Possible problem??

[jaycali 415]

Yes I also was of the understanding that once he got his permanent residency card for the USA which is what he will have once we enter the USA that means he is able to travel just as an American citizen would. He is able to sponsor others to come to the USA so that residency card gives him almost the same status as a person born in the United States is my understanding.

One thing is what rights the US gives him as an LPR.

It's quite another thing what rights other countries will give him.

Legal permanent resident status is a status given by the US, and valid only in the US.

A national passport is a document recognized by all countries. A green card is a status recognized by the US only.

Sponsoring immediate relatives to come to the US is a right given to him by the US. Entry into i.e. Germany is subject to German law, and Schengen immigration policy applies.

The Schengen countries will not waive his visa requirement. He is still Moroccan and will not be able to travel visa-free until/if he becomes a US citizen.

French Consulate in Houston FAQ

YES YOU NEED A VISA IF you are a citizen of the following countries even if you hold a US Permanent Resident Card ("Green Card")

Scroll down to find Morocco.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Jay Jay

[IsrAziz 0]

One thing is what rights the US gives him as an LPR.

It's quite another thing what rights other countries will give him.

Legal permanent resident status is a status given by the US, and valid only in the US.

A national passport is a document recognized by all countries. A green card is a status recognized by the US only.

Sponsoring immediate relatives to come to the US is a right given to him by the US. Entry into i.e. Germany is subject to German law, and Schengen immigration policy applies.

The Schengen countries will not waive his visa requirement. He is still Moroccan and will not be able to travel visa-free until/if he becomes a US citizen.

French Consulate in Houston FAQ

Scroll down to find Morocco.

Ahhhhhh ok now I understand! I was under the misguided notion that he would be able to travel as freely as an American citizen once he has the permanent residency card. This is very good to know thank you soooo much. Ok now in the future if we travel we must make sure he has a visa for any countries he will be visiting. I need to break the bad news to him that his wife doesnt have a clue what she was talking about!

[aamirpearl 47]

The tickets available to take going straight from Morocco to the USA are more than double the price we are paying and yes I realize that you get what you pay for but if we could save money its better for us. We will be starting our lives over once in the USA and will not have much money to start with if we pay double the airfare just to get there!

I was in same situation as you dear, they wont let us book at flight because it is going to enter UK london and he cant go there without a transit visa , so we decide to book at direct flight regardless the price, sometimes we have to stop thinking about money and come to usa first before anything esle . Well thats what we have decided we end up booking a direct flight for 1200 but if he were to enter london without no problem we would be able to get a cheap flight for 800. OH well.. all that matter is that he will be here...

[Roosha 51]

Whatever you decide to do I suggest you also check with whatever airline you decided on using. Sometimes the airline themselves won't let you on the flight if you don't have the right visa/travel documents. I'm not sure which airline you decided on in the end, but check with them also.

[IsrAziz 0]

I was in same situation as you dear, they wont let us book at flight because it is going to enter UK london and he cant go there without a transit visa , so we decide to book at direct flight regardless the price, sometimes we have to stop thinking about money and come to usa first before anything esle . Well thats what we have decided we end up booking a direct flight for 1200 but if he were to enter london without no problem we would be able to get a cheap flight for 800. OH well.. all that matter is that he will be here...

I understand what you are saying and really appreciate the advice but honestly at this point we are bound and have no choice. When we originally book the flight we had never heard of a thing called a transit visa because the original flight had no long layovers and was basically just in and out. However as I stated in one of my posts above ^ the airline cancelled the flight right out from under us and forced us to take an alternate flight with an OVERNIGHT layover in Madrid!!! If we had been booking ourselves we would never have accepted this flight but the airline has told our travel agent that if we choose to have our money refunded and used towards a different airline carrier they would penalize us 500.00 DH PER TICKET. So now its not just a matter of spending more to get a better flight rather it is an issue of having money TAKEN from us for no good reason!

Whatever you decide to do I suggest you also check with whatever airline you decided on using. Sometimes the airline themselves won't let you on the flight if you don't have the right visa/travel documents. I'm not sure which airline you decided on in the end, but check with them also.

Our travel agent is checking on that for us by direct contact with the airline. We will get the information tomorrow.

[jaycali 415]

Ahhhhhh ok now I understand! I was under the misguided notion that he would be able to travel as freely as an American citizen once he has the permanent residency card. This is very good to know thank you soooo much. Ok now in the future if we travel we must make sure he has a visa for any countries he will be visiting.

He won't unfortunately. Certain countries may waive his visa requirement. Canada is an example of a country that may waive the requirement if he has a green card.

But this is at the discretion of Canadian officials, not a right given by the US. US rights are irrelevant outside of the US, just as how Moroccan law is irrelevant outside of Morocco.

Legally, the difference between being an LPR and a US citizen is this:

USC: A USC is by law an American, regardless of ethnicity or national origin.

LPR: An LPR is by law a <fill in your nationality> allowed by the US government to live in the US permanently.

Your rights are subject to what soil you're on. If you're on US soil, you're subject to US law. US law recognizes LPR status. If you're on i.e. Spanish soil, you're subject to Spanish law. A right given in the US is irrelevant to Spanish law. Your passport is a valid document everywhere. Thus, you're treated as a citizen of the country that issued your passport.

Edited January 21, 2013 by Jay Jay

[IsrAziz 0]

He won't unfortunately. Certain countries may waive his visa requirement. Canada is an example of a country that may waive the requirement if he has a green card.

But this is at the discretion of Canadian officials, not a right given by the US. US rights are irrelevant outside of the US, just as how Moroccan law is irrelevant outside of Morocco.

Legally, the difference between being an LPR and a US citizen is this:

USC: A USC is by law an American, regardless of ethnicity or national origin.

LPR: An LPR is by law a <fill in your nationality> allowed by the US government to live in the US permanently.

Your rights are subject to what soil you're on. If you're on US soil, you're subject to US law. US law recognizes LPR status. If you're on i.e. Spanish soil, you're subject to Spanish law. A right given in the US is irrelevant to Spanish law. Your passport is a valid document everywhere. Thus, you're treated as a citizen of the country that issued your passport.

After you explained it to me I totally understand now. It makes perfect sense and what I was thinking before makes no sense. Even though my husband really liked the way I was thinking and not the way you explained it hahaha

[jaycali 415]

After you explained it to me I totally understand now. It makes perfect sense and what I was thinking before makes no sense. Even though my husband really liked the way I was thinking and not the way you explained it hahaha

Hahaha - Sorry

[IsrAziz 0]

Hahaha - Sorry

IKR????? Me too!

My husband right now: Me right now:

HAHAHAHAHA Its not funny but really you just gotta laugh!

[jaycali 415]

This link may lighten his mood Visa Requirements for Moroccan Citizens

[IsrAziz 0]

This link may lighten his mood Visa Requirements for Moroccan Citizens

Well thats not going to really make much of a dent in his mood because we are making the trip on Tuesday and I notice that Spain is not on there for being all that friendly to Moroccans.

Anyway his dream has always been to visit Oslo in Norway sooooooooo yeah!

[nejma 3]

We did the Madrid 18 hour layover. You don't need a visa because you don't have to leave the terminal. Just find yourself a comfy spot to park yourselves (preferable near an outlet so you can plug in your phones/laptop, etc) and be prepared to listen to the automated airport announcements all.night.long

[IsrAziz 0]

We did the Madrid 18 hour layover. You don't need a visa because you don't have to leave the terminal. Just find yourself a comfy spot to park yourselves (preferable near an outlet so you can plug in your phones/laptop, etc) and be prepared to listen to the automated airport announcements all.night.long

Thank you SOOOOOOO much for this confirmation of the information I got online!!!!! So good to hear from someone who is from Morocco and actually went through the same experience!!! I really really appreciate you posting this and taking a HUGE weight off my mind! I pictured us being turned away at gunpoint as soon as our plane landed HAHAHAHAHAHA Good to know thats not going to happen!

[nejma 3]

Thank you SOOOOOOO much for this confirmation of the information I got online!!!!! So good to hear from someone who is from Morocco and actually went through the same experience!!! I really really appreciate you posting this and taking a HUGE weight off my mind! I pictured us being turned away at gunpoint as soon as our plane landed HAHAHAHAHAHA Good to know thats not going to happen!

No worries A relative did that layover too. I had confirmed it with the consulate of Spain. They said as long as we weren't leaving the terminal, no need. I double checked with the airline and our bags were transferred safely, no need to go to baggage claim, etc, even with that long layover.

PS Seriously, stake out the electrical outlets. I only saw one and we got a good amount of dirty looks from people desperately looking for a place to park the night

[IsrAziz 0]

No worries A relative did that layover too. I had confirmed it with the consulate of Spain. They said as long as we weren't leaving the terminal, no need. I double checked with the airline and our bags were transferred safely, no need to go to baggage claim, etc, even with that long layover.

PS Seriously, stake out the electrical outlets. I only saw one and we got a good amount of dirty looks from people desperately looking for a place to park the night

Im not too concerned about that because I dont even own a laptop unfortunately coz it SURE could have come in handy on this trip. But with my luck I would have been one of those people walking around giving the dirty looks to those who had the outlet!!!! HAHAHA

Would you happen to know if there are any cyber cafes we would have access to? I probably wont even get your reply since we are leaving in like 3 hours but in case you are still online -

Edited January 22, 2013 by IsrAziz