Previous Passports

[Sarhan Abdelbaser 0]

I'm gathering the required documents for my interview in two days. I was able to find all my previous passports for the the last 20 years except one passport from 6 years ago. I traveled once with this passport after becoming a permanent resident, so technically there is one trip that the officer may not be able to verify my exit and entrance dates of the US. My wife and son traveled with me, so their passports have the exit and entrance dates. I know this doesn't prove anything as far as I'm concerned.

I'm going to continue to look for it. I haven't lost hope, but if I couldn't what should I do? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Haarp425 26]

I use orbitz.com to book my flight. So, I have record of my flights and I can print them for my record. Where did you book your air travel? Normally, if you book your air travel, you would get copy on your email. If not, call the airlines where you book your air travel and see if you can obtain those flight travel.

[bonnerbonner 6]

My IO only wanted to see my passports for the last 3 years. But they are different and require different things. Don't worry too much about it.

[NycBra 4]

I'm gathering the required documents for my interview in two days. I was able to find all my previous passports for the the last 20 years except one passport from 6 years ago. I traveled once with this passport after becoming a permanent resident, so technically there is one trip that the officer may not be able to verify my exit and entrance dates of the US. My wife and son traveled with me, so their passports have the exit and entrance dates. I know this doesn't prove anything as far as I'm concerned.

I'm going to continue to look for it. I haven't lost hope, but if I couldn't what should I do? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

You are either applying on the basis of a 5 year residence or 3 year residence+marriage. The IO will only look at your passports and travels for either the past 5 or 3 years. So you don't need to worry about your passport of 20 years ago. The IO will check to make sure you meet the US presence requirement and verify how long you were abroad during the last 5 or 3 past years. I hope this helps.

Edited March 7, 2011 by NycBra

[Sarhan Abdelbaser 0]

The missing passport has one trip that happened in the last 5 years. I still have my e-ticket, so I will print it and take it with me like Haarp suggested. One would think immigration has at least the entry dates electronically....

I'm not going to stress out over this. I just hope it doesn't turn ot to be an issue.

Thank you all! Please keep the suggestions coming if you think of any good ones.

[countmein 0]

My current passport is only 1 year old and that's the one that my IO looked at. And she only verified the last trip that I took. She did not even want to see the expired one that had most of my trips in it. It all depends on your IO.

[SophWeb 25]

The missing passport has one trip that happened in the last 5 years. I still have my e-ticket, so I will print it and take it with me like Haarp suggested. One would think immigration has at least the entry dates electronically....

I'm not going to stress out over this. I just hope it doesn't turn ot to be an issue.

Thank you all! Please keep the suggestions coming if you think of any good ones.

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer but e-ticket doesn't really prove anything. You could have bought the tickets but not actually traveling on those dates. I suggest additional evidence. Do you have photos of events on the dates surrounding that travel? They could prove where you were for those dates. For example, photos that prove you were in the US on so-and-so date.

Or a letter from your employer that states you were away from work for the travel dates, but you returned and have been consistently at your job for whatever the period of time is.

[NickD 203]

This deals with Part 7 on the N-400, time outside of the country, very important you list your trips as accurately as possible. We kept close records of those. My stepdaughter didn't even have a passport until she was over 18, her biological father wouldn't sign for it. But only made one trip outside of the country. All she could bring in was her current foreign passport, they all are foreign passports. But her time as well as my wifes' weren't even close to the limits. Stepdaughter was not asked to see her passport, so again depends on your IO.

Wife only had three trips, lasting at most ten days over a three year period, but was asked to see both her expired and current foreign passport. Wife said she just glanced at them. But again a foreign passport with some of the worst stamping I have ever seen. Would have taken an expert hours to correlate her claimed trips with those we recorded.

You take an oath that every question you answered on form is correct and verbally asked, so I don't feel you have to be concerned if you know they are correct. Can explain your expired passport was lost and show your ticket. But are you even close to the limits from time outside of the country? Some people ask what happens if they didn't renew their passport, no law that says you need a valid foreign or even a US passport. You just don't have one, and therefore didn't take any trips. But no telling how your IO will respond.

Never expected my stepdaughter to be required to bring in court records of battery charges when she was 17 months old and assault charges when she was 4 years old. But they pulled that on her. Thank God, that is now straightened out, but can't tell you about the chasing around and stress that caused us. Hope you don't have a very common name, but would have killed that issue if they also entered her DOB. But dealing with the USCIS. Wife petitioned for her unmarried son, but at the rate that is going, we will be long dead and he will be a great grandfather if he lives that long.

[Sarhan Abdelbaser 0]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I simply can't find that one passport that has one of my three thrips out of the US in the past 5 years. Each trip only lasted about three weeks. I have nothing to hide. If this turns out to be an issue, I will provide whatever satisfies the IO. It is what it is, and I'm not going to stress over this

I just can't believe I can't locate this passport. I'm a book keeping freak!! I even had the boarding pass stubs from this missing trip and I threw them away just six months ago!

Oh well, I will let everyone know what happens tomorrow!

[NickD 203]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I simply can't find that one passport that has one of my three thrips out of the US in the past 5 years. Each trip only lasted about three weeks. I have nothing to hide. If this turns out to be an issue, I will provide whatever satisfies the IO. It is what it is, and I'm not going to stress over this

I just can't believe I can't locate this passport. I'm a book keeping freak!! I even had the boarding pass stubs from this missing trip and I threw them away just six months ago!

Oh well, I will let everyone know what happens tomorrow!

Wife thinks I am a nut with my plastic bags, all of her passports are in zip locked bags stored in my fire proof filing cabinet. Also a nut for carrying our digital camera and my cell phone in a plastic bag. One drop of water on these things and they are history. Did remind her she went through four cell phones while I was still using the same one, hers mainly got wet.

She wanted to see her daughters' oath letter that came in yesterday, even though I had already scanned it and made a perfect copy of it. Said I will have to go downstairs and get it. Again she saw it was in a plastic bag. She said, you and your plastic bags. Told her, I do have my limits on this, you are very valuable to me, and I never put you in a plastic bag. But keep on picking on me and I will! Hmmm, will have to get a larger filing cabinet, don't think you will fit in there.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Don't waste another second on this. It's a non issue.

Edited March 8, 2011 by Just Bob