Airline Ticket Requirement When Travelling On Advance Parole

[Oki 0]

Hello all, I would like to ask anybody with experience travelling on advance parole. I need to go back to Sydney as soon as possible to attend to my sister who is very ill at the moment. My question is do I need to have a return ticket or a will a one way ticket be enough for now as I do not know how long I am going to stay there. I tried calling USCIS to verify this matter but after more than 20 minutes of waiting, the woman whom I was talking to just hang up on me.

[Barbara J 115]

Hello all, I would like to ask anybody with experience travelling on advance parole. I need to go back to Sydney as soon as possible to attend to my sister who is very ill at the moment. My question is do I need to have a return ticket or a will a one way ticket be enough for now as I do not know how long I am going to stay there. I tried calling USCIS to verify this matter but after more than 20 minutes of waiting, the woman whom I was talking to just hang up on me.

Do you have a GC? Or are you waiting for AOS to be approved? If no GC yes you need AP and you must get a return ticket or you could be seen to be abandoning your AOS application. If you have a GC then no AP needed but you should get a return ticket.

[Oki 0]

Do you have a GC? Or are you waiting for AOS to be approved? If no GC yes you need AP and you must get a return ticket or you could be seen to be abandoning your AOS application. If you have a GC then no AP needed but you should get a return ticket.

Barbara, thanks for the reply, I don't have GC yet, I am still awaiting for the AOS to finally be approved, me and my wife are scheduled for an interview soon. I will wait for that before going back to Sydney. Problem with getting a return ticket is that I still don't know when I will come back to the US.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Isn't a one-way ticket more expensive than a round-trip ticket?

Sorry, my bad. Let me rephrase that.

Aren't two one way tickets much more expensive than one round-trip ticket?

Edited July 19, 2011 by Just Bob

[Barbara J 115]

Barbara, thanks for the reply, I don't have GC yet, I am still awaiting for the AOS to finally be approved, me and my wife are scheduled for an interview soon. I will wait for that before going back to Sydney. Problem with getting a return ticket is that I still don't know when I will come back to the US.

Well you can't be out of the US longer than 6 months anyways so as Bob said it is less expensive to get a return ticket than one way. You can always ask the airline for an open return date ticket.

[Brit Abroad 166]

Buy an open return ticket. That way your return date is flexible and you can schedule it with the airline to meet your convenience. Yes, it's more expensive than buying a fixed date return, but it would suit your circumstances better, if you can afford to do so.

Best of luck to you and your sister.

[Harsh_77 718]

Simple answer does not matter what ticket you buy, you can buy an open ticket, two on way ticket, or return ticket does not matter.

[missicy 87]

Barbara, thanks for the reply, I don't have GC yet, I am still awaiting for the AOS to finally be approved, me and my wife are scheduled for an interview soon. I will wait for that before going back to Sydney. Problem with getting a return ticket is that I still don't know when I will come back to the US.

You are asking about traveling on advance parole but you will actually not be traveling on advance parole after your AOS is approved. You will be a LPR and will need a GC to re-enter, you won't be able to enter with AP, especially if you return months later.

[ryna 132]

You are asking about traveling on advance parole but you will actually not be traveling on advance parole after your AOS is approved. You will be a LPR and will need a GC to re-enter, you won't be able to enter with AP, especially if you return months later.

This is true. If you will be departing after your interview, you need to ask the IO for the I-551 (Temporary GC stamp) in your passport which you would use to re-enter. They don't issue the stamp as a matter of routine in most locations but given the emergency (medical) nature of your need to travel, they should give you the stamp without hassle (assuming approval, of course.)

[Oki 0]

You are asking about traveling on advance parole but you will actually not be traveling on advance parole after your AOS is approved. You will be a LPR and will need a GC to re-enter, you won't be able to enter with AP, especially if you return months later.

Missicy, Will they say if my AOS is approved on that very same day as my interview? If so do I need to present to them a proof that my sister is in the hospital, undergoing chemotherapy?

[missicy 87]

Yes, they usually tell you on the spot. Bring proof that you are leaving the country soon and, like ryna said, ask for a I-551 stamp in your passport, which you will use to re-enter.