green card

[em79sugar 1]

Hello,

My husband usually carries around his greencard, but lately I am so worried that he will lose it because he has almost lost his wallet 3 times in the last 2 weeks, once he left it at a friends house overnight. I have a copy of it, but if we were to lose it, I don't know how long it would take to replace it. Also, we are going out of the country in a month and if he lost it right before then, I would REALLY be upset and probably screwed. So my question, is it better to have a copy in his wallet and keep the original in a safe place as well as extra copies and only take it out when traveling or must he have it on him at ALL times?

[vanee 13]

I was told to keep mine with me at all times. "Even when I go for a walk around the block?" I asked. The response was that I could be fined $500 if I were stopped and it wasn't on me.

You raised an interesting question. Would having a copy of it with you help avoid that $500 fine if you were stopped by a law enforcement officer and asked for it? I don't know.

[Bobby+Umit 161]

It is a legal requirement for Permanent Residents to carry their Permanent Resident Card with them at all times. If and only when a Permanent Residence chooses to become a naturalised citizen of America will they relinquish their Permanent Resident Card and no longer have to carry it with them.

Under the "Now that you are a Permanent Resident" heading on the USCIS web site, it states: "The Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551, is issued to all Permanent Residents as evidence of alien registration and their Permanent status in the US. The card must be in your possession at all times."

[Nicoxcx 1]

"Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him.... Any alien who fails to comply with [these] provisions shall be guilty of a misdemeanor" and may be subject to fine and/or imprisonment upon each conviction"

I am interested to know who would stop you and ask you for your greencard or proof of residency what the chances of that are? I would imagine the chances of that are slim and I know a few people who carry photocopies of their greencards marked 'photo copy' (I believe it is illegal to make a colour copy of government issued id's?)

The law states it must be in your possession at all times. From then it is up to you weather the risk is worthwhile.

[Eric-Pris 1,606]

First, the chance that you would ever be asked to produce the card on the street is slim to none. The chance that you will lose it is much higher.

Before I became a citizen, I never carried my greencard. Nobody in my family did. My wife who got hers 4 months ago doesn't ever take her greencard outside the house.

Edited June 3, 2009 by Eric-Pris

[JeremyR 8]

It's a gamble, isn't it. I certainly umm'd and ah'd about it for a while when I got mine.

As said, the chances of you being asked to produce it randomly are slim to nil. The police can't exactly go about randomly asking people "are you a citizen of this country" and demanding to see the GC of anyone who says no. There are too many naturalized citizens and perfectly legal immigrants who don't have green cards for such a 'check' to be useful. That said, anything from entering a government building to doing 38 in a 35 zone could bring you into contact with law enforcement, the result of which could be a request to see proof of your immigration status. Additionally, what if your workplace is raided by 'La Migra'?

I carry mine when I'm out of the house. In then end, I rationalized it like this: First, it lives with my bank card, drivers license, health insurance cards, etc, etc, so obviously I look after my wallet carefully. Further, the cost of replacing it should I be a dumbass and lose it is $290. The cost of the penalty for not carrying it and being challenged: $500 and/or jail time, possibly a criminal record and untold complications should ICE happen to end up involved. It's a no-brainer really, isn't it???

The answer to who would demand to see it is presumably any law enforcement agency, in particular ICE.

[em79sugar 1]

Thanks everyone, how long does it take to replace a greencard if it is lost?