Travel outside USA with Green Card (initial one not the perm. card)

[chwolff11 1]

Hello everyone, My family may take a trip this Summer to some tourist place like Dominican Republic or Mexico. I am afraid for my wife to travel outside the USA until we get her permanent green card. Our status right now is that she has a green card but it's the one you get for like 2 years or something, then we'll have to interview to get a more perm. green card. 

 

A friend from work is married to a gal from Visayas and her friends had some issues going to Mexico. When they returned they were hasseled at customs who told her that since she was on a Phillipines passport she needed a letter from the Phillipines embassy giving her permission to travel outside the USA. 

 

It all sounds like one of those urban legends where a friend of a friend had something horrible happen but for me it's not worth the risk given our current political climate.

 

Do any of you have experience with this lately? My understanding is that my wife and I are free to travel outside the USA and return as much as we want now that we have a green card.

 

As always, any insights or experiences you can share are welcome. 

 

Thank you, Liz and Christian

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

50 minutes ago, chwolff11 said:

Hello everyone, My family may take a trip this Summer to some tourist place like Dominican Republic or Mexico. I am afraid for my wife to travel outside the USA until we get her permanent green card. Our status right now is that she has a green card but it's the one you get for like 2 years or something, then we'll have to interview to get a more perm. green card. 

 

A friend from work is married to a gal from Visayas and her friends had some issues going to Mexico. When they returned they were hasseled at customs who told her that since she was on a Phillipines passport she needed a letter from the Phillipines embassy giving her permission to travel outside the USA. 

 

It all sounds like one of those urban legends where a friend of a friend had something horrible happen but for me it's not worth the risk given our current political climate.

 

Do any of you have experience with this lately? My understanding is that my wife and I are free to travel outside the USA and return as much as we want now that we have a green card.

 

As always, any insights or experiences you can share are welcome. 

 

Thank you, Liz and Christian

As long as you have a GC, any type of GC then you usually won't have a problem getting back in to the USA. This does sound like of those "I heard it from so and so who had a sister that went through it."

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

She is free to travel outside of the USA with a valid green card-which she has. Depending on the country you go to she may or may not need a tourist visa. What is her nationality?

[gregcrs2 1,778]

We've done international trips many times and never had a problem.

Edited February 10, 2019 by gregcrs2

[Crazy Cat 41,850]

My wife and I have traveled to Taiwan and Japan without ANY issues at all with her 2 year Green Card.  A 2 year Green Card has EXACTLY the same travel aspects as a 10 year Green card.  

[chwolff11 1]

Sounds good everyone. Thanks for responding. Ill not worry about this anymore. She's from the Phillipines btw. 

[Crazy Cat 41,850]

Just now, chwolff11 said:

Sounds good everyone. Thanks for responding. Ill not worry about this anymore. She's from the Phillipines btw. 

Relax, and enjoy your travels....☺️

[Hank_ 9,174]

1 hour ago, chwolff11 said:

Hello everyone, My family may take a trip this Summer to some tourist place like Dominican Republic or Mexico. I am afraid for my wife to travel outside the USA until we get her permanent green card. Our status right now is that she has a green card but it's the one you get for like 2 years or something, then we'll have to interview to get a more perm. green card. 

 

A friend from work is married to a gal from Visayas and her friends had some issues going to Mexico. When they returned they were hasseled at customs who told her that since she was on a Phillipines passport she needed a letter from the Phillipines embassy giving her permission to travel outside the USA. 

 

It all sounds like one of those urban legends where a friend of a friend had something horrible happen but for me it's not worth the risk given our current political climate.

 

Do any of you have experience with this lately? My understanding is that my wife and I are free to travel outside the USA and return as much as we want now that we have a green card.

 

As always, any insights or experiences you can share are welcome. 

 

Thank you, Liz and Christian

^^^^  That sounds like total BS ..as you know your wife needed a visa from the USA to first enter the USA (permission from the USA), Philippines does give permission to travel to OTHER countries.    

 

Reality is when traveling with a Philippine passport you must make sure to follow the requirements of the foreign countries you will be entering (you are not free to travel outside the USA, you must follow the requirements of every country you choose to enter ... yes I repeated that).   (Dominican Republic or Mexico)    Some countries allow entry if a person holds a green card from the USA (such as Canada.  Without the green card a visa is required if traveling on a Philippine passport,  possessing a green card .. entry is allowed)

 

Here is my thinking;  Your wife currently does not possess a valid (physical) green card (being you are in the middle of ROC, the conditional green card has expired), she does possess an I-797 that states the validity of her green card has been extended for 1 year .. but will that document make the Dominican Republic or Mexico happy or will they want to see an actual valid green card?    Now the USA will accept the conditional green and I-797 extension so she will be allowed to entry the USA again.

Edited February 10, 2019 by Hank_

[Chris Duffy 1,257]

1 hour ago, chwolff11 said:

Sounds good everyone. Thanks for responding. Ill not worry about this anymore. She's from the Phillipines btw. 

No worries, My wife is from Philippines only with a 2 year greencard expired with extension letter.

 

Traveled to Mexico twice and went to Dominican Republic in December for Christmas, Not an issue

 

[Greenbaum 12,259]

Here is a good website that when you input the passport nationality it will give you the country's visa requirements. A GC does not allow you to circumvent what the country to which you are traveling to, their visa requirements. For the example, I used Filipino passport wishing to travel to Mexico but you can search any passport for any country.

 

https://mexico.visahq.com/requirements/Philippines/resident-United_States/

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

10 minutes ago, Greenbaum said:

Here is a good website that when you input the passport nationality it will give you the country's visa requirements. A GC does not allow you to circumvent what the country to which you are traveling to, their visa requirements. For the example, I used Filipino passport wishing to travel to Mexico but you can search any passport for any country.

 

https://mexico.visahq.com/requirements/Philippines/resident-United_States/

But I know of a number of countries that would originally be pretty harsh against people with a Philippine passport. But once those same people have a U.S. green card they are admitted in to that country.

[Hank_ 9,174]

3 hours ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

But I know of a number of countries that would originally be pretty harsh against people with a Philippine passport. But once those same people have a U.S. green card they are admitted in to that country.

 

That is why it is better to check the actual country website for visa requirements.  As I noted earlier Canada requires a visa for those traveling on a Philippine passport EXCEPT if they possess a green card .. that is on the Canadian official website.    Mexico could very well be the same way in regards to those possessing a green card ... check the official website for Mexico for "just the facts ma;am"