Traveling on Extension Letter?

[MrGeorgeMonopoly 19]

Hi everyone first time posting, long time reader.

 

I'm planning a road trip to Canada and i just have some questions:

 

Is it really safe traveling with the extension letter, expired GC and passport? Do I need anything else?

 

How do i go thru the border with an expired GC? I mean do the Canadian Border Patrol know about the extension letter?

 

Thank you!

[Ksenia_O 695]

23 minutes ago, MrGeorgeMonopoly said:

Hi everyone first time posting, long time reader.

 

I'm planning a road trip to Canada and i just have some questions:

 

Is it really safe traveling with the extension letter, expired GC and passport? Do I need anything else?

 

How do i go thru the border with an expired GC? I mean do the Canadian Border Patrol know about the extension letter?

 

Thank you!

They are well informed of this "combo" - an expired green card & an Extension letter, so no worries here. 

The only thing - you have to check if you need an eTA, flying through Canada. It will be "attached" to your passport #. Takes 5 minutes to apply (on-line_ and costs #7.00 Canadian dollars. Usually given for 5 years.  

 

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta.html?utm_source=slash-eta_ave&utm_medium=short-url-en&utm_campaign=eta

 

Good luck!!!

[mrs thb 331]

50 minutes ago, MrGeorgeMonopoly said:

Hi everyone first time posting, long time reader.

 

I'm planning a road trip to Canada and i just have some questions:

 

Is it really safe traveling with the extension letter, expired GC and passport? Do I need anything else?

 

How do i go thru the border with an expired GC? I mean do the Canadian Border Patrol know about the extension letter?

 

Thank you!

I sail through both ways driving or flying....but then again, I'm Canadian.  They know, have everything handy and always tell the truth.

 

 

[curtiskid 0]

I have a green card (with conditions), I have submitted my I-751 April 2017 and received I-797 April 28th 2017 detailing the extension of one year. This extension period expires on June 18th, in one month and I am not expecting anything like an approval in one month seeing as the processing time is 17.5 to 19 months. What happens on June 19th? Will I suddenly become an illegal immigrant, a target for ICE? Can I continue working after expiration? I cannot query my application as the processing time is within the limits, who is my port of call to get clarification on this?

[metsteph 10]

2 hours ago, curtiskid said:

I have a green card (with conditions), I have submitted my I-751 April 2017 and received I-797 April 28th 2017 detailing the extension of one year. This extension period expires on June 18th, in one month and I am not expecting anything like an approval in one month seeing as the processing time is 17.5 to 19 months. What happens on June 19th? Will I suddenly become an illegal immigrant, a target for ICE? Can I continue working after expiration? I cannot query my application as the processing time is within the limits, who is my port of call to get clarification on this?

 

You are fine. Just go get a stamp i551 if you plan to travel or just in case you might need it... other than that you are good to go 

[ColGil 126]

5 hours ago, curtiskid said:

I have a green card (with conditions), I have submitted my I-751 April 2017 and received I-797 April 28th 2017 detailing the extension of one year. This extension period expires on June 18th, in one month and I am not expecting anything like an approval in one month seeing as the processing time is 17.5 to 19 months. What happens on June 19th? Will I suddenly become an illegal immigrant, a target for ICE? Can I continue working after expiration? I cannot query my application as the processing time is within the limits, who is my port of call to get clarification on this?

 

You are still a legal resident, your legal status has not expired.  it's only your documentation which has expired through no fault of your own.  Make an infopass appointment and they will stamp your passport.  It's usually valid for 6 to 12 months (mine was 12 months).  That becomes your new proof of residency.  

 

Technically you only need it to travel but if you are trying to prove residency for anything else like a driver's license, new job, or mortgage application etc. it's best to have the stamp rather than an expired green card.  (Incidentally since I didn't have the stamp at the time, I just sent my mortgage underwriter a letter, a copy of my expired GC, the extension letter, a print out of the USCIS processing times, and a print out of the USCIS website explanation of what the removal of conditions actually means)

[Dashinka 23,238]

Just saw that the link in the first post for the carrier guide is dead.  Here is a new link.

 

https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2017-Nov/carrier-information-guide-english.pdf

 

Edited May 27, 2018 by Bill & Katya

[tungsten_tip 2]

I have a question concerning the possible advantages/disadvantages of travelling on a I-551 passport stamp versus the expired green card + NOA extension letter combo. 

 

My original 2-year green card expired on 08/01/2017. I received the NOA letter in May 2017, meaning my green card is technically extended until 08/01/2018. I traveled to the UK in December 2017 with the expired green card + NOA letter, and had no issues doing so. 

 

However, I plan on travelling to Canada in mid-July 2018. I should be back by 07/16/18, so still 2 weeks before the NOA letter expires, but the proximity does worry me a little. So I essentially have two options:

1. Travel with expired green card + almost-but-not-yet-expired NOA extension letter (then get I-551 stamp once I return to the US).
2. Get an I-551 stamp at the beginning of July before travelling to Canada, then travel on this (presumably without the expired green card, since my understanding is that they will take it away from me when I make my InfoPass appointment).

In your experiences, which of these options is least likely to cause issues at the airport/border? Which seems like the safer option? 

 

As always, this place is a lifesaver! 

[blackmountain 0]

Hello all,

 

My wife's extension letter expires in June 22nd. We've taken an info pass appointment for today to get her passport stamped. According to my wife, the officer first stamps her passport but then he gets up to ask something to his supervisor... He comes back and he says he cannot stamp her passport. Then he crosses the stamp with a pen and says "you still got time till 22nd, come back on 22nd or after..." 

 

We were told by a lawyer that we can do this a month prior ext. letter expires... We are kind of confused now. Not that she desperately needs to travel overseas but we thought it would be nice to have it incase...

 

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar...

 

 

 

[Travelman64 2]

Hi all,

 

Wife and I just came back from Ukraine via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, wife had no issues with Turkish Airlines, she just showed her Ukraine passport, expired green card and extension letter, Turkish Airline supervisor reviewed all and was approved.

 

We arrived at Miami airport we both are Global Entry, wife received X on print out and than Global Entry officier reviewed  her passport, expired green card and Ext. letter, entered info. Into computer and was cleared without any delay.

[peposavic 6]

Hello everyone, 

I sent i751 through mail on April 9th( it's been received on April 11th) and I didn't hear on any way from USCIS for almost 2 months.  I called couple times and they just told me that they need up to 60days to process it and they didn't want to say anything else.  I was worried that my package was lost.  My check wasn't cashed out. So after 55 days I'm getting letter and 1 year extension of status and it says that really April 11th was date when they received package. Just wanted to share if someone is in the same situation so not to be worried like I was whole time. 

[Foreign Fantasy 52]

6 hours ago, peposavic said:

Hello everyone, 

I sent i751 through mail on April 9th( it's been received on April 11th) and I didn't hear on any way from USCIS for almost 2 months.  I called couple times and they just told me that they need up to 60days to process it and they didn't want to say anything else.  I was worried that my package was lost.  My check wasn't cashed out. So after 55 days I'm getting letter and 1 year extension of status and it says that really April 11th was date when they received package. Just wanted to share if someone is in the same situation so not to be worried like I was whole time. 

 Come join us here at April Filers for some relief on your side as well. Currently CSC is finally moving again in the 45-50 day range.

[tram 0]

Is there an updated link from the original post? The link leads to nowhere. 

[tungsten_tip 2]

16 hours ago, tram said:

Is there an updated link from the original post? The link leads to nowhere. 

https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2017-Nov/carrier-information-guide-english.pdf - page 38. 

[AnaMS 0]

On 4/26/2017 at 12:54 PM, Derwood said:

There have been quite a few posts recently regarding traveling on an expired GC with the one year extension letter.

 

Page 38 of this document provides some reassurance:

 

https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Carrier Information Guide- English.pdf

 

It also makes clear that the 12 month extension is from the card expiry date, not the receipt date of the I-797.

Hi! I just got off the line with USCIS about this topic. She explained that the extension is from the date on the letter not the GC expiration day😕😕 this is so confusing