Travel abroad without I-94

[dtrannn 0]

Hi,

My wife and I had our AOS interview on June 10th. It went smoothly, and at the end the officer took the I-94 card from my wife's passport. She didn't stamp her passport but instead told us we should get something (GC hopefully) in the mail in a few weeks.

We are planning to travel to the Philippines in July 2nd, but I'm concerned about her leaving the country without the I-94. We do have Advance Parole document, but do we also need the I-94?

Thanks in advance,

David

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Strange - if they approved your GC - they normally collect the EAD/AP.

You just need the passport and AP to travel prior to getting the GC. You could make an infopass appointment prior to leaving and have them stamp her passport (in liu of the GC).

[TayRivers 4]

Strange - if they approved your GC - they normally collect the EAD/AP.

You just need the passport and AP to travel prior to getting the GC. You could make an infopass appointment prior to leaving and have them stamp her passport (in liu of the GC).

If you were approved at the AOS interview then the AP is void. You should not leave the USA without a Greencard or a I-551 Stamp in the passport.

As a LPR you do not need a I-94 and will not need to complete the I-94 card on your return, only the customs form.

If you have your tickets for your flight in July make an infopass appointment and request a I-551 stamp, just make sure you take evidence of your up coming trip and the passport with you to the infopass appointment.

[JeremyR 8]

Correct me if I'm mistaken but my reading of the OP was that they were not told that they were approved at the interview. So in fact, they could be in a sticky spot where they're not yet eligible for a passport stamp but at the same time, their AP could be invalidated at any time (by GC approval).

What happens if you leave the country with the intent of using AP to get back in (that was valid on departure) and your GC is approved whilst you're abroad?

[edit for grammar ]

Edited June 15, 2009 by JeremyR

[Craneman 2]

The AP is for you to leave and return to the U.S. before the Green Card is approved.

The Green Card approval does not negate the AP.

The I-94 will not allow you to reenter the U.S., it will be taken when you leave the country, do not need an I-94 to leave the country.

My wife left the country 2 days after her AP was approved, returned to the U.S. using AP with Green Card Approved.

[dtrannn 0]

She didn't take my wife's AP or EAD. We had it with us but she never asked for them, only took the I-94. I'm assuming everything went well during the 10 minute interview. We had all the paperwork and answered all her questions. In the end, she said everything looked fine and that we'll receive something in the mail in a couple of weeks. I'm assuming that will be the "Welcome letter". (I read somewhere that they don't stamp passports anymore - but not sure if that's true or not.)

But As it stands now, my wife does not have a GC or a stamp in her passport. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my wife should get a new I-94 when she returns to the US, right?

I hope all she needs is the AP to get back into the US.

[motu 6]

The I-94 is pretty much useless now - since you are about to become a permanent resident. And its a good thing that the I-94 was taken otherwise you have to explain why you still have it in your passport once you become a permanent resident. My wife's wasn't taken away during the interview and I had to make sure that the airlines take it when we left USA for the first time after that. Don't worry about it. You are good to go.