Hi all,

I'm a US citizen and my wife (who is from India) has been here for nearly 2 years as a conditional permanent resident. We both are getting ready to file the I-751 form to remove the conditions on her permanent residence sometime next month. Her conditional permanent resident card will expire in May. We both want to go to Germany to visit some of my own relatives that are there and of course see Europe. Me being a US citizen, I can go to Germany without any visa requirements, however, for my wife I have to get her a tourist visa to Germany, which we can get sponsorship for from my relatives in Germany. We are thinking about going to Germany in end of April/early May and coming back right before her conditional permanent resident card expires and after applying for the I-751 and starting that whole process. Will it be an issue for her to go overseas and can that affect her getting her final 10 year green card after the I-751 processes?


Any help on this will be appreciated - just trying to decide whether if its worth going on vacation to visit relatives in Germany at this time or not or should I wait out till she gets her 10-year green card and then plan my vacation (which could be more than a year from now).

Why do you think you need to file for a travel visa for your wife?

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

Hi there

Maybe you can travel before you file the petition...

one thing I know...once you send in the petition...you'd better be home...

I filled my 751 a week ago, wich was like 1 month and 10 days before the expiration date...

and I already got one notice, and I'm waiting for more

Just remember that, things with the immigration are very tough...I mean, if you fail to do something
you can get the card denied very easily...

So this is my opinion, I think, this is the final step for me, as well as for your wife...So, I would
avoid anything that could jeppardize the process...

Unless you are sure you can come back to US in time to prepare and send out the 751,
I would suggest you stay here.

my two cents
Meredith

I was told that for Germany, a US Citizen does not require a tourist visa, but an Indian citizen (my wife) with a conditional permanent resident requires a tourist visa. Unless I was told wrong?

Meredith,

How long has your I-751 form taking to process? I'm about to go through this phase for my wife. We just want to get it over with - and get her green card. We were planning on buying our first house but now we are waiting until we get her new 10 year green card. Sure is a lot of hassle to deal with all this especially when you have to put other things on hold.

Whoops.... yes, she will need a visa. I wasn't considering citizenship.... sorry.

http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Wi...sumpflicht.html

I've said this in another thread. You are perfectly fine to travel out of the country after filing your I-751. My husband's 2-year green card was to expire while he was away in the UK, we got an InfoPass appointment, he got the I-551 stamp and he's leaving for his 3rd overseas trip since then. You have every right to travel just as if you had your 10-year green card. In his first re-entry to the US, nothing was said to my husband by the Immigration officer about his pending application. The second time, the officer commented on how long it's taking for the I-751s to be processed and how he empathized. There was never any words about how he shouldn't travel because it wouldn't look good. I can't see any way that travelling overseas would jeopardize your application. If they ask why you left the country, tell them.

I understand this process is scary and could affect your life, but there is no reason to delay your vacation or not work out of fear of retribution.

If you are afraid of an NOA coming in the mail, can't you appoint a family member or a friend to check your mailbox, and if anything comes from USCIS, open it. If it's an appointment for biometrics letter, have them check the box for a future appointment. My husband did this 3 times before there was an appointment when he would be home.

This has been our personal experience, YMMV...

Sammy, Why are you waiting to buy house on account of the I-751? Once you file the paperwork, all you have to do is wait (besides a brief appointment for biometrics)? I agree with mdunlap, this shouldn't change how you live your life...

Good luck