.Morticia. wrote:he's a refugee from Krypton
technically no - if he ever qualified as a refugee, that status was removed when he became a citizen. No citizens hold refugee status.
.Morticia. wrote:
( but it all begs the question, how did he get US citizenship? By being adopted by the Kents? Was that ever formalised? )
Yes.
.Morticia. wrote:
and like many war refugess or political asylum seekers, entered the US sans papiers
None of that is relevant, once he became a citizen, unless he committed fraud along the way (and there has been no allegation of fraud).
.Morticia. wrote:
anyway, that's why the UN can grant him a laissez-passer
They can grant him a laissez passer all they want, but holding a laissez-passer doesn't mean you will be admitted to a particular country. Most countries still require a visa. A laissez-passer is not a visa, and only four or five countries allow laissez-passer holders to enter without a visa.
.Morticia. wrote:
and business meetings
are work
they're certainly not play
( this is fun

)
[/quote]
Immigration law makes the distinction between coming to a country for business purposes like conferences or meetings, and coming to a country to perform "work." It's not the same thing under immigration law. He could come to the country to meet about which damsels of distress to save, but he couldn't save them.
As a business visitor you may: Participate in commercial business transactions which do
not involve gainful employment, for example, negotiating contracts or consulting with business associates. Participate in scientific, educational, professional or business conventions, conferences or seminars Conduct independent research, or Appear as a witness in a court trial. That's it. If you want to do more than that, you have to get a work permit.
So, saving damsels in distress would require a work permit.
Even as a US citizen, if he flies over to merry old England to do some superhero-ing, then he would be an illegal alien in the UK. Even though the UK and US are visa waiver countries, he still needs to apply for a travel document and clear customs/immigration. Visa waiver doesn't mean you are free to enter willy nilly. When you fly to England from the US, you need a passport and then you fill out a visa waiver form and they give you a travel document that indicates when you have to leave. As I see it, every time Superman left the US and went to another country, he has been violating their immigration laws....