we filed the i751 on may 20, 2008 and did the biometrics and received the 1797. im assuming all we need to travel to the philippines is the i797, expired green card and valid passport. were planning to go on our trip in november, what if her i751 gets approved around the same time we leave or even during our trip. will that cause any problems when coming back to the u.s.? do we also need to get a i551 stamp? im planning to buy our tickets tomorrow.

mahalo


larry

Yo bro Larry!
Only problem I can see would be if they required an interview during the time you are gone. I've no idea what the timelines are for people from our area. I'd feel more comfortable with the I-551 stamped in the passport. People down by the pier seem to be very friendly and I'd give it a shot getting a stamp in the PP.
What's the cost difference between Hawaiian and PAL now?

That's good advice. The only problem would be if they ask to interview the two of you. Based on the current timelines it seems that your approval and possible interview would be in November. Our application is about a month ahead of yours and we are expecting approval at least by October. Early approval would be great but I'm not holding my breath waiting.

I actually had that happen to me last year, I was travelling on that 1-year extension letter and in the meantime my new green card came. No problem whatsoever.

$686 on both airlines, direct flight. checked baggage 50lb. limit on pal and 70lb. limit on hawaiian. i prefer hawaiian to support our local economy, plus their planes are newer with individual inflight monitors. pal (plane always late) but iv'e been on time with them so far. knock on wood