conditions removed, no green card yet but travel in 2 days

[gemmav 0]

Hello all

I received by approval of removal of conditions in the mail today (filed for removal via Vermont mid Sept so much quicker than expected). I'm going back to the UK for Xmas on Wed but have not received my 10 year green card in the mail yet.

Upon reentry, I was planning to be armed with my 2 year greencard (now expired), extension letter (valid until Aug 2014) and approval notice dated Dec 10th 2013.

Does anyone have experience of reentry in this situation? I don't expect do be denied entry but I am curious on what to expect.

Thank you

[Hypnos 6,578]

If possible you should make an Infopass appointment and receive an I-551 stamp in your passport based on the approved I-751. You might need to sell it as an emergency and show them the plane tickets as proof.

I find it unlikely that you'll find a free Infopass appointment slot before Wednesday though.

[HossDelgado 1]

I do NOT have direct experience with my wife entering the US on an extended visa. However, based on what I've read it's not necessary to get an i551 stamp. The consensus seems to be that any USCIS employee at airport immigration will be able to 'see' your extension/10 year status when they swipe your green card so an i551 is unnecessary.

The main concern for greencard holders seems to this: the greencard is presented as identification to an overzealous TSA employee when passing through airport security. TSA employee makes a stink about the expiration date printed on the card. The easy way around this is to use other id for the security screen (i.e., passport) and/or carry a copy of the NOA/1 year extension letter.

I've also read that many immigration officers will not stamp your passport with an i551 (possibly because they see a stamp as redundant to the NOA/your status in USCS' system). Your mileage may vary.

Bottom line, it won't hurt to carry a copy of your NOA with your greencard. If you're very paranoid and don't mind spending time and effort with infopass, you can try for an i551 but I believe it's unnecessary for airport immigration purposes.