We Lied To USCIS

[bigdog 376]

you are confused. the GC and letter are for you to RETURN to the US...your home country could care less. Like the poster above me, I have never heard of anyone being denied entry with the extension letter. People really need to stop listening to rumors and here-say from friends and family, and get the real facts and use common sense before lying to USCIS

:thumbs:Yes and yes.

[Operator 1,925]

you are confused. the GC and letter are for you to RETURN to the US...your home country could care less. Like the poster above me, I have never heard of anyone being denied entry with the extension letter. People really need to stop listening to rumors and here-say from friends and family, and get the real facts and use common sense before lying to USCIS

Actually the poster has a very valid point. The same is true in the US. If you try to board a commercial airline without the proper documentation for the destination country they won't let you board. In the US the obligation is with the airlines. In many other countries the obligation to verify travel documents lies with the government immigration/border control agency.

On a trip to China last year my wife was traveling with a combo AP/EAD card. We had to explain to Chinese passport control what the document was because at the time it was still fairly new and they hadn't seen very many of them.

Now obviously USCIS isn't issuing these documents to meet the requirements of other governments so that's the travelers obligation to make sure they have what the need to exit that country.

OP, the decision to lie to USCIS may prove to be your bigger problem.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Operator

[LIFE'SJOURNEY 970]

Yes, USIC will take the expired GC if you wish to have the stamp, which means you will have to carry your passport around to be able to show proof when requested that you are legally here in the US.

Yes, the US government is aware that there are some airline companies that are not educated on the proper documents that are used by the US government for legal presence in the US. That being said this does not make it an action that should make the US government hange it's process and procedures. If this is a major problem for those whose home countries have an education problem with the US immigration procedures, than those individuals should maybe change their visitation behavior to coniside with when they have received the offical replacement GC.

The extension letter for the expired GC has been in place for the last 20 yeaars, and if a country has not educated the proper people on this procedure whose fault is it, not the US government. If you feel the airline you are traveling on is 2nd rated, than maybe it would be best to change to a reliable airline that is up todate on the US process and procedures.

The US government serves a wide range of people from many different countries, it is not the US government responiblilty for the actions of a few airline companies that do not educate it's employees in proper procesdures. To use a lie to gain a stamp is truly a mis use of the US government services. I am sure if the situation is explain in a clear and consise manner, the end result would have been the same without the lie. That lie has now de-value you as an individual; who maybe seeking citizenship to a country that opened it's arm wide to you.

[sonder 8]

The poster has done what he believed would work for him. So give him a break & be reasonable before bashing on the poor guy. If he would get in trouble (I hope not) because of uneducated immigration personnel/Airlines crew, none of VJ members or USCIS it self will do anything to help him out. That being said, A lie which makes life better is NOT a lie, it's necessity. period.

Matt Sonders.

Edited January 6, 2013 by sonder

[LIFE'SJOURNEY 970]

Matt, the word "lie" only has one definition when it comes to being un-truthful. If lieing is how you or others live your life so it maybe, but don't use it as an excuse to get what you want.

Don't make lieing an ok source of survival. White lie, Blue lie, Green lie, small lie, big lie or half truths are all the same.

Edited January 6, 2013 by LIFE'SJOURNEY

[Sirdaniel42 86]

you are confused. the GC and letter are for you to RETURN to the US...your home country could care less. Like the poster above me, I have never heard of anyone being denied entry with the extension letter. People really need to stop listening to rumors and here-say from friends and family, and get the real facts and use common sense before lying to USCIS

So very true, look it up before you take action, not the other way around!!

[Gosia & Tito 199]

OK, so me & wife (Wife citizen, me GC holder) had our InfoPass appointment yesterday at local USCIS office regarding I-551 stamp. We plan to visit native country SriLanka soon & what we were told by friends back home that expired green cards are thrown at face & customs at Colombo airport won't even look at the extension letter. So we lied to USCIS saying our extension letter is lost & we need a I-551 stamp. The office just told us to return the expired green card & stamped my passport (1 year validity). We were told that we will need to get my passport stamped if we wish to go out of country after I-551 expires & also told us that we should get my 10 year GC within 6-8 more months. I am now confused by the fact that what to say to officer on our return at Newark airport if immigration folks asks for the expired GC & extension letter ? I guess we will say that we exchanged the GC & NOA1 with I-551. We will carry the copies of exired GC,NOA1 letter & the infoPass appointment token.

I seriously believe USCIS should get rid off the extension letter & replace it with something else (3 year GC may be). What's the point of having the letter when many countries do not even honor it? (Just my own thought)

Let me start by stating that I (and many others here) do not condone lying (to USCIS) under any circumstance; moreover the cardinal rule is to never lie to them.

In the long run, This accomplishes nothing except making rules more stringent for the people coming behind us.

That said, I believe what this OP is trying to get across is that the airline at the home country would not accept an expired GC (with extension letter), and will not let them board, essentially leaving them stranded.

To OP: Don't blame USCIS, even when they might not be the friendliest and most efficient bunch; it is up to you, the one getting a benefit (not a right) to plan.

How?

1. Not traveling if you believe you would have problems getting back with an expired GC;

2. Obtain/secure a letter from the airline you are traveling, essentially clearing you up for travel to any of their front desk, even more, you can get them to specifically contact the Sri Lanka manager and make sure it's all clear; airlines most often will make big efforts to help a customer (yes, they will still cramp you in coach and serve food that you might not normally eat under a different circumstance; but you would be surprised of what you can get them do if you ask nicely and firmly);

3. Verify with the airline that the rumors you have heard are truth or not and then ask for the letter and make the manager in Sri Lanka aware as noted in 2 above.

If everyone here followed your logic, we all would be making up things to travel before the AP is granted, Where does it stop?

We all here know well that AP, visas, etc can take longer than expected and trash plans, consequently, we plan for that.

I really hope you do not get a direct question at the airport upon coming back, because you either tell the truth and accept the consequences, or lie yet again, and that can backfire at a later time...And, as others have noted here, I wouldn't discount that USCIS personnel read postings here....

Good luck

[MrsNotBonJovi 18]

There we go... SriLanka, Bangladesh,India,Pakistan & now Jamaica, I am sure there are many more places who do not honor I-797.

Not true about India in general. I recently traveled with my GC (not expired, though) from Chennai to NY and was not asked to show the card. They need you to fill out a form that says what your visa status is and that's just about it. Could depend on the interviewing officer, though. The line that I was in had several GC holders and none was asked for the card or the extension letter.

Edited January 6, 2013 by MrsNotBonJovi

[Gosia & Tito 199]

The poster has done what he believed would work for him. So give him a break & be reasonable before bashing on the poor guy. If he would get in trouble (I hope not) because of uneducated immigration personnel/Airlines crew, none of VJ members or USCIS it self will do anything to help him out. That being said, A lie which makes life better is NOT a lie, it's necessity. period.

Matt Sonders.

Lies, damned lies and statistics??

Yes, OP can proceed as he/she sees fit best and no one here can stop what they do/do not; but there are repercussions for all of us, even the ones that have already our loved ones here, which would mean more red tape and more documentation so our buddies at USCIS and DOS can verify what we represent.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

A lie which makes life better is NOT a lie, it's necessity. period.

Matt Sonders.[/color]

Wow, liars are stupid.

No lie makes life better, one has to make up more lies (which is the reason for the question here, "How can I lie more to CPB?") Eventually it all unravels in a horrible mess and you are worse off then if you had told the truth initially. This whole thing is based on paranoia and rumor - it has already been shown by two people in here that the countries people "think" are "uncooperative" actually accept the extension letter and any fear about it is ridiculous.

Unfortunately on the internet people can find other like-minded paranoids and feed eachother in some grand display of bad judgement, and reinforce their dense behavior and unfounded fears.

Anyone condoning lying here is wrong. Millions of people travel with the extension letter. In fact, you can find NO ONE on VJ that has had any problem with it. The people who say it won't work are the ones who haven't actually done it.

[Lorenzoid 12]

The airlines have asked to see my wife's extension letter along with her expired GC every time we have returned to the US in recent months. The airline in Belgium asked to see the extension letter and expired GC, and they understood what it meant and let her board the flight. Same for the airline in Mexico and the airline in Korea. All international airlines that fly to the US are apparently familiar with the concept of the extension letter. If you encounter an airline agent who does not know what an extension letter is, ask to speak with the agent's supervisor.

[Cathi 5,614]

The poster has done what he believed would work for him. So give him a break & be reasonable before bashing on the poor guy. If he would get in trouble (I hope not) because of uneducated immigration personnel/Airlines crew, none of VJ members or USCIS it self will do anything to help him out. That being said, A lie which makes life better is NOT a lie, it's necessity. period.

Matt Sonders.

you do realize that lying to US immigration under any circumstances carries serious ramifications, correct? Not to mention the fact that if you go through life lying, you live your life trying to remember all the lies you created in the first place, and you need to lie to keep up with all the lies. That is insanity. If that is the way you want to live, that really sucks for you.

Edited January 6, 2013 by mimolicious

[hikergirl 277]

I googled visajourney and could only find one example of someone refused boarding onto a plane because of an expired green card/extension letter. In that case it was because the person was travelling with a copy of the extension letter and not the original. The husband was required to courier the original letter to the wife in her home country or she had to go to the Embassy for a letter to travel.

I do agree that lying to the government is not a good idea at all. It may come back to haunt you in the future.

Edited January 6, 2013 by hikergirl

[Cathi 5,614]

Wow, liars are stupid.

No lie makes life better, one has to make up more lies (which is the reason for the question here, "How can I lie more to CPB?") Eventually it all unravels in a horrible mess and you are worse off then if you had told the truth initially. This whole thing is based on paranoia and rumor - it has already been shown by two people in here that the countries people "think" are "uncooperative" actually accept the extension letter and any fear about it is ridiculous.

Unfortunately on the internet people can find other like-minded paranoids and feed eachother in some grand display of bad judgement, and reinforce their dense behavior and unfounded fears.

Anyone condoning lying here is wrong. Millions of people travel with the extension letter. In fact, you can find NO ONE on VJ that has had any problem with it. The people who say it won't work are the ones who haven't actually done it.

[amaka50 10]

you do realize that lying to US immigration under any circumstances carries serious ramifications, correct? Not to mention the fact that if you go through life lying, you live your life trying to remember all the lies you created in the first place, and you need to lie to keep up with all the lies. That is insanity. If that is the way you want to live, that really sucks for you.

Y are u always so negative and harsh with your words people make mistakes and they would regret it true, but stop rubbing it in. People post for assistance not for antagonistic comments like yours. Tell him how he can go about his situation not how his life sucks....