AP needed or not????

[FrancElsie 6]

My wife has her US Permanent Resident card and SSN already. We are in the process of getting her son's (Age 10) Permanent Resident card but have not received it yet. (We applied at different times even though it cost a little more to do it that way.)

My question is: Do we need to apply for AP for them to visit Costa Rica for a few weeks? Should we just wait until our son has his Permanent Resident card and SSN? I'm pretty sure that AP is not needed for my wife but I am "unsure" about son.

Thanks,

Frank

PS The reason I'm asking is for financial reasons...don't want to pay the $360 AP Processing Fee if all it takes is a few more weeks of waiting for the boy's Permanent Resident card...another week or two for the SSN.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Your wife is a LPR and her GC gives her the right to travel.

Your son has, I assume (correct if wrong) a pending I-485 application. If he leaves the country without AP and before his GC is approved, he will abandon his process and he will be stuck outside the country. The AP is free when filed based on a pending I-485, however, so your concern about the money is unfounded. It takes 3 months or so to process, so if he is only a few weeks away from getting his GC (by your best estimate) then it's best to wait.

A SSN has absolutely nothing to do with travel or his rights, so there is no need to wait for a SSN for him to travel.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Harpa Timsah

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Your wife is a LPR and her GC gives her the right to travel.

Your son has, I assume (correct if wrong) a pending I-485 application. If he leaves the country without AP and before his GC is approved, he will abandon his process and he will be stuck outside the country. The AP is free when filed based on a pending I-485, however, so your concern about the money is unfounded. It takes 3 months or so to process, so if he is only a few weeks away from getting his GC (by your best estimate) then it's best to wait.

A SSN has absolutely nothing to do with travel or his rights, so there is no need to wait for a SSN for him to travel.