Travelling abroad while waiting for Green card

[OM_123 0]

Hello. Thanks in advance for any help/guidance you can provide.  I have a daughter who just arrived to the US (CR 2), and has a stamped temporary I-551/GC -- stamp on her foreign passport with an entry date of October 25th 2019. She is still waiting to receive her green card obviously. 

 

She is in the middle of her undergraduate studies overseas (with 2 years left) and she will be travelling back to the native country to finish her undergraduate studies.

 

MY questions are:

 

1) can she travel back for her studies with this stamped passport without the permanent plastic green card in her hands? I assume the stamped passport (temporary i-551) will allow her to come back within one year (October 24th 2020)? Would there be any problem at port of entry when she comes back within a year and if does not have her plastic green card (if it does not arrive by then/worst case)? 

 

2) Would it create problem in her intent to be a legal US resident if she travels back and forth for the next two years for her studies (coming back every year)? How soon can you get a re-entry permit? I assume you have a greencard before you can apply for a reentry permit? And, you have to be present here in the state to apply for a reentry permit? 

 

Thank you.

[Nitas_man 3,100]

On 10/30/2019 at 8:01 AM, OM_123 said:

Hello. Thanks in advance for any help/guidance you can provide.  I have a daughter who just arrived to the US (CR 2), and has a stamped temporary I-551/GC -- stamp on her foreign passport with an entry date of October 25th 2019. She is still waiting to receive her green card obviously. 

 

She is in the middle of her undergraduate studies overseas (with 2 years left) and she will be travelling back to the native country to finish her undergraduate studies.

 

MY questions are:

 

1) can she travel back for her studies with this stamped passport without the permanent plastic green card in her hands? I assume the stamped passport (temporary i-551) will allow her to come back within one year (October 24th 2020)? Would there be any problem at port of entry when she comes back within a year and if does not have her plastic green card (if it does not arrive by then/worst case)? 

 

2) Would it create problem in her intent to be a legal US resident if she travels back and forth for the next two years for her studies (coming back every year)? How soon can you get a re-entry permit? I assume you have a greencard before you can apply for a reentry permit? And, you have to be present here in the state to apply for a reentry permit? 

 

Thank you.

She can apply for a re-entry permit and can have it forwarded to the nearest embassy.  She has to be in the Us to apply and She can leave (after) completing biometrics - about 6 weeks after she applies.
 

If she has to leave now I’d suggest returning when her green card arrives, applying for a re-entry permit, and leaving after biometrics.  I wouldn’t advise staying out longer than 6 months without a physical green card.