extension letter with 2yrs expired greencard

[mhay000 0]

anyone have experience re entering US with 2YEARS EXPIRED GREEN CARD and EXTENSION LETTER? is it valid to re enter US? becuase my green cars already expired 2yrs. and the extension letter i just got last week. my flight back to the US is on january 25. im afraid to get a problem in the port of entry in US.

[Stevephoto 230]

When does/did the extension letter expire? IF the expiration of the extension letter is after January 25th, then my guess is that you will be OK. Good luck.

[D.Ba 85]

How can you have gotten an extension letter 2 years after green card expired?

[mindthegap 2,605]

34 minutes ago, D.Ba said:

How can you have gotten an extension letter 2 years after green card expired?

Exactly as I did last october (my card expired may 2015) - by filing as normal, and the issuing of an extension letter/receipt is automatic, even if there is no recent card to extend.

This necessitates an infopass for an I-551 stamp,

 

 

@mhay000 can you please clarify: When exactly did your 2year card expire?

[mhay000 0]

my card expired october 2015. and i filed my papers last december 2017. they sent me an extension letter this january 2, 2018. Im out of the country right now. im planning to go back in january 25th.. im just afraid to have a problem in the port of entry. 

[mindthegap 2,605]

You really should have got an I-551 stamp BEFORE leaving the US to eliminate any problems.

 

However, at POE, you would more than likely have to go to secondary with an extension anyway. Given your situation, it will take longer, and the officers may well moan and try to lecture you, but you should be admitted in the end.

 

 Your status should be fine, as you have filed and have obtained a receipt, but your immediate problem is being allowed to board a carrier back to the US with a letter that states it extends the validity of a card for a year....but that expired over two years ago. As you will see from the bottom of my timeline, I am in the exact same situation, except i obtained an I-551 stamp BEFORE I left the US, and had no issues returning.

This is something I am afraid you won't know the answer to until you try to board a flight back to the US. 

Hopefully someone sensible will see the date on the letter, and if necessary call the RCLG (regional carrier liaison group) to verify your status and give permission to board a carrier. Have a copy of this document with you to produce if neccessary, specifically page 38: https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2017-Nov/carrier-information-guide-english.pdf

 

If you DO have problems and are refused boarding, and have no joy with another carrier, then the most immediate options available to you would be either

a)visit the US embassy wherever you are, and obtain a transportation letter, which will cost you some money, or

b) travel to canada/mexico and enter at a land border

Edited January 17, 2018 by mindthegap

[geowrian 22,338]

Well said above. The OP has 2 hurdles:

1. Being re-admitted to the US. CBP can lookup and see that your LPR status is intact, but expect going through secondary and it overall being a poor experience. Sorry. I hope they are understanding, but be ready for a lot of waiting.
2. Being boarded on a plane. Carriers don't board somebody unless they can show a valid travel document to the US. This is (at least partly) because if CBP denies entry due to a reason that the carrier should have detected (i.e. no valid travel document), then they are stuck with the cost of the return flight. Keep in mind the green card is expired and the extension letter only extends the validity of the green card by 1 year. So if it expired in 2015, the letter only extends it until 2016.

Where I disagree with the above is that I would suggest going to the embassy and getting a travel document from them before even messing with the airline (as I think they would not permit boarding so that would probably be wasted time/money). It's not wrong by any means, but arguing with carrier staff over it just doesn't seem fruitful.