Greetings

If your wife has had very little contact with her grandmother, why not encourage her to open a dialogue with her. When she does, make sure she has a way of recording the conversation in order to review it later in case she missed something that was said. Ask the grandparent about the family, such as where they lived and grew up before leaving. Other things to ask is about any paperwork that she may still have in her possession. This way she can explain the various pieces and in a sense put them in order. When the grandparent is dead you won't have a chance to ask such questions and be able to learn what she may have known about the family and any other relatives that your wife is not aware of.
If your wife wishes to apply for citizenship, she will need to know the history of the family as to when they left, where they lived (and did they get citizenship of this other country) before ending up in the States. Then there is the question of when her father was born and where. That will also play a factor in the determination. If you have a chance to visit the grandparent, why not do so. Then you can ask her about the documents that your wife will need and get notarized copies made. Good luck.

 

Your bigger issue would appear to be that the individual you would use as your basis of citizenship is living, but not cooperative. The privacy laws in most nations (including the US and Poland) offer little help for obtaining the vital records and other documents of third parties. In most cases, you need consent from individual. In my simple case that was successful, the last truly Polish relative was deceased, so it was easy to get documents and necessary records.

This could be an issue for you.

 

Hi All,

I'm a Canadian Citizen born to Canadian parents but my father's parents were born and raised in Poland, leaving for safety reasons after the second world war. I know we have my grandmother's Polish passport in our possession as well as a copy of the passenger list of her journey to North America in 1948 (from ancestry.com).

I've tried to do some research online and am thinking of visiting the Polish Consulate in Toronto but I wanted to know if anyone had any advice before I go. Am I eligible? Does my father need to get his citizenship first or can I bypass this? What documents will I need? (I'm assuming my grandmother's passport and my father and my birth certificates to prove lineage).

I am looking to move to Europe to teach and the process is much easier being an EU citizen than a Canadian citizen. Many thanks to anyone who can shed any light on this!

 

Nationality law is somewhat complicated going back over generations. You will need to show that your grandparents were Polish when your father was born and that he was still Polish when you were born and had not done anything that would result in his citizenship being revoked (which was possible until 1962).

Everything will depend on dates. Poland, like most nations back then, based nationality on the father, unless the parents were unmarried.

While you can do everything yourself, it is generally easier to seek the advice of an attorney. Everything needs to be completed in Polish and all documents are in Polish (which is only a problem if you do not know Polish).