They took my green card and gave me a stamp!

[callipyge 0]

Hello everyone,

My green card expires on 04/06/08 (two days from today, on a sunday). I sent my I-751 paperwork to USCIS on 03/17; they cashed the check on 03/19 and still no NOA letter.

Because I'm worried about my employment status, I made an infopass appointment and went to San Antonio to get that stamp on my passport that gives me a one-year extension and employment eligibility etc.

What intrigued me is that the immigration officer needed to take my green card from me otherwise I wouldn't get a stamp.

So now I have to walk around with my passport everywhere since the stamp is on it and wait for my new green card to arrive in the mail with conditions lifted a year from now or something.

I just want to know if others are in a similar situations and if they've had any trouble at ports of entry showing that stamp with no physical green card to support it. I plan on visiting my family overseas for Christmas and I doubt my condition-less green card would be issued by then.

Thanks for any feedback you may have!

[ihateemo 0]

They did the same thing to me today. It's totally legit. The whole point of the stamp is that it's valid for travel.

[tammiandtom 0]

Hello everyone,

My green card expires on 04/06/08 (two days from today, on a sunday). I sent my I-751 paperwork to USCIS on 03/17; they cashed the check on 03/19 and still no NOA letter.

Because I'm worried about my employment status, I made an infopass appointment and went to San Antonio to get that stamp on my passport that gives me a one-year extension and employment eligibility etc.

What intrigued me is that the immigration officer needed to take my green card from me otherwise I wouldn't get a stamp.

So now I have to walk around with my passport everywhere since the stamp is on it and wait for my new green card to arrive in the mail with conditions lifted a year from now or something.

I just want to know if others are in a similar situations and if they've had any trouble at ports of entry showing that stamp with no physical green card to support it. I plan on visiting my family overseas for Christmas and I doubt my condition-less green card would be issued by then.

Thanks for any feedback you may have!

I wouldn't walk around with your passport everywhere. Not very safe. My husband doesn't walk around with his green card and extension letter. I know some people do though, but that is just asking for something to get lost.

[Ruairi 0]

Have you no state ID? If not then get one, asking for trouble carrying around your passport. My card was snipped at the corner and given back to me.

[Carolyn 1]

No, you don't need to carry around your passport!!

Did you walk around with your Permanent Residence Card before? You don't need to carry that, either! Just bring it with you on the rare occasion that you need to show proof of legal residence.

[Peter T 0]

Did you walk around with your Permanent Residence Card before? You don't need to carry that, either! Just bring it with you on the rare occasion that you need to show proof of legal residence.

Are you sure about that? I think I'ver read somewhere that we actually had to carry it with us, but because I fear loosing it, too, I just carry around a copy.

[Ashish 1]

Yeah I think I read that too. You have to keep your green card with you at all times and show it to an immigration officer when required. However I never kept mine with me, and never had a problem. Loosing it would be a bigger issues. The funny thing about these rules is that actually making a photo copy of a green card is also not allowed

[Carolyn 1]

I stand corrected--you are supposed to carry it with you at all times!

From the USCIS website, "Now that you are a Permanent Resident":

Permanent Resident Card

The Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551, is issued to all Permanent Residents as evidence of alien registration and their permanent status in the US. The card must be in your possession at all times. This requirement means that you are not only required to have a currently valid Form I-551 at all times, but also that you must carry your currently valid Form I-551 on your person at all times.

Wow. Even though apparently this is a requirement, I'm not sure I would recommend it on a daily basis--maybe only while traveling? The consequences of losing your PR card seems pretty scary--and I personally have had my wallet and/or purse stolen several times, including once when I lost my passport.

[callipyge 0]

Thanks for all the feedback!

Well, yes I do have a TX ID that I carry with me at all times and am also scared of losing my passeport and the stamp that's in it.

I guess I'll carry it with me if I leave town (roadtrip, plane ride, etc.) but that the likelihood of being asked for it during my everyday life is slim. I used to carry my greencard with me everywhere I went and nobody ever asked to see it.

I think I was supposed to carry my passeport with my F1 visa with me at all times too when I was still a student and never did so either. The university told us to make sure to do so if we traveled to South Texas because border patrol was more likely to check.

I stand corrected--you are supposed to carry it with you at all times!

From the USCIS website, "Now that you are a Permanent Resident":

Permanent Resident Card

The Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551, is issued to all Permanent Residents as evidence of alien registration and their permanent status in the US. The card must be in your possession at all times. This requirement means that you are not only required to have a currently valid Form I-551 at all times, but also that you must carry your currently valid Form I-551 on your person at all times.

Wow. Even though apparently this is a requirement, I'm not sure I would recommend it on a daily basis--maybe only while traveling? The consequences of losing your PR card seems pretty scary--and I personally have had my wallet and/or purse stolen several times, including once when I lost my passport.

[tammiandtom 0]

I stand corrected--you are supposed to carry it with you at all times!

From the USCIS website, "Now that you are a Permanent Resident":

Permanent Resident Card

The Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551, is issued to all Permanent Residents as evidence of alien registration and their permanent status in the US. The card must be in your possession at all times. This requirement means that you are not only required to have a currently valid Form I-551 at all times, but also that you must carry your currently valid Form I-551 on your person at all times.

Wow. Even though apparently this is a requirement, I'm not sure I would recommend it on a daily basis--maybe only while traveling? The consequences of losing your PR card seems pretty scary--and I personally have had my wallet and/or purse stolen several times, including once when I lost my passport.

Yes, it supposedly is a requirement, but there's been polls on here before about how many actually carry it around. My husband does not, but he has it when traveling. And it seems especially silly to carry it around when it is expired and the one year letter goes with it. How can you carry a letter around in a man's wallet w/o ruining it? I think not. I mean what is the worst that can happen? Who would even come around demanding to see it? It's always at home in a safe place and could be produced within an hour (we are rarely an hour from home when we are not traveling).