Travelling to Canada with Approval Notice but no actual card

[italicus 0]

I understand from a previous post by AntandD that traveling to Canada on an expired GC + approval notice is possible. Yet I would like to hear your comments about my case.

My wife (U.S. citizen) has already scheduled a trip to Canada for the next weekend. I received the approval notice on May 7 (conditions removed on May 4). However, I have not yet received my ten-year GC. I am concerned with traveling since I have already had a bad experience last January. I was coming back from Europe and was taken for secondary inspection at POE at the Newark airport. I had all papers in hand (Exp. 2y GC + NOA) but no stamp. Very uncomfortable experience. Entry delayed for about an hour, until they could verify my status via other means. More than anything, the bitter feeling that I was untrustworthy. A feeling like: "we do not care what the papers show, we still want to check".

Anyway, my question is: should I travel to Canada? Is there anything in the law saying that we are allowed to travel while waiting for actual GC? I understand that status-wise I am OK since conditions were removed. Nonetheless, can border officers still deny entry based on not having the proper travel documents? I mean: is it still in their discretion?

Thank you for taking the time to read and perhaps share your comments.

[Ree 9]

Have you thought about getting a stamp in your passport before traveling to Canada? I am in the same situation, I was approved about 3 weeks ago and still waiting for actual green card. My approval letter says I should not travel outside of the US until I have my new card unless I get my passport stamped.

[italicus 0]

Have you thought about getting a stamp in your passport before traveling to Canada? I am in the same situation, I was approved about 3 weeks ago and still waiting for actual green card. My approval letter says I should not travel outside of the US until I have my new card unless I get my passport stamped.

You are right. That is probably the better way. I am away on a domestic business trip and would not have time for an Infopass. Where on the approval letter does it say that you are not allowed to travel? I cannot find the exact words.

[Ree 9]

Where on the approval letter does it say that you are not allowed to travel? I cannot find the exact words.

It is in the middle of the letter, between the lines about when I should receive my new card and the lines about how to make infopass for getting a stamp. But you may not have these words in your approval letter, I got mine from my local office after interview and it looks different from approval letters from service centers. By the way, it doesn't say I am not allowed to travel, it says I should not travel

[keso love 0]

Where on the approval letter does it say that you are not allowed to travel? I cannot find the exact words.

It is in the middle of the letter, between the lines about when I should receive my new card and the lines about how to make infopass for getting a stamp. But you may not have these words in your approval letter, I got mine from my local office after interview and it looks different from approval letters from service centers. By the way, it doesn't say I am not allowed to travel, it says I should not travel

Your best bet is to get a stamp in your passport . Do not take anything for granted with USCIS. The problem lies in the fact that USCIS gives a lot of power to IOs to make decisions at their own discretion and unfortunately IOs at the border are sometimes very ignorant about those forms and policies.. it's very sad indeed...

Good luck !

[mozplay 29]

To all the posters on this thread ... you have such good info to share, it would really be helpful if you would

[italicus 0]

To all the posters on this thread ... you have such good info to share, it would really be helpful if you would

Anybody knows if it would be possible to walk-in at the local immigration office and get a stamp? Otherwise, how long does it typically takes for an Infopass appointment? I am sure that these are all basic questions, but I really do not know the answer.

Filed i-751 on 07/10/08 to VSC

Transferred to CSC on 02/25/09

Conditions Removed on 05/04/09

[Ree 9]

To all the posters on this thread ... you have such good info to share, it would really be helpful if you would

Filed I-751 on 09/13/07 to VSC

Conditions removed on 04/23/09

Anybody knows if it would be possible to walk-in at the local immigration office and get a stamp? Otherwise, how long does it typically takes for an Infopass appointment? I am sure that these are all basic questions, but I really do not know the answer.

I don't know where you live, but in my local office it is possible to make an appointment for next morning.

[antda 13]

Hi Italicus (and Everyone),

Glad to hear that my previous post topic about travelling to Canada on an expired GC and approval notice was helpful to other VJers too. For those of you who missed that post, you can read about it here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry2900695

Bear in mind though, that I am a Canadian citizen, so going into Canada with a valid Canadian passport is not a problem for me, and generally Canadian border guards are overall less stricter and nicer than their American counterparts. However, it is going back home to the USA that is somewhat troublesome, with an expired 2yr green card and approval letter, but no valid 10yr green card, and I was afraid of getting questioned for such. I think that the last time around I was sort of lucky, that I wasn't harassed further. But nevertheless, this "no 10yr green card yet" status has prevented me from going back to Canada again. So until I am sure that I have by physical green card in hand (by the way, which I still haven't gotten, after 9 months+ of waiting...), I will have to postpone my travels to Canada again.

But yes, it can be done, and yes you are legally entitled to work and travel between the USA and other countries while your I-751 case is still pending. Also those of you who are travelling to Canada and back to the USA, and your I-751 case is still pending and/or you haven't received your 10yr card yet, just bring the following documents with you, and you should be ok:

-Valid Foreign Passport

-Expired 2yr Green card

-NOA 1yr extension letter

-I-751 approval letter

-Other travel documentation (driver's licenses, personal identification, etc.)

-Optional, but recommended: I-551 Stamp in Foreign Passport (though I didn't have such when I travelled to Canada)

Depending on the border guard, it can be a good experience crossing the border, or it can be a bad experience. So "be prepared for anything" and remember to tell the truth when asked any questions. Canada is a great place to visit, and if you do get the chance, by all means, have fun and enjoy your trip there.

Sorry to those of you who have had bad expierences travelling while the case is pending, and hopefully next time your travels will go a lot smoother. It is too bad that despite having the proper legal paperwork, that you have to go through this harassment and trouble for such. We all don't deserve this treatment, especially more so that we have done things the legally by filing the I-751!

Hope this helps. Good luck to those of you still waiting. And good luck do everyone on their immigration journeys too.

Ant (Still waiting for card, still waiting for baby...)

I understand from a previous post by AntandD that traveling to Canada on an expired GC + approval notice is possible. Yet I would like to hear your comments about my case.

My wife (U.S. citizen) has already scheduled a trip to Canada for the next weekend. I received the approval notice on May 7 (conditions removed on May 4). However, I have not yet received my ten-year GC. I am concerned with traveling since I have already had a bad experience last January. I was coming back from Europe and was taken for secondary inspection at POE at the Newark airport. I had all papers in hand (Exp. 2y GC + NOA) but no stamp. Very uncomfortable experience. Entry delayed for about an hour, until they could verify my status via other means. More than anything, the bitter feeling that I was untrustworthy. A feeling like: "we do not care what the papers show, we still want to check".

Anyway, my question is: should I travel to Canada? Is there anything in the law saying that we are allowed to travel while waiting for actual GC? I understand that status-wise I am OK since conditions were removed. Nonetheless, can border officers still deny entry based on not having the proper travel documents? I mean: is it still in their discretion?

Thank you for taking the time to read and perhaps share your comments.

[keso love 0]

Hi Italicus (and Everyone),

Glad to hear that my previous post topic about travelling to Canada on an expired GC and approval notice was helpful to other VJers too. For those of you who missed that post, you can read about it here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry2900695

Bear in mind though, that I am a Canadian citizen, so going into Canada with a valid Canadian passport is not a problem for me, and generally Canadian border guards are overall less stricter and nicer than their American counterparts. However, it is going back home to the USA that is somewhat troublesome, with an expired 2yr green card and approval letter, but no valid 10yr green card, and I was afraid of getting questioned for such. I think that the last time around I was sort of lucky, that I wasn't harassed further. But nevertheless, this "no 10yr green card yet" status has prevented me from going back to Canada again. So until I am sure that I have by physical green card in hand (by the way, which I still haven't gotten, after 9 months+ of waiting...), I will have to postpone my travels to Canada again.

But yes, it can be done, and yes you are legally entitled to work and travel between the USA and other countries while your I-751 case is still pending. Also those of you who are travelling to Canada and back to the USA, and your I-751 case is still pending and/or you haven't received your 10yr card yet, just bring the following documents with you, and you should be ok:

-Valid Foreign Passport

-Expired 2yr Green card

-NOA 1yr extension letter

-I-751 approval letter

-Other travel documentation (driver's licenses, personal identification, etc.)

-Optional, but recommended: I-551 Stamp in Foreign Passport (though I didn't have such when I travelled to Canada)

Depending on the border guard, it can be a good experience crossing the border, or it can be a bad experience. So "be prepared for anything" and remember to tell the truth when asked any questions. Canada is a great place to visit, and if you do get the chance, by all means, have fun and enjoy your trip there.

Sorry to those of you who have had bad expierences travelling while the case is pending, and hopefully next time your travels will go a lot smoother. It is too bad that despite having the proper legal paperwork, that you have to go through this harassment and trouble for such. We all don't deserve this treatment, especially more so that we have done things the legally by filing the I-751!

Hope this helps. Good luck to those of you still waiting. And good luck do everyone on their immigration journeys too.

Ant (Still waiting for card, still waiting for baby...)

I understand from a previous post by AntandD that traveling to Canada on an expired GC + approval notice is possible. Yet I would like to hear your comments about my case.

My wife (U.S. citizen) has already scheduled a trip to Canada for the next weekend. I received the approval notice on May 7 (conditions removed on May 4). However, I have not yet received my ten-year GC. I am concerned with traveling since I have already had a bad experience last January. I was coming back from Europe and was taken for secondary inspection at POE at the Newark airport. I had all papers in hand (Exp. 2y GC + NOA) but no stamp. Very uncomfortable experience. Entry delayed for about an hour, until they could verify my status via other means. More than anything, the bitter feeling that I was untrustworthy. A feeling like: "we do not care what the papers show, we still want to check".

Anyway, my question is: should I travel to Canada? Is there anything in the law saying that we are allowed to travel while waiting for actual GC? I understand that status-wise I am OK since conditions were removed. Nonetheless, can border officers still deny entry based on not having the proper travel documents? I mean: is it still in their discretion?

Thank you for taking the time to read and perhaps share your comments.

AntanD! Always very good to read your comments . You are right , i t's good to wait and travel with a green. I went to Canada with a valid 2 year CR card and was questioned at the airport port of entry , it made me soo mad. Now we have been approved for about 1 month and 1/2 but still no green card... how annoying... It made me feel like the approval was fake? does anyone feel that way? It feels like we were wrongly approved in comparison to those who got their cards a week or so after approval. I have a theory , that perhaps, there was an uscis internal rule requesting all centers to approve "en masse" all cases that have been in for more than 6 months and the mass approval pace happened to be faster than the card production system , which requires more technology and security. So that's why we are still hanging out with our approval notices and GCs are still at large..... my 2 cents ...

Best wishes !!!

" Those who eat the snake also eat its tale"

Ojibwe proverb

So we ate the snake( waiting for approval) now we should also eat its tale ( waiting for gc after approval)

I can only hope that this Ojibwe snake has a very very very short tale

2/25/09 transfered to CSC

4/7/09 approval

STILL waiting for GC

[rebeccajo 14]

AntandD-

italicus has a different scenario though. He is talking about traveling after approval of the 10 year card but having not yet received the card.

When we file to adjust and are approved for the conditional status, the Advance Parole documents in our possession are voided. The standard wisdom at this stage is to not travel until the greencard is in hand. I imagine this situation is similar.

[antda 13]

Keso love - Thanks for liking to read my posts and comments. Sorry that you had problems crossing the border to Canada, despite having a valid green card at the time. I feel the same way that you do too, that the approval lettter seems somewhat fake and we are questioned even further about this, just because of their incompentence. Gee, how long does it take to make a card? 1 month + after an approval seems unreasonable to me. Heck, I could get a passport in that period of time, with similar information. As well, why the difference in gettin a CR card in 1 week, versus getting an IR card in 1 month +...hmmm....

Hopefully you get your card soon too, and that the snake will be short for you (hmm...I wonder what snake tale tastes like). And good luck with your future travels and the rest of your immigration journey as well.

AntanD! Always very good to read your comments . You are right , i t's good to wait and travel with a green. I went to Canada with a valid 2 year CR card and was questioned at the airport port of entry , it made me soo mad. Now we have been approved for about 1 month and 1/2 but still no green card... how annoying... It made me feel like the approval was fake? does anyone feel that way? It feels like we were wrongly approved in comparison to those who got their cards a week or so after approval. I have a theory , that perhaps, there was an uscis internal rule requesting all centers to approve "en masse" all cases that have been in for more than 6 months and the mass approval pace happened to be faster than the card production system , which requires more technology and security. So that's why we are still hanging out with our approval notices and GCs are still at large..... my 2 cents ...

Best wishes !!!

" Those who eat the snake also eat its tale"

Ojibwe proverb

So we ate the snake( waiting for approval) now we should also eat its tale ( waiting for gc after approval)

I can only hope that this Ojibwe snake has a very very very short tale

2/25/09 transfered to CSC

4/7/09 approval

STILL waiting for GC

Rebeccajo- I am talking about a similar situation too, as my last trip to Canada (from April 25th to May 2nd), with my expired 2yr green card, approval letter (dated April 15th), and other travel documents.

Again, For those of you who missed that post about my recent travel experience without a 10yr card, you can read about it here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry2900695

Yes, the standard wisdom is to not travel until we have the green card in hand. However, legally with an extension letter and/or approval letter with an expired 2yr green card is ok. Still, it is somewhat of a risk, as one can be questioned at the border with it and made to feel as though they are the ones who did wrong, even though they did not...

Good luck everyone with the rest of your immigration journeys. And hope you get your green cards soon too.

Ant (Still waiting for card 9 months+, Still waiting for Baby 9 months...)

AntandD-

italicus has a different scenario though. He is talking about traveling after approval of the 10 year card but having not yet received the card.

When we file to adjust and are approved for the conditional status, the Advance Parole documents in our possession are voided. The standard wisdom at this stage is to not travel until the greencard is in hand. I imagine this situation is similar.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

We were approved for our 10 year green card when we were away from home for 3 weeks. Since they sent the card to our home address, we obviously didn't have it. We left the country twice - took a day trip to Canada back through the Ambassador Bridge POE and then went on to London and re-entering through LAX POE and had no problems whatsover.