Statutory territorial jus soli (PR/Guam/USVI/CNMI)

Example scenarios

• U.S. citizen at birth.

  A person born in Puerto Rico on/after 13 Jan 1941 is a U.S. citizen at birth by statute under INA sec. 302 = 8 USC sec. 1402 (successor to the Jones-Shafroth Act 1917). This is statutory, not constitutional, jus soli, but confers full citizenship. Moving to a state changes nothing; the citizenship vested at birth.

• U.S. citizen (post-1927 pivot).

  The USVI citizenship pivot is the Act of 25 Feb 1927 (44 Stat. 1234-1235), now carried as INA sec. 306 = 8 USC sec. 1406 — NOT the 1954 Revised Organic Act (VC-06). A person born in the USVI on/after 25 Feb 1927 is a U.S. citizen; a 1930 birth post-dates the pivot and qualifies.

• U.S. citizen at birth.

  Guam citizenship was collectively granted effective 1 Aug 1950 by the Organic Act of Guam 1950 (Pub. L. 81-630), carried as INA sec. 307 = 8 USC sec. 1407; the grant reaches Guam-born persons from 11 Apr 1899. A 1960 Guam birth is well past the 1950 effective date and confers full U.S. citizenship at birth.

• U.S. citizen at birth.

  CNMI citizenship took effect 12:01 a.m. local 4 Nov 1986 under Covenant sec. 301 (Pub. L. 94-241, effective per Presidential Proclamation 5564). A person born on/after that date is a U.S. citizen at birth. The one-time sec. 302 opt-down to non-citizen-national status applied only to a closed window and is not relevant to a 1990 birth with no election.

• U.S. citizen at birth (closed sec. 1403 cohort).

  INA sec. 303 = 8 USC sec. 1403 confers U.S. citizenship at birth on persons born in the Panama Canal Zone (to a U.S.-citizen parent) between 26 Feb 1904 and 1 Oct 1979. A 1965 birth falls within that closed cohort. No new sec. 1403 claims arise after 1 Oct 1979 (U.S. administration ended under the Panama Canal Treaties of 1977; the Zone was abolished 31 Dec 1999).

• NOT a U.S. citizen at birth (non-citizen U.S. national instead).

  American Samoa is an 'outlying possession' (8 USC sec. 1101(a)(29)), not a territory within sec. 1402/1406/1407 or the CNMI Covenant. A person born there acquires non-citizen U.S. NATIONALITY under INA sec. 308 = 8 USC sec. 1408(1), not citizenship — see US-BTH-03. The territorial-jus-soli grants of US-BTH-02 do not reach American Samoa; the bridge to citizenship is naturalization under sec. 325 = 8 USC sec. 1436 after residence in a State.