Green Card Stolen: I-751 Application Due Shortly

[conquest 0]

Agreed I know we are suppose to carry it around but at the cost of replacing it and the hassel. If you have a photo copy its not like they are going to deport you when you can supply them with the real one. I suppose if we lieved in an area where they would do immigration raids or got into situations that would be questionable then I would want my wife to carry it but we dont.

When we travel far from home she carries it with her

If they want the real one then we would give them the real one. the photo copy my wife carries is laminated. we wrote on it photo copy original upon request

[motu 5]

I made a foto copy of my green card to put in my wallet, and keep the real one in the safe deposit box. If I will be needing the real GC I just go to the bank and fetch it. Too costly to replace! Gud Luck in getting your 10 year card and putting it in a safe place!

However, by law, you are required to carry the actual green card... not a photocopy of it. So... readers of this post should not take this as advice, but simply as an example of what some people do.

I hate having to carry the damn thing as I'm always afraid I'm gonna lose it. I have been so tempted to do this as well.

I was an immigrant for 16 years and never carried my greencard with me. I just had my driver's license and other ID (student or work etc.). My wife was a resident for 3+ years, I told her to not carry the geencard either - she just had her driver's license the whole time. Yes, I have a scanner and I did scan her greencard and all other papers also. But the thing is - unless you live in a border town - you never have to carry it because the local law enforcement officers do not know a greencard from a Bollywood ID card - they are not aware of what the heck that is, so I never felt that either I or later my wife had to carry it. We only carried it when traveling out of the country. The law that wants you to carry it is not consistent with local law enforcements desire to enforce or even know of such a law, so, I would never worry about it. As a matter of fact as a citizen - I have no proof of my citizenship other than my passport or certification which sits in some corner of my house. All I carry is my driver's license. I am just less paranoid than others. Again - if you live in a border town - that's different but otherwise you never have to carry it - to take the chance of it getting stolen or something. Good Luck in what you do - its your comfort level with obeying the law - like crossing the street in the middle of a block or going exactly by the speed posted or not removing those tags on your mattresses.

Edited July 9, 2009 by motu