Hi
Me and Lisa have now been married for just over one year now. Life is great, we're both very happy. My wife now has her green card. She's going back to China to visit with her family. Will she need anything besides her green card to return to America? i don't believe she needs a visa or anything to return to China as she's still a Chinese citizen.

Thank you for your response.
Clare & Lisa

She will need your marriage certificate if her passport is still in her maiden name.

i assume her greencard is on 2 years conditional status... she's gonna need advance parole (re-entry permit) to be able to return back, file it before she goes or you'll have a headache... check out USCIS website and look for advance parole under Forms, itll give u more info. or just call USCIS and inquire about this...

No, she doesn't need AP - with her greencard and passport she can come and go as she pleases. AP is for when you only have work permits, AOS, etc. and you need to get back into US. Also, although her greencard is "conditional", it is still a valid greencard and she is just another LPR like everyone else - only her greencard will expire sooner and they'll remove conditions on it.

Clare - tell your wife to have a safe and blessed trip...there is nothing like going home to see your family.

Staashi is correct. As long as your wife will not stay out of the country for more than a year, she will be ok traveling with her green card and passport.

I don't know about China, wife and I went to her consulate and had our marriage registered in her country and they issued her a new passport with her married name on it. Her friends traveling alone had interrogation problems coming back, but I traveled with my wife not only that I wanted to, but to meet her family as well. No problems for my wife coming back with me and that was with an expired green card and that one year extension thingy.

Why don't you go with your wife?

woa, i was just ready to file the I-131 form for re-entry. She doesn't need it?

Our details;
She arrived in USA April 15th 2007 on her K-1 visa. We married June 6th 2007 and she received her 2 year permanant residence card (green card) on Oct 16th 2007. Where can I read that she can travel to and from her home land (China) only with her green card ? I hope you're right, i wasn't too happy with the $305 charge. This is her first trip to China and it will be for 20 days.

I do kind of vaguely remember this. I remember that when I filed the I-485 AOS form that I could have filed for the work permit and I-131 advance parole (re-entry permit) if she was going to travel home prior to receiving her green card. I didn't file the I-131 as I figured she'd have her green card prior to a return visit to China. So if my memory serves correctly Staashi is correct. i would like to read it though. i'll google it.

Thanks everybody for your time answering my post.
Clare & Lisa

Ah-ha, that was easier than expected. Here's what I found. while reading the "Now That You Are A Permanent Resident" on the USCIS web site.


International Travel
A Permanent Resident of the United States can travel freely outside of the US. A passport from the country of citizenship is normally all that is needed. To reenter the US a Permanent Resident normally needs to present the green card (Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551) for readmission. A reentry permit is needed for reentry for trips greater than one year but less than two years in duration.


So we keep our $305 after all. Lisa will be happy. That'll give her more shopping money while in China. I'm sure she'll do plenty of that, to the tune of about $1500 to $2000 US

Thanks all!
Clare-n-Lisa

Good for her. Just remember she'll need her Chinese passport for China, and US passport for here.

Woa, I've never heard of that before. Why would she need two passports? She has her Chinese passport but doesn't have an American passport. She's not an American citizen.

Could somebody please elaborate on the dual passports. First off I think you have to be an American citizen to even apply for an American passport.

If Staashi is correct and she needs an American passport along with her Chinese passport then her flight ticket for China will be no good. She leaves for China, Shanghai on July 9th. At $1350 for the ticket and no refund available this would be a disaster.

You need to be a USC to obtain a US Passport.

The comment was correct for those who are dual nationals, does not apply to you.

"Just remember she'll need her Chinese passport for China, and US passport for here."

I'm sorry - I must have been on crack at the time - Just Kidding. What I meant to write was she needs her Chinese passport for China and her American greencard to come back to the US.

Silly me - 40 lashes with a wet noodle.

OK! I thought so.

Clare-n-Lisa

her ticket needs to be in her passport name

Tried to edit sorry
her ticket needs to be in her passport name
http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=31104
Read this and maybe she can go to a China Passport Office and get an addendum about her married name while in china