Am I or aren’t I?

Here’s something for those of you who think they are knowledgeable on American citizenship law:

I’m Canadian – born in Ontario, raised in Ontario and went through the Ontario school system (which doesn’t seem to have left any permanent damage). I worked here, paid taxes here and served in the Canadian Army in the Royal Canadian Engineers. In short, a typical Canadian.

Here’s the question I pose to you: At the time of my birth, my mother was an American citizen, having been born in New York state. My maternal grandfather was also an American citizen.

My status in relation to the US seems to vary according to what I read. One article stated that America follows a doctrine of “citizenship by bloodline” (I can’t recall the proper Latin term) so under this doctrine I would be considered an American based on my mother’s birthplace.

Another source tells me I qualify for US citizenship for the same reason.

Yet another source informs me that my mother did not meet residency requirements, therefore I would have no claim on American citizenship. This source stated that she would have had to have lived in the US for at least a year for me to qualify. I know she didn’t.

I’m the oldest surviving member of my family, so I can’t find out from anyone else, but as near as I can surmise, my grandparents were on their way to visit family in the US when my grandmother went into labour shortly after crossing the line. Given this circumstance, I suspect the infant who would become my mother spent perhaps a week living in the US before being brought to the family home in southern Ontario.

So my question is, as stated in the title, am I entitled to claim US citizenship or not?

This question is academic now, but had Harper won the last federal election I’d be considering it seriously. Oh yes, blame the Ted Cruz birth controversy for starting this line of thought.

Cat.