Nyarko: "if it comes to sports, [citizenship] can definitely be expedited”

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by trip76, Jan 31, 2012.

  1. trip76

    trip76 Member

    Jul 17, 2007
    North East USA
    LINK

    interesting for his desire to play for the US, less so because its motivated by a lack of interest from Ghana, but to me the really interesting bit is that the US citizenship process, which many here took to give no special consideration to pro athletes in processing time unlike much of the rest of the world, seems to possibly fast track these applications.
     
  2. SoccerScottWV

    SoccerScottWV Member

    Jan 6, 2007
    Charleston,WV,USA
    If US Soccer could expedite citizenship, we would probably have gotten Andy Najar. Nyarko has no idea what he is talking about.
     
  3. Scotty

    Scotty Member+

    Dec 15, 1999
    Toscana
    Well, according to his "hint" anyway. Doesn't sound like anything solid there to me.

    But who knows? Maybe Klinsmann is on the red phone with Obama discussing it as we speak...
     
  4. ceezmad

    ceezmad Member+

    Mar 4, 2010
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Red Stars
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    A Kenyan helping a Ghanaian! :p :D
     
  5. Balerion

    Balerion Member+

    Aug 5, 2006
    Roslindale, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    A foreigner and long-time US resident playing in MLS who doesn't understand US citizenship/immigration laws?

    Definitely not the first time and definitely not the last time. If he thinks his citizenship can be expedited, he's in for some disappointment.
     
  6. soccaisthecoolest

    Jul 22, 2008
    Has he at least started the citizenship process?
     
  7. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Yup.

    DCU and the USSF apparently did everything they possibly could for Andy Najar, as early as they could...............and it wasn't enough. They couldn't get it expedited.

    The difference between the two is that there isn't another country after Nyarko.
     
  8. Scotty

    Scotty Member+

    Dec 15, 1999
    Toscana
    No joke. Like a few months ago when Zakuani was talking about how he'd like to represent the USA, despite the fact that he hadn't even held his green card for an entire year yet.

    Who the hell is informing these guys of these things?
     
  9. ceezmad

    ceezmad Member+

    Mar 4, 2010
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Red Stars
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    How long did it take Patrick Ewing before the Olympics? :p
     
  10. striker

    striker Member+

    Aug 4, 1999
    My understanding is that your senator or congress person can attachment an amendment to a bill to make anyone a citizen. A typical bill typically has many, many amendments that largely get ignored by those who vote on the bill.
     
  11. Scotty

    Scotty Member+

    Dec 15, 1999
    Toscana
    Sandon Mibut originally posted this in the Zakuani thread, but it deserves to get posted here, too:

     
  12. Theopisa

    Theopisa Member+

    Pisa Sporting Club
    Italy
    Oct 7, 2008
    Venezia
    Club:
    Pisa Calcio
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    It takes 5 years of permanent residency before you can apply for citizenship, but it takes two years of conditional resident status before you can get your permanent resident status. Then probably up to one more year go actually do the exam and get citizenship. This is by marriage (direct experience), in other cases I dunno.
    It don't know if this can be expidited, I think it also depends on who you are and how bad the US want you, my feeling is that if you're Messi you don't have to wait as long as Nyarko.
     
  13. Theopisa

    Theopisa Member+

    Pisa Sporting Club
    Italy
    Oct 7, 2008
    Venezia
    Club:
    Pisa Calcio
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    By the way, I am not Messi :D
     
  14. O'Dubhghaill Rules!

    May 21, 2001
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    I work in immigration law (I am not an attorney, but I will be shortly, and immigration is the field I work in on a daily basis). This is partially true. Through marriage to a U.S. citizen it takes only 3 years of permanent resident (green card) status before you can apply for citizenship (okay, technically 2 years and 9ish months). Five years if you get your green card through a non-marriage situation (employment or qualifying family member who already has a green card or citizenship).

    Sandon Mibut's quoted piece up above there is pretty spot on. This is all sort of silly.
     
  15. irish56

    irish56 Member+

    Oct 30, 2006
    indy
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm trying to get my Senator to attach an irish56 tax amendment to a bill. The tax would tax every American a dime and all the proceeds will come to me.
     
  16. Roger Allaway

    Roger Allaway Member+

    Apr 22, 2009
    Warminster, Pa.
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This.

    And Borg should have realized it before he quoted him.
     
  17. SoccerFreak

    SoccerFreak Member

    Oct 18, 2000
    Portland, OR
    This is only an assumption but I'm guessing he was probably told about Tanith Belbin's case. The Canadian-born figure skater that had her citizenship expedited by George W. Bush for the 2006 Winter Olympics. Wikipedia doesn't get into detailed specifics but it looks like it was a special case where a Michigan senator had to create a special congressional act just for her and got it signed by the President.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanith_Belbin
     
  18. Pandy Flapjack

    Pandy Flapjack The Pompitous of Love

    Aug 30, 2003
    Van by the River
    About the "Belbin" naturalization act ...

    "The amendment, which would apply only to aliens of extraordinary ability who began their naturalization process prior to July 2002, would shorten the residency requirement from five to three years between the receipt of their green card and the date of their eligibility for naturalization."
     
  19. dwsmith1972

    dwsmith1972 BigSoccer Supporter

    May 11, 2007
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I didn't even look at the byline until i was finished and knew it was Borg. I shared my disappointment with him via twitter.
     
  20. SamsArmySam

    SamsArmySam Member+

    Apr 13, 2001
    Minneapolis, MN
    I'm guessing most sports agents don't understand immigration law in much depth -- probably not an area of focus when they went to law school (if they went). It's also going to be a relatively specialized area of federal administrative law, so a state bar exam isn't going to prepare them for it, either. And the vast majority of their clients aren't going to have dual nationality potential.

    So in the absence of a client specifically asking about it (which apparently Nyarko did not do before he started making public statements), it will likely remain an area of irrelevance to their practice.

    I can understand the point of view that all agents should be 100% informed on all possible issues of importance for their clients -- and the better ones probably are -- but my guess is that the above situation is probably the case where we read about a player who doesn't have an accurate understanding of the situation.
     
  21. Lloyd Heilbrunn

    Lloyd Heilbrunn Member+

    Feb 11, 2002
    Jupiter, Fl.
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Glad you have good table manners!!
     
  22. BostonRed

    BostonRed Member+

    Oct 9, 2011
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Like all things technical in nature, The Google.
     
  23. Sandon Mibut

    Sandon Mibut Member+

    Feb 13, 2001
    Well, Borg has no idea what he's talking about, either.
     
  24. BostonRed

    BostonRed Member+

    Oct 9, 2011
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We can add Nyarko along with Charlie Mulgrew, Bradley Johnson and Rudy Gestede to our all-"that's not the way it works here" team.
     
  25. m vann

    m vann Moderator
    Staff Member

    Colorado Rapids, Celtic FC, & Louisville City
    Sep 10, 2002
    Denver, CO
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That may be the case but is he/she really your senator/congress person if you aren't a citizen? ;)
     

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