CR1 passport stamp expires before Physical green card

[Marlita 0]

Ok, my husband arrived in the US on a CR1 visa stamp last week in Oct 2008. The stamp in his passport expires in April 2009! Is this right? I thought he was supposed to get at least 2 years before things started expiring? If this expires what will we need to do. He has not received the physical green card yet, but USCIS sent paperwork stating they have his file and giving him his "A" number. What date will the green card have if his passport stamp expires in 4 months?

Do we have to already apply to lift conditions before this April date?

i am confused and just dont want to miss a deadline that i never knew we had. Please advise.

[YuAndDan 153]

The I-551 stamp is only there to serve as a bridge from time of entry to getting the actual card. The I-551 stamp is only a "Temporary" green-card so tends to get an expiration date set much shorter than the actual card, because the card replaces the stamp.

You will apply to remove conditions within 90 days of the CARD's expiration, (October 2010)

Edited December 11, 2008 by YuAndDan

[Marlita 0]

The I-551 stamp is only there to serve as a bridge from time of entry to getting the actual card. The I-551 stamp is only a "Temporary" green-card so tends to get an expiration date set much shorter than the actual card, because the card replaces the stamp.

You will apply to remove conditions within 90 days of the CARD's expiration, (October 2010)

Thanks so much. That makes sense. I never heard the term I-551. So is the greencard a sticker that goes in his passport like what his I-551 looks like. Cause thats a sticker with his photo and such.

[CHD 0]

My visa has 2 notations regarding validity (and I'm sure they're all the same). The expiry date is six months after the date of issue, but this just means it needs to be USED within that time frame (meaning you must enter the US to activate the visa before this date). Another notation at the bottom states "Upon endorsement, serves as temporary I-551 evidencing permanent residence for 1 year", meaning you have a full year from the date of issue to get the greencard before you'll start running into problems.

Edited December 11, 2008 by CHD

[YuAndDan 153]

The I-551 stamp is only there to serve as a bridge from time of entry to getting the actual card. The I-551 stamp is only a "Temporary" green-card so tends to get an expiration date set much shorter than the actual card, because the card replaces the stamp.

You will apply to remove conditions within 90 days of the CARD's expiration, (October 2010)

Thanks so much. That makes sense. I never heard the term I-551. So is the greencard a sticker that goes in his passport like what his I-551 looks like. Cause thats a sticker with his photo and such.

I-551 = Green-Card, it is the USCIS form number given to the green-card.

[Marlita 0]

I-551 = Green-Card, it is the USCIS form number given to the green-card.

Ah ha!! now it all makes sense!

[Karaoke 0]

What if it is your passport to expire, or maybe you lose it and need to get issued a new one? I have very few pages left on my passport, so I wonder if I should get a new one before going to the interview...

[sus 70]

Not sure how things are in your country - in the US you can get pages added to your passport. If your passport is nearing expiration, I would renew it before you come, it should be easier.