Going to outside usa for three week

[SAM JBI 1]

Hi guys I have two year green card and I am trying to visit my family its been almost four year and my brother is getting married so I decided to go visit them any suggestions 

also I don't know why but its always concerned me which line we take at airport on the way back can anyone please tell me his experience recently going outside and coming back and also anyone know where to done the rapid test 

 

Thank you

Edited October 25, 2020 by SAM JBI

[Dashinka 23,349]

As a GC holder you will use the Citizens/US Resident line upon returning.  Many airports if not all of them now use kiosks for international returning travelers, it is very simple, you scan your GC and answer the questions and i believe submit finger or thumb prints.  As to suggestions for travel, you will need to research the best path for where you are going.

 

Good Luck!

[SAM JBI 1]

1 minute ago, Dashinka said:

As a GC holder you will use the Citizens/US Resident line upon returning.  Many airports if not all of them now use kiosks for international returning travelers, it is very simple, you scan your GC and answer the questions and i believe submit finger or thumb prints.  As to suggestions for travel, you will need to research the best path for where you are going.

 

Good Luck!

Thank you for your reply I am going to Pakistan and then Dubai and from there to coming back to usa is there anything else I need to take with me. if you coming back with us citizen and you are green card holder you can go in citizen line right and I am sorry I never hear about the kiosks can you please tell me where do I need to found in the airport 

thank you so much for your help

[Dashinka 23,349]

Just now, SAM JBI said:

Thank you for your reply I am going to Pakistan and then Dubai and from there to coming back to usa is there anything else I need to take with me. if you coming back with us citizen and you are green card holder you can go in citizen line right and I am sorry I never hear about the kiosks can you please tell me where do I need to found in the airport 

thank you so much for your help

Even if you are a GC holder coming back by yourself you use the same line as the uS Citizens.  If you are traveling with your spouse and your international passport and GCs do not have the same names, bring a copy of your marriage certificate with you.  When you get off the plane, all travelers will be directed to the CBP area, and there are usually folks at the start of the lines directing travelers to the proper lines.  Then you should see kiosks in the lines you will go to and when one is open, you go there and start the process by scanning your GC, if you are returning with your spouse, then you can do it as a family.  The kiosk will ask the Customs questions such as are you bringing back a lot of stuff or cash with you etc., take your fingerprints and take a picture, then it will print out a slip and you take that to a CBP officer.

[SAM JBI 1]

8 minutes ago, Dashinka said:

Even if you are a GC holder coming back by yourself you use the same line as the uS Citizens.  If you are traveling with your spouse and your international passport and GCs do not have the same names, bring a copy of your marriage certificate with you.  When you get off the plane, all travelers will be directed to the CBP area, and there are usually folks at the start of the lines directing travelers to the proper lines.  Then you should see kiosks in the lines you will go to and when one is open, you go there and start the process by scanning your GC, if you are returning with your spouse, then you can do it as a family.  The kiosk will ask the Customs questions such as are you bringing back a lot of stuff or cash with you etc., take your fingerprints and take a picture, then it will print out a slip and you take that to a CBP officer.

Thank you so much its help alot 

Thank you

[JFH 12,189]

I traveled to Mexico last month and came back through LAX. No screening or testing on arrival, no COVID questions. But they were making us use the self-service kiosks instead of the desks for immigration to minimize contact for the CBP officers and limit the number of passports they need to touch. TSA at PDX asked us to swipe our own passports through the machine to minimize the contact for the employees. Be prepared for the airports having a more “DIY” approach. Also, many of the food concessions were closed. 

[JFH 12,189]

*~*~*moved from “immigration news” to “working and traveling”*~*~*

[Mike E 11,725]

Some airports used to have combined citizen / LPR lines and now have shunted LPRs to the alien line.  The general advice you’ve been getting is erroneous.  
 

For a rapid Covid test try Cvs or labcorp.  For an COVID antibody test try labcorp.  

[SAM JBI 1]

43 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Some airports used to have combined citizen / LPR lines and now have shunted LPRs to the alien line.  The general advice you’ve been getting is erroneous.  
 

For a rapid Covid test try Cvs or labcorp.  For an COVID antibody test try labcorp.  

Thank you for the reply you say that they shut down the LPR lines and changed into alien line so alien line and citizen line will be same because my spouse will be with me and we don't wanna go in different line since we coming back in same flight 

 

[SAM JBI 1]

3 hours ago, JFH said:

I traveled to Mexico last month and came back through LAX. No screening or testing on arrival, no COVID questions. But they were making us use the self-service kiosks instead of the desks for immigration to minimize contact for the CBP officers and limit the number of passports they need to touch. TSA at PDX asked us to swipe our own passports through the machine to minimize the contact for the employees. Be prepared for the airports having a more “DIY” approach. Also, many of the food concessions were closed. 

Thank you for the reply I am sorry I didn't understand the DIY thing what is this for stand sorry 

 

Thank you

[Mike E 11,725]

14 minutes ago, SAM JBI said:

Thank you for the reply you say that they shut down the LPR lines and changed into alien line so alien line and citizen line will be same because my spouse will be with me and we don't wanna go in different line since we coming back in same flight 

 

I am saying that in SOME airports, LPRs are not permitted in the citizen lines.  

Also this changes frequently.  What you experienced last at one airport might not be the same the next month.  I got global entry after ORD sent LPRs to the alien line and I missed my connection.  After I got GE, ORD switched back to LPRs with citizens.  That was over decade ago.  I don’t know what it is these days.  
 

If you are making a single customs card declaration (all members of a family traveling together staying at the same address) then the citizen / LPR couple used the the alien line if LPRs are directed to the alien line. 
 

As others have written, LPRs can use kiosks and might speed up the process but in YVR this past February I found them to be useless for our situation (citizen plus LPR).   The kiosks probably work if traveling solo.  

Edited October 25, 2020 by Mike E

[Just Paul 4,591]

Current official Policy is USC, LPR, trusted travel program members including TWIC, and Canadians and VWP use the APC "Citizen Lines".   My observations is in airports that do not have APC in visitor lanes then returning B1/B2 and C1/D and Ds can also use the "Citizen Lanes".

 

If you are with an LPR don't use it as a family.   There still seems to be an issue where you have to enter the LPRs A number manually,

 

We have used it the last 18 months that way in YVR, YUL and stateside in DFW, LAX and PHX.

 

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/apc

[retheem 553]

11 hours ago, SAM JBI said:

Thank you for your reply I am going to Pakistan and then Dubai and from there to coming back to usa is there anything else I need to take with me. if you coming back with us citizen and you are green card holder you can go in citizen line right and I am sorry I never hear about the kiosks can you please tell me where do I need to found in the airport 

thank you so much for your help

No just carry your green card and travel safe. When you come back, you will go through the US citizen line

[SusieQQQ 11,585]

Never seen LPRs in alien lines as a rule, what airports? Most airports I’ve come in have a “USC and LPR” line. I have seen one airport, SNA, that has separate USC and LPR lines. The LPR line was much shorter the day I was there so they directed USCs to use it too. I have seen other airports direct people to shorter “different” lines too  CBP in any line can deal with anyone. Pro tip, get global entry then you only have one usually very short line to worry about.