Once you are here and settled, assuming you have a GC, a State ID, and are working legally and all that - what do you carry for identification (assuming you are NOT a citizen)? What are you REQUIRED to carry with you? I'm paranoid for Simon to carry his passport with him everywhere for fear of loosing it or having it stollen with all the important stamps and stuff inside. If you were ever asked by police for identification, is it ok to just present a driver license like every other American? Or must he always have his passport on him?

Thanks much!


~Liza

My husband carries his green card with him always. That is a requirement.

I have my GC on me, and my driver's license, and I do carry around my passport with me, but that's just me.

Technically you are supposed to carry your GC around with you at all time -- some people do, some don't.

I always carry both my GC and my DL .... but my passport is left at home in the safe.

I carry my Greencard and Drivers Licence... before I had the greencard I carried my passport and my drivers licence....

Kezzie

I wouldn't advise him to carry his passport with him at all times. I would think it's more likely to get lost or stolen that way, than if it is stored somewhere at home. If home isn't too secure, for some reason, then maybe you could get a safety deposit box at a bank?

The Permanent Residency (Green) Card comes with a letter saying that it has to be carried at all times. I wonder how many people actually do this and what the penaty is if you are caught 'out' without one?

So far as 'general' ID is concerned, for verifying whom you are when using credit cards etc, a Driver's License should be sufficient, I would have thought.

Neil.

Thanks everyone! This is excellent info!

~Liza

I carry my GC and my Drivers Lisence at all times. EVERYONE in the US carries their drivers lisence and its a requirement that GC holders carry that too.

Mark

I guess I'm in the minority group . I carry only my D/L with a copy of the green card. I know I should have the actual green card on me at all times, but it just seems to be a big pain in the arse to replace if lost/stolen.

I was stopped by the police (not for doing anything wrong) and was asked for ID.. I showed him my DL and he then asked for my Greencard... guess he knew I was not American by my accent... he did say if I had not had it with me I would have been taken to the Station to have my status confirmed by USCIS.....

I am so glad I followed the rules on the letter and carry it with me at all times...

Kezzie

Interesting question. My mother is a registered alien -- citizen of Australia -- but does not carry her green card or passport with her. She does carry her driver's license, of course. But since she has been in the US so long, her accent is gone, so anyone who talks to her will think she is American. In her 40 plus years in the US, I don't think she has ever been challenged on her legal presence in the US.

My husband, on the other hand, is obviously a Pacific Islander and has an accent. He has a penchant for losing things, especially his wallet. During the two years we corresponded while he was in college, he lost his wallet three times, and he admits that when he packed up to move from one dorm room to another, he found about five formerly lost student IDs! So I am very nervous about him carrying his passport or green card around. I don't think the passport is necessary now that he has his green card, but I think we may just make a nice color copy of his green card for him to carry around and leave the real thing at home.

Kezzie, I'm sure the accent probably had a lot to do with it...as I wrote below, my Australian mother has been in the US over 40 years and never bothered to carry her green card or passport around. She has been stopped by police at various times (once for driving too slow, LOL) and was never asked to show proof of legal presence. Of course, she has no accent at all now.

My mother has a Scottish friend who has also been in the US over 40 years but still has a strong accent....I wonder if she carries her green card at all times? I have a feeling that any police officer who asks Flo to produce a green card might get more than he bargained for -- she's not backwards in coming forward!

But your experience is making me rethink my position on whether hubby should carry his green card around...he doesn't have his driver's license yet, but once he starts driving, I guess maybe he'd better have his green card in his wallet in case he gets stopped for some reason. I just wish I could superglue it to his forehead, because he has a bad track record with losing wallets! Maybe I need to start checking into the process for replacing a lost green card....

before I got my green card, all I carried with me was my driver's license and my EAD card. Before I had that, I had a photocopy of my K3 visa with me. I don't carry my passport unless I'm travelling across borders, it'd be too much of a pain to have replaced if I ever lost it.

The green card however we are required by law to carry it with us at all times, so I do. If I ever lose it, I've got my passport with the stamp in it to prove my presence here is legal, until I get a replacement card. Hopefully I'll never lose it.

I carry my green card and my driver's license. I would prefer not to carry my green card and to carry a copy but the regulations say to carry it. I carried my EAD before I received my green card. My passport stays safely at home unless I am flying or crossing the border somewhere.

I'd say he lied. This simply can't be true. Many immigrants (including me) will never lose a foreign accent. Yet, an LPR can get naturalized in three or five years. Then (s)he won't have to carry any proof of citizenship.

Lawyers will have a field day when cops start detaining every USC who speaks with an accent and does not carry a passport or certificate of naturalization.

Bartek

but it does happen that police will detain someone until they can determine their immigrant status. Whether they are LPRs or citizens would make no difference, if they have no ID on them when asked, they'll have to wait around until someone can confirm their status.

Heck, even if you get pulled over in your car for a broken tail light, and you don't have your license with you, they can detain you. Personally, I don't see a difference. should the police just trust anyone when they say "yeah man, I am a citizen, and I have a valid license, I just left it at home...yeah, that's it, that's the ticket"

Not that police have jurisdiction over immigration laws, but some cities are considering it. I think I read recently that Asheville, NC is working on something of the sort.

Once I got my state ID card I put my greencard away with my passport - I'm not going to take the chance of losing either of them when they're both extremely expensive and essentially irreplaceable! I only get them out to take with me if I'm going some place where I know they'll be needed. As an approaching-middle-aged anglo-female type I'm not exactly a prime candidate for a police search. I've never been asked for my ID by a cop in my life...

There is a _huge_ difference. You are obliged by law to have your license with you when driving. Is there a law that you need to carry a proof of citizenship ?

Bartek

when you get your green card it states that you need to carry it with you at all times....

You suppose to carry your greencard with you all the time. I am personally too scared to lose it so I leave it at home! I tried to use the greencard as ID at my old bank and they didnt even know what it was! I had to come back with my DL. Even when I got hired (I changed 3jobs) they never asked to see my Greencard. go figure

I do actually carry my green card with me at all times... I was advised at my interview by the interviewing officer that it was a fine of $500 if you are caught without your green card... So i'd rather risk losing it and paying $200 than risk being caught without it and being fined $500... just seems easier..

Yes, you are required by law to carry your green card with you at all times. Nothing about citizenship, but legal residency.




but they are required by law to have your A# on your employment record. They should have asked to see some form of ID to prove your legal residency. Either an EAD, or green card.

I think that my question was very clear - I asked about a proof of citizenship. But now we seem to agree that an USC does not have to carry a proof of citizenship. Can you tell apart an LPR without a green card and an UCS without a passport ? Assume that both speak with a foreign accent. Do you expect a policeman to be able to tell them apart ?

Bartek

It's interesting how you have to provide proof of legal residency to get a driver's license but yet it is not valid enough alone to prove that you are legally present.

brtlmj, I understand what your saying. It's a good point.

My wife carries her USC with her to show proof she is a legal resident!

nope, that's why we're supposed to carry ID. And if a person's citizenship is in question, I imagine they would be detained by police until it can be confirmed.

Doesn't mean I agree with the practice, just that I know that it happens.

Who is "we" ? LPRs or USCs ?


As I said - that would be a field day for lawyers. Out of curiosity - do you know of any cases of _citizens_ being detained simply because they could not prove their citzenship ?

Personally I do not know ANY UCS who carry a passport, regardless of his/her accent.

Bartek

I carry my GC most times too. I've never been asked to show it for work authorisation either. Is it really a law to have your A#? Never heard that one before.

FWIW take a copy (front and back) of your GC and keep it safe. Apparently it makes it easier to get a replacement, but that could be heresay...

Having a copy of your Greencard makes no diffrence on getting a new one... you still have to file the I-90 and have fresh biometrics done and wait about 6 - 9 months to recieve the new card.....

Kezzie

I know you still have to file...actually the wait can be even longer. There's quite a long discussion about it all on BE and the rather lovely and very informative lawyer who posts there suggests to keep a photocopy.

there's a spot on all new employee forms that asks if you are a citizen and if not, are you legal to work, and if so, what's your A#. The employer is supposed to ask to see it.

Lou Lou, "we" is anybody, citizen or not. We should all carry some form of ID. Whether or not I know a citizen whose been asked for it is irrelevant. There have been green card holders who've been asked and didn't have it with them and they were detained until their status could be proved, despite their protestations that they were legal. I imagine it wouldn't have made much difference if they had completed the citizenship oath, they likely still would have been detained until their status had been proved.

Yeah, its a royal pain in the arse, but this is the way of the world these days.

Is this a law, or your personal opinion ? And what is "some form of ID" ? Passport ? Driver license ?


OK... but are you aware of any UCS being detained for not carrying a proof of citizenship ?

My guess is that an LPR simply won't risk answering "I am a citizen", even though the cops would almost certainly let him/her go. It's way too risky.

Bartek

Surely this is some form for large institutions or something? Certainly the places I have worked have not had "new employee" forms or anything of the sort.



Now I'm really confused? I didn't ask about all this. Bartek did.

A cop is not going to stop you and just out of the blue ask for if you are a USC or not. They will within the law for probrable cause, or in the investigation stop you and ask for identification--if you show proper identification, that could be your Green Card, Passport, Voter ID, Driver's License, State issued ID, other Government ID, Student ID, or a Social Security card and a Birth Certificate, or a Notorized sworn affidavit that you are a legal resident or US Citizen. Anyway not likely just show a Driver's license and you are pretty safe they are not going to ask your status.

The only expection to this would be when once in a while they have a task force with ICE where they are running an immigration raid or setting up an immigration checkpoint. This is a special circumstance in most states but pretty standard in the American South West near the border with Mexico.

I don't carry my ID unless I need it, and I have instructed my wife to do the same--if she does not need her ID then she does not carry any. If we want to travel, go to a job interview, get into a Rated R movie or buy some beer, then we will carry ID.