I-551 Expiring soon, extension letter expired - what to do?

[kettlefish 10]

Hi All

 

My conditional GC expired in Sep last year,  before it expired I applied for I-751 ROC (removal of conditions) and received a 1 year extension. However I needed to travel this year and to be safe got the passport stamp via Infopass (I551) this was in March. 

 

At the Infopass appt, the officer took my GC, and gave me 9 months (Ie to Dec 2017). At which point I would effectively have no GC, an expired extension letter, and an expired stamp!

 

Because I'm  a CSC filer, it looks like theres a good chance I won't get the new 10 year GC before December because of the delays. Anyone else been in this situation?

 

I should mention my wife and I also currently traveling and outside the country, so that adds another lever of stress. IE do I fly back and try make another Infopass? Or can I just wait for my new GC etc..

 

Soooo stressed

 

 

[Lemon23 400]

17 minutes ago, kettlefish said:

Hi All

 

My conditional GC expired in Sep last year,  before it expired I applied for I-751 ROC (removal of conditions) and received a 1 year extension. However I needed to travel this year and to be safe got the passport stamp via Infopass (I551) this was in March. 

 

At the Infopass appt, the officer took my GC, and gave me 9 months (Ie to Dec 2017). At which point I would effectively have no GC, an expired extension letter, and an expired stamp!

 

Because I'm  a CSC filer, it looks like theres a good chance I won't get the new 10 year GC before December because of the delays. Anyone else been in this situation?

 

I should mention my wife and I also currently traveling and outside the country, so that adds another lever of stress. IE do I fly back and try make another Infopass? Or can I just wait for my new GC etc..

 

Soooo stressed

 

 

Get another infopass for the I-551 stamp on your passport, it's better to be on the safe side travelling outside the country. 

Edited October 3, 2017 by Lemon23

[kettlefish 10]

5 hours ago, Lemon23 said:

Get another infopass for the I-551 stamp on your passport, it's better to be on the safe side travelling outside the country. 

Thanks, we could do that. While that may be what we ultimately end up doing, it's not easy for us currently, so quite interested in exploring all possibilities before deciding.

 

Suppose a more pertinent question may be "Will letting passport stamp expire, hurt an applicant's I-751 process" or is it mainly about restrictions on travel?

 

Also assuming one can get the new GC mailed to abroad, once it's ready and then re-enter the US on that.

Edited October 3, 2017 by kettlefish

[Lemon23 400]

1 minute ago, kettlefish said:

Thanks, I could do that, though it's not easy.

 

I guess what I should have asked is "Will letting passport stamp expire, hurt my I-751 process" or is it mainly about restrictions on travel?

 

Also assuming one can get the new GC mailed to abroad, once it's ready and then re-enter the US on that.

If you dont have plans to travel outside the country then it's fine not to get the i-551 stamp, but for the purpose of having an document showing your updated status then getting a I-551 stamp is your best option.

[Lemon23 400]

7 minutes ago, kettlefish said:

Thanks, I could do that, though it's not easy.

 

I guess what I should have asked is "Will letting passport stamp expire, hurt my I-751 process" or is it mainly about restrictions on travel?

 

Also assuming one can get the new GC mailed to abroad, once it's ready and then re-enter the US on that.

Actually you dont have to do an infopass if you have an upcoming travel. I heard that you just need to go to your USCIS local office and request for an I-551 stamp and showed them your ticket, mentioned to them as well that you cannot wait for your green card to arrive since you will be traveling soon specially if it is work related and emergency cases travel.

Edited October 3, 2017 by Lemon23

[kettlefish 10]

Just now, Lemon23 said:

If you dont have plans to travel outside the country then it's fine not to get the i-551 stamp, but for the purpose of having an document showing your updated status then getting a I-551 stamp is your best option.

We're actually currently outside the US in the UK on an extended visit.

 

The question is whether I absolutely need to return to the US, just to do another infopass extension, or if I can let the stamp expire, wait for the GC to be mailed, mail that to me here in the UK and re-enter the US with the GC in hand, in early 2018.

 

[Lemon23 400]

2 minutes ago, kettlefish said:

We're actually currently outside the US in the UK on an extended visit.

 

The question is whether I absolutely need to return to the US, just to do another infopass extension, or if I can let the stamp expire, wait for the GC to be mailed, mail that to me here in the UK and re-enter the US with the GC in hand, in early 2018.

 

I'm not actually dont know how is the process if outside the US, you can visit the US embassy in the UK and check.

Edited October 3, 2017 by Lemon23

[mindthegap 2,590]

13 minutes ago, kettlefish said:

 

I guess what I should have asked is "Will letting passport stamp expire, hurt my I-751 process"

No - if you are IN the US.

It does however make it very difficult to get back to the US if it expires while outside, not least because you aren't allowed to board a carrier to the US. 

 

If you can't get back to the US, then go to the US embassy in whichever country you are in and get a transportation letter which will enable you to board a flight back to the US (one time use). Go to the infopass appointment page and select outside the US, then transportation letter is one of the options. They will not issue you with an I-551 stamp if outside the US.

 

EDIT- you say you are in the UK -  there is an appointment in London for THIS thursday (October 5th) if you are quick, and another for next thursday (the 12th)!!

 

 

Honestly, if you are planning on the 10yr card being issued at a specific time, then don't. They are taking a long time right now as you have no doubt figured out, so making plans around that may well go spectacularly wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2017 by mindthegap

[kettlefish 10]

32 minutes ago, mindthegap said:

No - if you are IN the US.

It does however make it very difficult to get back to the US if it expires while outside, not least because you aren't allowed to board a carrier to the US. 

 

What I don't understand about this is why couldn't one board as a B-2 Visitor?

 

32 minutes ago, mindthegap said:

EDIT- you say you are in the UK -  there is an appointment in London for THIS thursday (October 5th) if you are quick, and another for next thursday (the 12th)!!

Great, I might do that. Looks like they have appointments every Thursday. Also I see the transportation letter is called an I-131A, and isn't cheap! ($575)

 

https://www.uscis.gov/i-131a

 

32 minutes ago, mindthegap said:

 

Honestly, if you are planning on the 10yr card being issued at a specific time, then don't. They are taking a long time right now as you have no doubt figured out, so making plans around that may well go spectacularly wrong.

Good point

[Lemon23 400]

9 minutes ago, kettlefish said:

What I don't understand about this is why couldn't one board as a B-2 Visitor?

You cannot board as a B2 visitor because technically you're an LPR already and your US tourist visa (in case you still have it) is no longer valid and they already terminated that on their system.