Many immigrants might need new green cards

[Sister Fracas 5]

My grandfather arrived in the USA in 1911 through POE Galveston, TX. He became a US citizen in 1943. My mother told me he had to be a US citizen to work in certain areas inside the Port of Houston where he was a longshoreman during WW2.

My grandmother arrived in the USA in 1913 through POE Baltimore, MD and took the train to Texas. She lived in the USA 54 years without becoming a US citizen. She was a housewife and probably had no compelling reason to go through the process to naturalize.

Neither of them ever had the desire to return to their country of origin which became the USSR after they left. Neither ever had the desire to pursue establishing Soviet citizenship either. Neither ever had a modern passport or ever wanted to travel outside the USA after arriving here.

I think in my grandmother's case becoming a US citizen would have had zero impact on her life, so she had no compelling reason to do it unless it was required. And it isn't required. So she didn't do it.

What citizenship did your grandmother have if she wasn't Soviet or American? That's interesting...

My gran came over through Ellis Island in 1905 and I have no idea when she became a citizen but for her and her family I DO know it was done to quickly break ties with their homecountry. They didn't want to be known as immigrants...it was seen as somehow being lesser of an individual. (hmmm, in the opinion of some, that sentiment hasn't changed *sigh*) It was a secret that she kept until she was in her 60's and wanted to travel to Europe. She needed a passport and family was shocked to find she had a foreign birth certificate and I'm assuming some sort of naturalizatino papers.

[mawilson 2,133]

My personal opinion is that shouldn't be allowed after a long period of time is up. They need to make up their minds.

But that's just my opinion.

I agree.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Green-not-green card without picture and expiration date = bad idea indeed.

"Become a citizen or GTFO" = personal choice, none of my business.

[Sister Fracas 5]

Green-not-green card without picture and expiration date = bad idea indeed.

"Become a citizen or GTFO" = personal choice, none of my business.

I agree and oh, nice and concise....

[peejay 327]

My grandfather arrived in the USA in 1911 through POE Galveston, TX. He became a US citizen in 1943. My mother told me he had to be a US citizen to work in certain areas inside the Port of Houston where he was a longshoreman during WW2.

My grandmother arrived in the USA in 1913 through POE Baltimore, MD and took the train to Texas. She lived in the USA 54 years without becoming a US citizen. She was a housewife and probably had no compelling reason to go through the process to naturalize.

Neither of them ever had the desire to return to their country of origin which became the USSR after they left. Neither ever had the desire to pursue establishing Soviet citizenship either. Neither ever had a modern passport or ever wanted to travel outside the USA after arriving here.

I think in my grandmother's case becoming a US citizen would have had zero impact on her life, so she had no compelling reason to do it unless it was required. And it isn't required. So she didn't do it.

What citizenship did your grandmother have if she wasn't Soviet or American? That's interesting...

My gran came over through Ellis Island in 1905 and I have no idea when she became a citizen but for her and her family I DO know it was done to quickly break ties with their homecountry. They didn't want to be known as immigrants...it was seen as somehow being lesser of an individual. (hmmm, in the opinion of some, that sentiment hasn't changed *sigh*) It was a secret that she kept until she was in her 60's and wanted to travel to Europe. She needed a passport and family was shocked to find she had a foreign birth certificate and I'm assuming some sort of naturalizatino papers.

My grandparents were not native English speakers and spoke very obvious strong Byelorussian accented English. No hiding that they were foreigners. There was always a suspicion in the USA of Russians after the Bolshevik Revolution. It was worst during the Cold War. My grandfather "Anglicized" his surname early on and named my mom and 2 aunts Anglo names common to the USA in order to assimilate. That's just the way it was.

Of course my grandmother was a citizen of the USSR, but the point being that she never officially registered as such or officially claimed it with the Soviet embassy in the USA.

My grandparents left Imperial Russia as subjects of the Czar. There was a violent revolution, civil wars, 2 world wars, foreign occupation, and shifted borders that encompassed the area of Byelorussia they were born in. Many official records were destroyed.

My grandfather is listed as a Russian national in the POE archives I found that are maintained at the University of Texas. However, my grandfather is listed as a Polish national on his US naturalization papers (he bacame a US citizen in 1943). The Poles seized western Byelorussia in 1920 when the Bolshevik government was weak. Stalin took it back in in 1939. The USA did not sanction or officially recognize this act and refused to recognize the new border until years later after WW2. So you can see how confusing the matter of citizenship can be in unstable areas of the world. This in addition to diplomatic politics and foreign policy between countries.

My wife was born in Russian Siberia, but was living in the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic when the USSR dissolved. She then had to turn in her Soviet passport and is now a citizen of Belarus and carries a Belarusian passport. Her father and siblings are Russian citizens.

Life is strange.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Green-not-green card without picture and expiration date = bad idea indeed.

"Become a citizen or GTFO" = personal choice, none of my business.

I agree and oh, nice and concise....

Anytime sister, anytime.

I can rant too, just ask nicely :devil: :devil:

[Jasman0717 9]

Issuing cards with photos but no expiry dates was always a bad idea. Good thing they're finally getting around to fix it.

Moving at lightening speed as government agencies do

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Yay more backlog creation! Which will, in return, cause a call for higher fees to address the backlog which will then create more backlogs as the last fee increase has. In short: Higher fees, less service and longer wait times. Excellent! USCIS never disappoints on that end. Ever.