Combo card

[Nastia Liz 0]

Hi everybody, I have a question! I got my combo card (work authorization and advance parole) but I’ve been waiting for an interview for green card 6 months! We already planned our trip to my home country this summer and I’m afraid I’m not gonna have my green card till that time! Can I travel outside the USA without green card but with my combo card? Do I have to tell immigration office about my trip so they won’t schedule my interview at that time? I’ll be thankful for any information 

[Starkilla09 366]

Yes you can travel with your combo card, that’s exactly what advance parole is used for. Now with regards to your interview you will have to keep an eye while abroad and check regularly to make sure you don’t miss any interview notification letter from USCIS. Normally your interview letter will arrive 1 month prior to the actual interview day. The best way to keep an eye on this is to sign up for for a “my USCIS account” on USCIS.gov in case you didn’t send a form G-1145 ( e notification to request email or text message from USCIS) together with your AOS petition. If your interview date falls on a day while you’re still abroad, you can always reschedule by calling them. However this will delay your case again by a couple of months so it’ll be best to make sure you do anything possible to attend your interview and get it done with. By the way no you can’t tell USCIS not to schedule your interview, you can only make them take action after it has already been scheduled by asking USCIS rescheduling it for you. Scheduling will depend on actual processing times by your local USCIS field office so visit their website to have an idea how long again you might have to wait.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Starkilla09

[Ksenia_O 696]

9 hours ago, Nastia Liz said:

Hi everybody, I have a question! I got my combo card (work authorization and advance parole) but I’ve been waiting for an interview for green card 6 months! We already planned our trip to my home country this summer and I’m afraid I’m not gonna have my green card till that time! Can I travel outside the USA without green card but with my combo card? Do I have to tell immigration office about my trip so they won’t schedule my interview at that time? I’ll be thankful for any information 

 

As long as  your combo card has the statement "Serves as I-512 Advance Parole", you are good to travel

 

You should book tickets under your "passport" name. Also, keep your Marriage Certificate along with your combo card (if last names are different on your passports and EAD).

 

If you have more than one stop in the US on your way back, give it at least 2 -3 hours of layover between flights - most likely you'll be pulled to a secondary and you never know how long it can take. 

 

Also, I'd advice to have someone you trust to check your mailbox while your are gone - on-line updates are not always accurate. 

Sometimes re-scheduling an interview can bring you  to a denial - it happens, unfortunately ,  or as Starkilla09 has mentioned  - to a delay in your case, so it's something to take into account.

 

Although  very often K-1 doesn't get an Interview...

 

Good luck!!!!

[Nastia Liz 0]

Thank you very much for your replies!! Yes I do have an advance parole, so I can travel! But how do I reschedule my interview if I’ll be outside the USA? Don’t I have to mail them something or I can do it online? 

[Ksenia_O 696]

On 3/10/2018 at 4:05 PM, Nastia Liz said:

 But how do I reschedule my interview if I’ll be outside the USA? Don’t I have to mail them something or I can do it online? 

Yes, you have to mail. And I believe there is an instruction how to reschedule an interview on the original Interview Notice

 

So, yes, you should have someone you trust to check your mail box while you are gone. Usually they give you a Notice 2 weeks before your interview date. But if it was me - I'd do everything possible to return to the US for my interview..  without re-scheduling.

 

Good luck!!

[LionessDeon 2,060]

Yes you can travel with your combo card.

We had to reschedule our AOS interview.  We were able to do it all by phone.  Our Cleveland Ohio field office acted like it was no big deal.  Each ones processes vary though.

[Nastia Liz 0]

Yeah but we already have tickets... I thought I would have green card till that time, but now everywhere is written that you have to wait like a year for an interview! Hopefully they’re going to schedule my interview after a trip, cause that’s when it’ll be a year of my waiting. 

Thanks everybody for their replies!!

[Ksenia_O 696]

Very often K1/K2s are interview waived, so may not even have one...

 

You should be fine - just check your USCIS account and have someone to keep eye on your mail box.

 

Have a wonderful trip