GC Holders & U.S. citizen child - Entering the U.S. after 4 years

[marauder1905 5]

Hi everyone,

 

 

I just wanted to reach out to the experts here to hear their thoughts on our situation. I have already read several threads about this but every situation is unique and I would love to hear any input.

 

We got our GC's in 2018 through the DV. My wife and myself are green card holders and we have not entered the U.S. for more than 4 years. As I worked for a U.S. based company but in Europe and in Asia as that is where I was assigned to. After 11 years, I am not working for the same U.S. based employer as of April 2024.

 

Now I was able to secure a job from another company in the U.S. so we will be moving there. Our son is a US citizen as he was born in the U.S in 2015.

 

We have also filed our taxes for 2018-2023. We have never technically lived in the U.S. but I have always been employed by the same U.S. based company hoping that I would get transferred to our HQ in the U.S., which never happened unfortunately.

 

We want to take our chances and we are flying to the U.S. in June/July. My wife and myself have 10 year passports expiring in 2028 while our son has a U.S. passport. Would you have any comments to facilitate our entry into the U.S.?

 

Other details: We bought a one way ticket. We are shipping our things with a container to the U.S. as that is where we want to live. If we are pressured, we will not be signing the I-407 as we will be requesting to see an immigration judge. (which I hope doesn't happen)

Thank you,

Edited May 1 by TBoneTX

[OldUser 6,878]

If you have valid green cards, you should be able to reenter. Especially with one way tickets, employment in the US and the US citizen kid. Usually a US citizen child doesn't grant any benefits for parents on tourist visas etc, but you're LPRs. Bring all the paperwork, stay cool, friendly and firm so CBP sees you're coming for good.

[Boiler 45,660]

Do not sign the I 407

[marauder1905 5]

Thank you both!

 

Any thoughts on "best" port of entries to enter without any trouble? Or any specific ones we should definitely avoid? 

[Boiler 45,660]

12 hours ago, marauder1905 said:

Thank you both!

 

Any thoughts on "best" port of entries to enter without any trouble? Or any specific ones we should definitely avoid? 

Would it not depend on the Officer you will talk with more than anything else.

[marauder1905 5]

Hi folks,

 

I wanted to give everyone an update as my trip to the US finally happened.

 

We were questioned by the initial CBP officer and we were sent to secondary inspection where we waited for 2+ hours. At the secondary inspect, we were asked similar questions such as "What is your travel history after leaving the US?", "Why were you gone for so long?", "What ties do you have to the US?", "Are you staying for real this time?", "What kind of a job will you start?" etc.

 

After their internal discussion, I was presented the choice to fill out I-193 and pay $695 for each form. We naturally accepted this as we wanted to avoid an NTA. We paid and our passports were stamped with "Admitted with SB-1".

 

We are definitely grateful for the opportunity and we will make sure not to be in a similar situation ever again.

 

 

 

 

[powerpuff 6,729]

Thanks for the update and welcome back.

[nastra30 2,288]

2 hours ago, marauder1905 said:

We are definitely grateful for the opportunity and we will make sure not to be in a similar situation ever again.

Welcome back. Please stay a while and naturalize (if possible). Then after, you can go anywhere you want, for any length of time.

Edited June 6 by nastra30

[marauder1905 5]

Thank you everyone.

 

We will definitely be staying. With that said, my new job in the US may require short trips outside the country. These trips would not be any more than a few days or a maximum of 1-2 weeks. Do you think these could be an issue for me? Especially if I leave during my first year here?

[OldUser 6,878]

16 minutes ago, marauder1905 said:

Thank you everyone.

 

We will definitely be staying. With that said, my new job in the US may require short trips outside the country. These trips would not be any more than a few days or a maximum of 1-2 weeks. Do you think these could be an issue for me? Especially if I leave during my first year here?

There's always a risk but it's hard to predict. As you spend more time in the US, the risk goes down.

Edited June 12 by OldUser