Need Biometrics for both I-485 and I-131?

[GavnTam 0]

Hello! My husband and i are now living in Kenya shortly after getting his green card in the USA. We applied for a re-entry permit the day before we left... knowing that it had to be done before we left the country. My mom got a letter asking for an additional $80 and just sent it off without really talking to us about it. Now we are in a bit of a situation.

The additional money was for a biometrics appointment. Call me silly but since he had just had them done I thought that he would be covered. Also the acceptance date of the I-131 got pushed back until the time my mom mailed in the second check. So we were not in the USA at the time of filing (when my mom mailed a new check).

Does anyone think there is any hope for us?? We got his 'greencard' just about 2 months before we left and thought the I-131 was just a preventative thing in case we are gone for awhile. Getting back to the US just to get his fingerprints done.... not likely. We work with NGOs (I'm American and he is British) and we just want to keep our options open as far as where we can live. Don't want to be in Africa forever that is for sure

I have done a few searches and can't seem to get an answer about this specifically- sorry if it is already out there the internet here is soooo slow.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

He actually will need to go back and do the biometrics or they will deny the re-entry permit. Ideally, he was supposed to get the re-entry permit in hand before leaving the country, however, at this point he can still return to the US without a problem. If you are taking up residence outside of the US, however, he may have difficulties in convincing USCIS that he hasn't abandoned his green card. I think you are going to have to make it a priority for him to come back to the US, get the biometrics and ideally wait for the re-entry permit before he leaves again - or abandon the re-entry permit and return to the US within the year while maintaining ties to the US. Even if he does return within the year he may have trouble proving to USCIS that he hasn't taken up residence outside of the US. I don't know if working for an NGO will make it easier for him with USCIS or not.

Edited August 7, 2009 by Kathryn41

[spencerandkoko 0]

Hi there. I realize this post is a bit old and chances are you might not see this message, but i wanted to try because I am in a similar situation.

I am American and my wife is Japanese. We had been living in the US for about 2 years. My wife was using her 2 year green card until we got the notification in the mail that it was time for her to apply for the 10 year green card. We scheduled a biometrics test, she took it and we were told to wait for new green card in the mail. About a month into the waiting process, I took a job in Japan and we moved rather suddenly. Before moving, we filed the paperwork and paid the 360 for the I-131 Application for Travel. However, because we had just taken a biometrics test for her 10 year green card and because the process was still "pending" at the time we moved to Japan, we didn't think they would ask us to take the biometrics test agin, but we were wrong.

We recently got a notice in the mail asking for us to pay the 85 dollars for the biometrics test or our application for the i-131 would be denied.

As we just arrived to Japan, we aren't excited about having to go back to the US just for fingerprints. We were wondering what you ended up doing in your situation?

Any advice would be great!!

Thanks,

Spencer