traveling with expired green card, N400 processing

[chefgui 0]

Looks like a great forum with a mine of info. I was hoping you guys could weigh in on this. I've been a permanent resident for 13 years. I have to travel to Australia in late June 2013. My green card is expired since July 2012 and I applied for naturalization in January 2013. I went for biometrics last month. It doesn't look like I'll be naturalized before going to Australia.

Question: Will I be allowed back into the US with an expired green card (expired since July 2012!) and N400 that is still processing? What are my options if not? i-551 stamp?..

Also of importance, Homeland Security let me in last year (July 2012) as I was traveling from France to the US with my just-expired green card. They were nice about it. The officer at the airport let me in and suggested I apply for N400. Important: They may have extended my status for a year back then, at the port of entrance. I don't know. But my guess is they may have since they didn't ask me to renew my green card (which was expired for 7 months) before applying for naturalization in January 2013.

Your thoughts?.. Thank you so much.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Looks like a great forum with a mine of info. I was hoping you guys could weigh in on this. I've been a permanent resident for 13 years. I have to travel to Australia in late June 2013. My green card is expired since July 2012 and I applied for naturalization in January 2013. I went for biometrics last month. It doesn't look like I'll be naturalized before going to Australia.

Question: Will I be allowed back into the US with an expired green card (expired since July 2012!) and N400 that is still processing? What are my options if not? i-551 stamp?..

Also of importance, Homeland Security let me in last year (July 2012) as I was traveling from France to the US with my just-expired green card. They were nice about it. The officer at the airport let me in and suggested I apply for N400. Important: They may have extended my status for a year back then, at the port of entrance. I don't know. But my guess is they may have since they didn't ask me to renew my green card (which was expired for 7 months) before applying for naturalization in January 2013.

Your thoughts?.. Thank you so much.

You will need to renew your greencard or wait until you are a citizen to travel. You can't travel on an expired GC. You'll need evidence you have applied for a new one.

Check out the link below:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/75/kw/travel%20with%20expired%20green%20card/session/L3NpZC9FNlBud3dwbA%3D%3D

If the I-551 is lost or expires during a trip out of the U.S., you will have to obtain a new one upon re-entry - and this can take quite a while - so plan accordingly. This process entails filling out a form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident and paying the $365 base fee and biometric fee of $85. Please be aware that if your travel plans include air travel, many airlines will not board passengers with an expired green card - unless they have a Notice of Action (Form I-797) verifying that they have applied to replace it - in addition to the expired card, and - depending on where you are going, an unexpired passport.

Edited May 6, 2013 by Gegel