HELP! My wife stuck in Brazil airport (TAM/Rio) with an extension letter (non-original)

[Holmes 0]

Hey everyone--

TL;DR: Help! My wife is stuck in Rio with an expired greencard and a copy of her extension letter. What do we do?

My wife is currently stuck in Rio (not her departure city) because a TAM employee at the gate wouldn't accept a greencard and a *copy* of the extension letter. From other posts, it seems we messed up. She should have had the original extension letter though that may not have worked.

The airline is sending her to the consulate in the morning. Looking around a bit, I found something on the Brazilian embassy site that says anyone who is "removing conditions" needs to get something called a "boarding foil" (formerly a "transportation letter") if they want their airline to let them leave Brazil. I think this is what they are sending her to get.

(Warning to others: this contradicts many posts on VJ saying a green card and an original extension letter are fine.)

Worse, the site says it may take *5 days* to verify your immigration status and give you a "boarding foil". This is insane. LINKbrazil.usembassy.gov/immigrant-visas/other-services/transportation-letter.html (I don't have permission to link yet, I'm a new user)

Five (business?!) days is totally not okay for us. So I'm wondering if there's anything we can ask for that will speed this up.

Questions:

A. Has anyone been through this "boarding foil" process in Rio (or Brazil)? If so, could you describe what happened and what the time frame

was? Has anyone talked their way through this with the airline after running into a similar barrier?

B. Do airlines have any ability to verify immigration status electronically? Can we put down a large deposit covering the cost of her return if she's sent back (which we know she won't be)?

C. Is the following our best plan?

1) Visit the consulate in the morning and see what they say (particularly re: wait time)

2) If the turn around time is more than two days AND the airline commits to accepting the original extension letter, consider Fedexing the original (which can arrive in two days).

3) Keep pestering to get the airline to accept a copy of the extension letter, or give us another option (though I'm not sure what else we should be asking them for).

D. Does anyone have any other suggestions or information on what to expect?

Thanks!

[Hypnos 6,576]

As you have found out, you must present the expired, original, green card, and the original extension letter / NOA; copies will not cut it.

It's highly unlikely you will be able to persuade the airline to accept a copy of the letter, it absolutely must be the original.

You will not require a Boarding Foil / transportation letter if you have the expired green card and the original extension letter.

It sounds like it will be faster to obtain the original extension letter than to receive a transportation letter.

Edited March 13, 2013 by Hypnos

[Boiler 45,524]

I agree.

I seem to remember a similar thread on here about a year ago.

[Justine+David 218]

I would overnight the document to her.

[Holmes 0]

As you have found out, you must present the expired, original, green card, and the original extension letter / NOA; copies will not cut it.

It's highly unlikely you will be able to persuade the airline to accept a copy of the letter, it absolutely must be the original.

You will not require a Boarding Foil / transportation letter if you have the expired green card and the original extension letter.

It sounds like it will be faster to obtain the original extension letter than to receive a transportation letter.

Thanks for this. I'll base my work on this from here out, but the letter will take 36 hours to arrive with Fedex so it's not ideal. Can you tell me a little bit more about how confident you are this is true, and why? Experience in other countries / airports? Other threads on this site?

Have you tried to get one of these "boarding foil" things or been in a similar situation in Rio?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Transportation letter costs $$ and takes about a week, from what I hear. We all said on here that you need ORIGINAL extension letter.

I also remember a similar case, with Brazil too, where the person took a photocopy of the letter and was denied boarding. Since then, the advice here has gotten even more pedantic and always mentions that you need the original letter, not a copy.

Edited March 13, 2013 by Harpa Timsah

[Holmes 0]

Transportation letter costs $$ and takes about a week, from what I hear. We all said on here that you need ORIGINAL extension letter.

I also remember a similar case, with Brazil too, where the person took a photocopy of the letter and was denied boarding. Since then, the advice here has gotten even more pedantic and always mentions that you need the original letter, not a copy.

UPDATE FOR OTHERS TRAVELING FROM RIO TO JFK USING EXTENSION LETTERS:

This is second hand (I just spoke with her on the phone after her visit to the consulate) but here's what the consulate is saying:

They said that having the original letter was not sufficient to fly, and that she needed to have requested travel authorization before she left, and that if she had boarded the plane there was a risk of her being denied at the border in New York. This contradicts everything I have seen online about the basic rules and peoples' actual experiences. My wife suspects she would have been allowed to fly with the original letter, and I do too, but the consulate is saying things that flatly contradict this.

ALSO-- ANOTHER IMPORTANT WARNING: My wife said that an older woman with a 10-year green card AND AN ORIGINAL EXTENSION LETTER was waiting in line in Rio going through the same routine after being denied at the gate.

The consulate is saying that she needs to fill out a series of forms, mail them to the consulate (she's in Rio but can't drop them off?) and wait between 5 and 14 days to receive something back, in the mail. Then she can fly. I believe this is the "boarding foil" né "transportation letter" explained here:

brazil.usembassy.gov/immigrant-visas/other-services/transportation-letter.html

Note: I see no mention here that an original extension letter can get you on a plane. (Though again she may have been able to push her way through if she had the letter, although this other woman apparently was not able to, so that's just speculation based on reports here in the forums).

I've seen other posts in these forums saying that people were unable to get any written proof of residency beyond the extension letter even when they asked before traveling, because USCIS said a letter was sufficient (will look up the link later). This seems like a huge problem where airlines are paranoid of being on the hook for the return, and USCIS isn't giving them a reliable way to verify the residency of broad classes of legal residents who reasonably expect to be allowed entry.

The case of the other woman in line with my wife at the consulate clearly establishes the need for either a) some kind of online system for airlines to verify someone's status or b) replacement temporary green cards that you get with your extension letter. Otherwise airlines are going to roll their own criteria independently of USCIS, and it will be difficult or impossible for residents and their citizen spouses to track these special cases.

Edited March 13, 2013 by Holmes

[Holmes 0]

We contacted our Congressman (McGovern D-MA) who is amazing and has amazing constituent services. They've sent out inquiries and we're waiting to hear.

Also I've fedexed the original letter, so as soon as we can confirm there's no problem with her entering the US, she'll try to get on the plane with the original extension letter, possibly trying another airline.

Any recommendations for airlines that understand this stuff? I think the other options are US Airways, Delta, and American. (TAM is the one that has blocked us).

[Boiler 45,524]

That link does not actually directly refer to this situation.

[Holmes 0]

That link does not actually directly refer to this situation.

That's helpful. Can you explain the distinction?

http://brazil.usembassy.gov/immigrant-visas/other-services/transportation-letter.html

At the top it says "Expired conditional green card" and that seems to be the case that applies here.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Whoever said she cannot travel with the extension letter is wrong. Thousands of people travel with this combination and have no troubles. It is bad whoever she spoke with at the consulate said that. They are a consulate though, and maybe aren't used to dealing with USCIS and CPB stuff. She certainly does not need special permission to travel beforehand. But beware of other secondhand stories, like the person she talked to. We don't know their situation. You can travel with original letter and expired GC.

[DC85 113]

I think you should Fedex the extension letter to your wife, then I would make her go to the airport and try with different airlines , it should work

[Hypnos 6,576]

As stated, whoever told you she cannot travel outside of the US with her expired green card and original extension letter is simply wrong. The extension letter expressly says "Travel and work authorised".

When you said you were going to contact the embassy I was concerned that they would give you some bs like this and it seems that this did occur.

Have the airline confirmed that they will permit her to travel with her original extension letter? If they still refuse then I would try another airline, perhaps one who aren't morons.

[Nica_In_Love 98]

If it helps, I just traveled in January with my expired conditional GC and extension letter. I flew United and they didn't give me any problems getting on the plane. They did read the letter (original). Not sure if United is available for your wife's flight.

[newlyweds2010 208]

I just returned from Italy and had no issues with expired GC + original NOA. Never heard of anything else required to travel.