of the U.S. How to Overcome Continuous Residence Challenge in Foreign Spouse's Forthcoming U.S. Naturalization Application?
9. U.S. Citizen & Foreign Spouse Green Card Holder Spend 6-12 Months Continuously Outside of the U.S. How to Deal U.S. CBP Challenging Foreign Spouse's Green Card?
I'm going to break down some of the ways of dealing with each of these predicaments.
I'll post them as stand alone threads in the coming days, and link them to this master thread.
#citizenship #residency #greencard #dualcitizenship #freedomofmovement
Noah built the arc before the rain.
#dualcitizenship
Dear American Citizens,
❌You're not allowed to leave the U.S. without a valid U.S. passport or substitute besides under limited exceptions (8 USC 1185; 22 CFR 53.2)
❌And the executive has fairly wide discretion to deny you a U.S. passport (Haig v. Agee).
That's a nasty combination.
✅You'd be well justified if learning of this mobility vulnerability shocks you and pisses you off.
Regards.
#mobilityamendment
Old grandpa with his theories.
#mobilitymeme Monday 
What's the difference between a CITIZEN and a NATIONAL?
Answering that question requires an inquiry into statehood, conquest and colonialism.
To that end, I recommend anyone interested in this topic, especially in the U.S. context, check out:
"How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States." by historian Daniel Immerwahr
The book explores how Filipinos, Puerto Ricans, Hawaiians, and others were all U.S. nationals (but not citizens) at one point.
Also why do so many Americans remain hazy, if not, outright uninformed on this point?
Some of those U.S. nationals were entitled to, and GOT U.S. passports.
Also that phenomenon of a "non-citizen U.S. national" still exists today for those born in American Samoa, Swains Island and U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Those modern day U.S. nationals also get U.S. passports, despite not being U.S. citizens (another reason to be sharp in the distinction between concepts of "citizenship" and "passport").
Anyway, check out the book.
#citizenship #nationality #USA #empire #colonialism
https://www.amazon.com/How-Hide-Empire-History-Greater/dp/0374172145
The magic of a 2nd #passport isn’t the addition of visa-free access.
It’s the new extinguishment of any one country’s monopoly on your ability to travel internationally.
So I go to Iran and I announce “I’m back - I’m here to help with your brain drain problem.” They say “Help? You just made it worse.”
I tell ya I get no respect. 
Six Benefits of Canadian Citizenship for Access to the U.S. Market
Does being a Canadian citizen offer unique benefits of access to the United States market?
https://www.malakoutilaw.com/six-benefits-of-canadian-citizenship-for-access-to-the-u-s-market
What's On Your "Criminal Record"?
For the globally mobile person, whether and to what extent you have a "criminal record" is actually not that simple.
In my my experience, most people have a woefully distorted mental model about how criminal records work.
The most common mistake is visualizing your "rap sheet" or "background check" as one single centralized document.
it is not.
What 1) charges, 2) arrests, 2) convictions, and 4) dismissals are on "your record" depends on what entity is providing the background check, for use under which jurisdiction's law and for what purpose.
The reality is that the record is messy, decentralized and loosely linked between different government agencies.
.....
For example, there are variances in how criminal records appear according to different background check generating entities:
1) In the U.S., what shows on a private background check (corelogic, goodhire, etc.) may not show on a state-level government background check (sometimes you can sue for that).
2) What shows on a state-level government background check (California DOJ, Ohio BCI, etc.) may not show up on an FBI background check.
3) What shows on your court records (for example an order of dismissal) may not show up on ANY private, state-level or FBI background check. You may have to go through steps to get the background checks updated, if you want them changed.
4) You may have a sealed juvenile record that does not show up on your state-level or FBI background check. Or it may show up contrary to state law.
......
Then there are differences in how the very same "criminal record" data may have different EFFECT depending on the purpose its being evaluated for:
1) A person might NOT have a criminal record for the purposes of private employment in a given state, but they do for a professional licensing application (Ex: a California rehabilitative expungement).
2) Or they may have a dismissal for the purposes of state and federal law in the United States, but not for the purposes of a foreign residency application. That foreign country may want to know whether a person was EVER convicted, regardless of what happened after the conviction.
3) Or the person might not have a conviction according to one state (perhaps they call it a "juvenile adjudication") but a foreign jurisdiction calls that a conviction.
.....
Understandably, this level of messy complexity is unsettling for most people.
Here's a rule of thumb that some may find useful:
The general question "what do I have on my criminal record?" in order to be meaningful must usually be followed with the qualifiers
1. According to who?
(which entity is providing the records- a county, a state, country, a private background company, etc.)
2. To be evaluated under what law?
(state law, federal law, foreign law, etc.)
3. For what purpose?
(private employment, government employment, foreign citizenship application, domestic criminal sentencing, etc.)
.....
The first step in wrapping your head around a messy, complex concept like "your criminal record" is to reject the simpler comforting but erroneous mental model.
At least then, you're in the advantageous situation of KNOWING what you don't know, so you can research further or seek out a specialist.
#backgroundcheck #criminalrecord #FBI
Lessons in saying nothing:
Start your sentences by saying "With everything happening nowadays..." to get instant agreement.
Golden Visa Put On Pause Due to Surprise on FBI Background Check
I just had another consultation with an American pursuing residency in Europe.
The person made an investment for a "golden visa."
The only problem?
They didn't check their FBI background check beforehand to see whether and how their conviction and expungement from 10+ years ago showed up.
It turns out the conviction shows on the report, but no expungement shows - the worst case scenario.
The person had assumed that the dismissal (expungement) would show on the FBI background check.
Now the golden visa is on hold while the person scrambles to see whether the FBI background check can be amended (luckily that's one of my specialties).
.....
An estimated 40M+ Americans have at least one misdemeanor conviction.
Here's a word to the wise:
If you're one of those 40M+ Americans and you're thinking in any way shape or form about getting a residency or citizenship in a foreign country in the future, get your FBI background check now.
(how-to article linked below).
Just get the FBI background check and see what it shows.
It might take you months or even longer to figure out whether it can be "rehabilitated" and to go through all the steps to do so.
Better a year early than a day late.
#secondcitizenship #fbi #backgroundcheck
malakoutilaw.com/fbibackgroundc…
Remember “invest” can also have a much greater connotation
“invest in yourself”, “invest in the future” etc. I do think some are using the term that way.
#mobilitymeme Monday 
You need two permissions to travel.
One from the place you want to travel to.
And one from your country(s) of citizenship.
People underestimate their vulnerability to the latter.
#passportissuance #freedomofmovement #mobilitynostr