A baby without a country
There seemed to be a time already in Brigid's four days that she was technically without clear citizenship of anywhere.
Randy registered her birth with the Hong Kong SAR, as all children born in Hong Kong are required to be. No one at the hospital ever asked me what her name was, and when I pointed this out to a nurse, she told me that the hospital never records that. They only report the names of the parents and the details of the birth to the authorities, and it is up to the parents to request the child's name be put on a birth record when they register the birth. It is an interesting process, putting the responsibility for this documentation solely on the parents. The nurse also said that most Chinese babies leave the hospital unnamed because the naming happens sometime later, after consulting, in her words, "psychics or family or whatever."
So Randy registered her birth yester, and it was the first officially record of her name, Brigid Maureen Callihan. As we were also not seeking Hong Kong residency, her legal status in Hong Kong was only defined as a welcome guest until some date in April. Her birth record from the SAR specifies her as "not established" with respect to permanent residency in Hong Kong.
Even with this visa to remain in Hong Kong, Brigid still could not legally leave Hong Kong without a clear record of citizenship. She couldn't go to the US. She dfeinitely would have no way to get a visa to go into China. This afternoon, Randy picked up her Consular Record of Birth Abroad and her emergency passport, two pieces of documentation we spent the better part of this morning submitting the applications and swearing that we have told the truth.
Until that moment, Brigid's citizenship was not clear. Yes, she "automatically" inherits US citizenship from us, but without the documentation in hand, she was just a guest of Hong Kong, residency not established, a baby without a country.
Randy registered her birth with the Hong Kong SAR, as all children born in Hong Kong are required to be. No one at the hospital ever asked me what her name was, and when I pointed this out to a nurse, she told me that the hospital never records that. They only report the names of the parents and the details of the birth to the authorities, and it is up to the parents to request the child's name be put on a birth record when they register the birth. It is an interesting process, putting the responsibility for this documentation solely on the parents. The nurse also said that most Chinese babies leave the hospital unnamed because the naming happens sometime later, after consulting, in her words, "psychics or family or whatever."
So Randy registered her birth yester, and it was the first officially record of her name, Brigid Maureen Callihan. As we were also not seeking Hong Kong residency, her legal status in Hong Kong was only defined as a welcome guest until some date in April. Her birth record from the SAR specifies her as "not established" with respect to permanent residency in Hong Kong.
Even with this visa to remain in Hong Kong, Brigid still could not legally leave Hong Kong without a clear record of citizenship. She couldn't go to the US. She dfeinitely would have no way to get a visa to go into China. This afternoon, Randy picked up her Consular Record of Birth Abroad and her emergency passport, two pieces of documentation we spent the better part of this morning submitting the applications and swearing that we have told the truth.
Until that moment, Brigid's citizenship was not clear. Yes, she "automatically" inherits US citizenship from us, but without the documentation in hand, she was just a guest of Hong Kong, residency not established, a baby without a country.
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