Voting - False Claims to U.S. Citizenship

On this Election Day, I thought it would be wise to remind readers that, unless you are a U.S. citizen, it is unlawful for you to vote.  Voting in an election in the U.S. is considered a false claim to U.S. citizenship, which is a ground of inadmissibility and a ground of deportability.  Thus, even if you have already been granted U.S. permanent residence, if you vote in an election in the U.S., you could be placed in removal (i.e., deportation) proceedings and actually removed from the U.S.  Voting in an election in the U.S. if you are not a U.S. citizen could also lead to criminal charges.

A false claim to U.S. citizenship also arises in the context of checking the "A citizen of the United States" box on a Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.  The use of a fraudulent U.S. birth certificate or a fraudulent U.S. passport is also considered a false claim to U.S. citizenship.

Although a waiver of inadmissiblity is available to a nonimmigrant visa applicant, who made a false claim to U.S. citizenship, there is no waiver of inadmissiblity to an immigrant visa applicant or an applicant for adjustment of status in the U.S.  Thus, the consequences can be very harsh.