Do I need the I-551 Stamp?

[Milva 0]

We received our 1 year extension letter last month so I planned an over seas vacation thinking since it states that it is good for employment and travel.

NOW I am freaking out because I hear that they are giving a hard time to people who only have the letter.

Should I get the stamp or would it be a waste of time?

Also, what is usually the info they ask for in a RFE?

I submitted birth certificate for our son, tax returns, banks statement, cd notices, copy of credit cards, car and dental insurance, pictures, vacation tickets and itinearies and utility bills showing address. Is their a chance that I will get a RFE or will I be like the rest of you (UNFORTUNATELY) waiting....waiting.....waiting....

Thanks

[payxibka 10,045]

No you need your extention letter

Edited July 1, 2008 by fwaguy

[NickD 202]

No you need your extention letter

And your expired green card, that extension form extends, extension form is worthless without your green card.

[imailin 0]

We received our 1 year extension letter last month so I planned an over seas vacation thinking since it states that it is good for employment and travel.

NOW I am freaking out because I hear that they are giving a hard time to people who only have the letter.

Should I get the stamp or would it be a waste of time?

Also, what is usually the info they ask for in a RFE?

I submitted birth certificate for our son, tax returns, banks statement, cd notices, copy of credit cards, car and dental insurance, pictures, vacation tickets and itinearies and utility bills showing address. Is their a chance that I will get a RFE or will I be like the rest of you (UNFORTUNATELY) waiting....waiting.....waiting....

Thanks

Hey! Well I never travel outside the US during the removal of conditions, although I went to get an stamp here in Miami Florida last year just to have it and they told me that with the NOA was enough.... now… here, we are dealing with USCIS.. So, anything can happen really....

My NOA is expiring in August so I have an infopass appointment tomorrow, this time they have to give me the stamp since the NOA will be not longer valid after August.

Good luck!!!!

are you going to Argentina? be ready cause is cold!

[jamieswith 0]

No you need your extention letter

And your expired green card, that extension form extends, extension form is worthless without your green card.

I would just say though, that if it's easy for you to get the stamp, and you have any kind of worry or uncertainty... there's no harm in getting the stamp anyway.... as a backup so-to-speak.

Some countries / airlines of late have taken it upon themselves to "check" your immigration papers/visas etc before allowing you to board the aircraft... these people are not immigration officers and are not aware of all of the options... so if you get one that really doesnt know what they're doing, you can end up getting denied boarding onto your flight to come back, even though you would not get denied at the actual POE in the US.

The most recent case where I saw this happen in person was at Paris CDG airport, where a very ####### airline employee who thought he knew what he was doing stopped several people from boarding for various stupid reasons... i.e. In one case he was actually stopping a US Army Officer, who was a US Citizen showing a US Passport, from boarding, because he refused to show the guy (a french citizen) a copy of his orders! It was only when several of us ganged up on him (the line was being held up) and pointed out that a US Citizen has the right to enter the US no matter what his orders, and that it wasn't up to him to determine if this guy was obeying orders - that he finally let him through...

Of course, you are legally OK entering the US on just your passport, greencard and Extension letter... but, as I say, if it's no trouble for you to make an infopass appointment and get a passport stamp too... it won't hurt, and might help you if you run into a similar idiot.

[Milva 0]

We received our 1 year extension letter last month so I planned an over seas vacation thinking since it states that it is good for employment and travel.

NOW I am freaking out because I hear that they are giving a hard time to people who only have the letter.

Should I get the stamp or would it be a waste of time?

Also, what is usually the info they ask for in a RFE?

I submitted birth certificate for our son, tax returns, banks statement, cd notices, copy of credit cards, car and dental insurance, pictures, vacation tickets and itinearies and utility bills showing address. Is their a chance that I will get a RFE or will I be like the rest of you (UNFORTUNATELY) waiting....waiting.....waiting....

Thanks

Hey! Well I never travel outside the US during the removal of conditions, although I went to get an stamp here in Miami Florida last year just to have it and they told me that with the NOA was enough.... now… here, we are dealing with USCIS.. So, anything can happen really....

My NOA is expiring in August so I have an infopass appointment tomorrow, this time they have to give me the stamp since the NOA will be not longer valid after August.

Good luck!!!!

are you going to Argentina? be ready cause is cold!

NO WAY.... we are going in January...... Thanks for the kind words.... Hope to hear from you soon....

[cherr1980 1]

I will get the stamp. Some airports in the US are asking for the stamp instead of the extension letter and since they (CBP, USCIS, ICE , etc etc) don't get themselves together in one front...we are the only who will suffer the consequences.

After 10 times in and out of the US after my GC was expired, I always showed my stamp or my extension letter, and I always was getting ignored about it saying that why I was showing that...okay. Well a week ago I got stop for over an hour in ATL (that's my hub) because they say that I just needed to show the stamp that the extension letter is worthless even with the expired GC. And I even was telling them that for check in with the airline I DO need my extension letter and my expired GC, they say I was wrong...what I hate is that this people tells you things that you know more than them and still they have the authority to let you in or not. God bless us.

Just to be aware...an airline security or agent would prefer to not let you in the plane, that to pay $5-10K for you to be no accepted in the US. The risk to pissed you off is worth for the airline in that matter, regardless if you have all the documents in place.

Regarding the US Army Officer...I may be wrong, I can get more info about it...but if the person was in uniform other code apply in there. I think if you are in uniform you must travel with your orders or your US official passport not your civilian one regarding if you are getting in or out of the US.

[NickD 202]

From comments I received from my wife, it makes a big difference of the green card holder is traveling with her US citizen spouse rather than traveling alone. It's like they want to pick on a women, delay them, interrogate them, and even do a strip search that happened to her friends traveling alone.

They really gave both my wife and mother-in-law a hard time when they came here alone and their is a big difference in trying to protect rather than to harass depending on what kind of donkey pit you encounter. When coming back with her, I gave my wife a big hug and a kiss and said this is my Honey and she was treated with great respect, far different when she came her by herself. My mother-in-law doesn't want to come here anymore, this is a crime.

[cherr1980 1]

From comments I received from my wife, it makes a big difference of the green card holder is traveling with her US citizen spouse rather than traveling alone. It's like they want to pick on a women, delay them, interrogate them, and even do a strip search that happened to her friends traveling alone.

They really gave both my wife and mother-in-law a hard time when they came here alone and their is a big difference in trying to protect rather than to harass depending on what kind of donkey pit you encounter. When coming back with her, I gave my wife a big hug and a kiss and said this is my Honey and she was treated with great respect, far different when she came her by herself. My mother-in-law doesn't want to come here anymore, this is a crime.

Agree with you. One time, one was asking me over and over if he can call me (don't ask me what I replied let's say he stamped very hard my custom form)...and another time other was asking me for a free airline ticket in which I laugh very hard, never of that happened when I traveled with my then husband. They just seems to not understand that wives can go alone in a plane...and return.

[john_t_03 0]

Don't bother with the stamp. I was not only refused a stamp (because I had the letter) at the local office, but they almost confiscated my expired GC. If they do give you a stamp, they will most likely keep your old GC. To this date, I have not heard of anyone who could not come back to the US with the letter and expired GC. Take the original letter, not a photocopy.