Stolen Green Card

[dansui 0]

Hello Visa Journey,

A few weeks ago, my wife got her purse stolen right off the back of her chair at a restaurant in New York City. It was a big drag, but we are slowly getting through it. Here are a few tips about keeping your Green Card secure and what to do in case you have to file an I-90 petition to replace a permanent resident card.

When you receive your card

1. Make a copy of your card. - having a copy of your card on hand will be very helpful in filling out the I-90 form, and can also be sent in as proof that you are a legal permanent resident.

2. Get an ID issued from the state where you are living like a driver's license or a non-driver's license. If it gets stolen, it's much easier to replace this form of ID.

3. Even though permanent residents are supposed to carry their green cards with them, because of the excessive cost ($370) to replace the card, I would recommend keeping it safe at home to reduce the chances of it getting lost or stolen. This would, of course, depend on where you live and how strict the police are about checking your papers...

If your card gets lost of stolen, you need to submit form I-90 along with another gouging payment that, as of 8/2010, is $370.

Unfortunately, USCIS has no distinction between whether your card is lost or stolen. And, in my wife's case, we did not make a copy of her card before it got stolen. So, we had to submit a copy of her passport, but we still had all of the mailers and welcome letter that came with the card. The form is relatively easy to fill out requiring basic biographic information like SSN, A-number, Birthdate, Birthplace etc.

The one tricky item on the form for me was the "Class of Admission." In the instructions of form I-90, it says that you can find your class of admission on your card, and is typically one or two letters followed by a number, but my wife had neither her card nor a copy of her card in which to refer. Luckily on the welcome notice her class of admission was abbreviated as "COA: CF1" in a box to the right of her name and address. (The "Welcome Notice" is the NOA approving the AOS).

I would also recommend filing online if possible. When you file online, you must send the supporting documents in, so it may or may not save you much time. We chose to file by conventional mail, because we read that it's by filing online and sending in the supporting documents, there is a risk that the papers will get lost in the shuffle. The conventional filing, however, took over two weeks for the check to clear. My wife made an infopass appointment to get an I-551 stamp on her passport that allows her to work and travel for a year while the I-90 is processing, but they couldn't give her the stamp because, at the time our application was still waiting to be processed and put into the system. When you file online, you get a receipt number immediately that you can use to obtain the I-551 stamp without waiting weeks for the conventionally filled application to be processed. Once you get that stamp, it seems easier to handle waiting for the replacement card.

As of right now, here is our I-90 Timeline:

8/14/2010 Purse stolen containing GC

8/16/2010 Send I-90 via FedEx

8/17/2010 Online tracking shows package delivered

9/2/2010 Check Cleared

9/3/2010 We are headed to USCIS for an infopass to attempt to receive an I-551 Stamp...

[RICARDO4EVA2 194]

Hello Visa Journey,

A few weeks ago, my wife got her purse stolen right off the back of her chair at a restaurant in New York City. It was a big drag, but we are slowly getting through it. Here are a few tips about keeping your Green Card secure and what to do in case you have to file an I-90 petition to replace a permanent resident card.

When you receive your card

1. Make a copy of your card. - having a copy of your card on hand will be very helpful in filling out the I-90 form, and can also be sent in as proof that you are a legal permanent resident.

2. Get an ID issued from the state where you are living like a driver's license or a non-driver's license. If it gets stolen, it's much easier to replace this form of ID.

3. Even though permanent residents are supposed to carry their green cards with them, because of the excessive cost ($370) to replace the card, I would recommend keeping it safe at home to reduce the chances of it getting lost or stolen. This would, of course, depend on where you live and how strict the police are about checking your papers...

If your card gets lost of stolen, you need to submit form I-90 along with another gouging payment that, as of 8/2010, is $370.

Unfortunately, USCIS has no distinction between whether your card is lost or stolen. And, in my wife's case, we did not make a copy of her card before it got stolen. So, we had to submit a copy of her passport, but we still had all of the mailers and welcome letter that came with the card. The form is relatively easy to fill out requiring basic biographic information like SSN, A-number, Birthdate, Birthplace etc.

The one tricky item on the form for me was the "Class of Admission." In the instructions of form I-90, it says that you can find your class of admission on your card, and is typically one or two letters followed by a number, but my wife had neither her card nor a copy of her card in which to refer. Luckily on the welcome notice her class of admission was abbreviated as "COA: CF1" in a box to the right of her name and address. (The "Welcome Notice" is the NOA approving the AOS).

I would also recommend filing online if possible. When you file online, you must send the supporting documents in, so it may or may not save you much time. We chose to file by conventional mail, because we read that it's by filing online and sending in the supporting documents, there is a risk that the papers will get lost in the shuffle. The conventional filing, however, took over two weeks for the check to clear. My wife made an infopass appointment to get an I-551 stamp on her passport that allows her to work and travel for a year while the I-90 is processing, but they couldn't give her the stamp because, at the time our application was still waiting to be processed and put into the system. When you file online, you get a receipt number immediately that you can use to obtain the I-551 stamp without waiting weeks for the conventionally filled application to be processed. Once you get that stamp, it seems easier to handle waiting for the replacement card.

As of right now, here is our I-90 Timeline:

8/14/2010 Purse stolen containing GC

8/16/2010 Send I-90 via FedEx

8/17/2010 Online tracking shows package delivered

9/2/2010 Check Cleared

9/3/2010 We are headed to USCIS for an infopass to attempt to receive an I-551 Stamp...

I lost my Green Card sometime in Feb. 2009 after I got back from Dominican Republic.. I didnt have any copies of anything. I filed for the replacement online and without any necessary proof. I got my thing in about 4 months.

[TBoneTX 45,293]

Sorry to hear about your big mess. Good luck getting it straightened out. However, what you recommend here...

3. Even though permanent residents are supposed to carry their green cards with them, because of the excessive cost ($370) to replace the card, I would recommend keeping it safe at home to reduce the chances of it getting lost or stolen. This would, of course, depend on where you live and how strict the police are about checking your papers...

...is a recommendation to violate the law. LPRs are required to carry their green cards with them at all times.

Again, sincere hopes that you can overcome this awful mess in reasonable time, and the idea to make a copy of the green card is very good.

Edited September 3, 2010 by TBoneTX

[dansui 0]

Sorry to hear about your big mess. Good luck getting it straightened out. However, what you recommend here......is a recommendation to violate the law. LPRs are required to carry their green cards with them at all times.

Again, sincere hopes that you can overcome this awful mess in reasonable time, and the idea to make a copy of the green card is very good.

Thanks for pointing that out. In our situation, we might risk it as being Japanese in New York City tends to attract more thieves than officials checking your status. Perhaps it is not the best recommendation for other ethnicities in other parts of the country...

[tokyo.lovers 6]

hmm thanks for all the helpful advice!!!

i hope we don't lose ours!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Insulting other members is a violation of TOS and a post violating TOS has been removed. Acceptable parts of the removed post are returned below.

I will also remind everyone that even though it is an expensive inconvenience, it is a legal requirement for an LPR to carry proof of their legal status in the US at all times - whether this is a passport with a stamp in it, or a green card. All non citizens are required to carry proof of their legal status in the US, not just LPRs. The law requires you to carry it, and it is a violation of the Terms of Service for Visa Journey to recommend any member do something illegal.

Hopp:

So sorry you lost the GC and now having to learn the hard way. But you are SPOT ON with your wisdom on how to manage the GC from now on with a practical and survival basis.

It is a TOUGH economy for most international couples. The LAST thing we need is a $370 charge to replace the GC when it is lost or stolen.

We just received our precious GC last week.

The FIRST thing I did was to make 5 professional color copies of it at FedEx/Kinkos Copy Center.

. . . .

When we travel thru expected CHECKPOINTS or go on AIRLINERS or CRUISE SHIPS, then we WILL carry the actual GC.

We can't afford to pay $370 unexpectedly. . . . .

The reality is, every ICE and BP agent can verify if you are LEGAL in the USA by just the numbers on your card.

SO.... . . . , the immigration officials can verify ON THE SPOT.

OP, we hope you get your replacement card soon, and that you are not strained financially from the high replacement cost.

. . . . .

WE are the SPIRIT OF THE LAW people who are trying to KEEP IT REAL and SENSIBLE in this hard life.

Best Wishes!

Edited September 7, 2010 by Kathryn41

[Boundless 0]

My husbands wallet was stolen as well including his Green Card, we have filed for a replacement butt are still waiting after 2-1/2 months. His drivers license was in his wallet as well so the driver license place willnot give him a replacement without showing his greencard papers again or proof he is legally here. Will the I-551 stamp allow him to get a replacement license as well?

[HeatDeath 430]

An I-551 is exactly legally equivalent to a Green Card in all respects, so in principle, it should. The real question is: does the DMV know this, and if not, how can you educate them?

[SimranS 9]

My husbands wallet was stolen as well including his Green Card, we have filed for a replacement butt are still waiting after 2-1/2 months. His drivers license was in his wallet as well so the driver license place willnot give him a replacement without showing his greencard papers again or proof he is legally here. Will the I-551 stamp allow him to get a replacement license as well?

Yes. The I-551 stamp explains that you're a lawful permanent resident so you shouldn't have any problem.

[SimranS 9]

Hello Visa Journey,

A few weeks ago, my wife got her purse stolen right off the back of her chair at a restaurant in New York City. It was a big drag, but we are slowly getting through it. Here are a few tips about keeping your Green Card secure and what to do in case you have to file an I-90 petition to replace a permanent resident card.

When you receive your card

1. Make a copy of your card. - having a copy of your card on hand will be very helpful in filling out the I-90 form, and can also be sent in as proof that you are a legal permanent resident.

2. Get an ID issued from the state where you are living like a driver's license or a non-driver's license. If it gets stolen, it's much easier to replace this form of ID.

3. Even though permanent residents are supposed to carry their green cards with them, because of the excessive cost ($370) to replace the card, I would recommend keeping it safe at home to reduce the chances of it getting lost or stolen. This would, of course, depend on where you live and how strict the police are about checking your papers...

If your card gets lost of stolen, you need to submit form I-90 along with another gouging payment that, as of 8/2010, is $370.

Unfortunately, USCIS has no distinction between whether your card is lost or stolen. And, in my wife's case, we did not make a copy of her card before it got stolen. So, we had to submit a copy of her passport, but we still had all of the mailers and welcome letter that came with the card. The form is relatively easy to fill out requiring basic biographic information like SSN, A-number, Birthdate, Birthplace etc.

The one tricky item on the form for me was the "Class of Admission." In the instructions of form I-90, it says that you can find your class of admission on your card, and is typically one or two letters followed by a number, but my wife had neither her card nor a copy of her card in which to refer. Luckily on the welcome notice her class of admission was abbreviated as "COA: CF1" in a box to the right of her name and address. (The "Welcome Notice" is the NOA approving the AOS).

I would also recommend filing online if possible. When you file online, you must send the supporting documents in, so it may or may not save you much time. We chose to file by conventional mail, because we read that it's by filing online and sending in the supporting documents, there is a risk that the papers will get lost in the shuffle. The conventional filing, however, took over two weeks for the check to clear. My wife made an infopass appointment to get an I-551 stamp on her passport that allows her to work and travel for a year while the I-90 is processing, but they couldn't give her the stamp because, at the time our application was still waiting to be processed and put into the system. When you file online, you get a receipt number immediately that you can use to obtain the I-551 stamp without waiting weeks for the conventionally filled application to be processed. Once you get that stamp, it seems easier to handle waiting for the replacement card.

As of right now, here is our I-90 Timeline:

8/14/2010 Purse stolen containing GC

8/16/2010 Send I-90 via FedEx

8/17/2010 Online tracking shows package delivered

9/2/2010 Check Cleared

9/3/2010 We are headed to USCIS for an infopass to attempt to receive an I-551 Stamp...

Thanks for posting all the info. Please keep us updated on when you receive your GC. We got issued the wrong type of GC so had to send in the I-90 ourselves (no replacement fees though because the error was theirs). My hubby also carries only his driver's license, not passport when going out. Even though you're legally supposed to have the PP/GC with you, I'm sure there are plenty of others that don't. We even flew to another state with only the license as ID proof. The authorities probably know that you can't even GET a license if you're illegal.

Edited December 3, 2010 by SimranS