Travel soon after AOS interview

[Helen Quail 28]

Hi 

we have our AOS interview in two weeks 😊. We have our AP and EAD.

My son is keen to travel back to Scotland as soon as possible for a longish trip. I understand in the uncommon event that we are approved then and there we can ask for an i551 stamp?

I also understand that once GC is issued, AP is invalid.

My question, if we book flights for him ow is this risky? I believe he may be able to travel out on AP and enter as an LPR when GC issued while he is away. 

Or if the GC is issued soon after the interview he would have that to travel. Or it could take a while....

I also appreciate this is an important point and we don't want to jeopardize his re-entry. We also don't want to wait until last minute to book flights because of cost and he needs to travel ideally in April.

 

Your help is appreciated!

 

Thank you

[Wuozopo 4,293]

1 hour ago, Helen Quail said:

believe he may be able to travel out on AP and enter as an LPR when GC issued while he is away. 

 

You don't need anything to travel out. It's the getting back in that requires something...that would be a valid visa (nope), ESTA (nope), AP, or greencard (hopefully).

[Helen Quail 28]

33 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

 

You don't need anything to travel out. It's the getting back in that requires something...that would be a valid visa (nope), ESTA (nope), AP, or greencard (hopefully).

Apparently the AP Is invalidated as soon as GC issued. But yeah, I get that - outward is ok. So he has AP, valid till 2020. My query is , if the GC is issued while he's away, can he come back in ok, as LPR? Or should we seek a passport stamp as soon as (hopefully) approved?  Thanks!

[Helen Quail 28]

So I had a lengthy call to USCIS. He was very lovely but really couldn't give a definitive answer.  It seems like quite a grey area. He did suggest my son would need to go to the US embassy ( in London, from Scotland!) to get a specific document to let him re-enter as LPR. I now learn that is a 575 fee. PLus a trip to London etc. So I'm thinking it would be better to just courier the green card to him in UK so he can travel back in on that.

Anyone have any experience or advice?

There is no guarantee we will get approved quickly and could be waiting weeks or months for the GC after the interview and he wants to travel in the next few weeks.

Thank you!

[Wuozopo 4,293]

No experience, but that was my thought...send the GC to Scotland. Is he a minor?  I don't really think CBP would deny entry to him if he arrived on AP, told his story, and they could see he was now an LPR. Who is that cruel? Give CBP a call. On their website it says;

 

If you are unable to find the information you need, the CBP INFO Center is open Monday-Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time. You can ask your question via email or by calling 1-877-CBP-5511 (877-227-5511)

[Helen Quail 28]

On 3/21/2019 at 8:59 AM, Wuozopo said:

No experience, but that was my thought...send the GC to Scotland. Is he a minor?  I don't really think CBP would deny entry to him if he arrived on AP, told his story, and they could see he was now an LPR. Who is that cruel? Give CBP a call. On their website it says;

 

If you are unable to find the information you need, the CBP INFO Center is open Monday-Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time. You can ask your question via email or by calling 1-877-CBP-5511 (877-227-5511)

Thanks. He is 18. I think mailing securely may be best but I have emailed CBP now. Thank you!

[RLA 324]

On 3/19/2019 at 1:20 AM, Helen Quail said:

Apparently the AP Is invalidated as soon as GC issued. But yeah, I get that - outward is ok. So he has AP, valid till 2020. My query is , if the GC is issued while he's away, can he come back in ok, as LPR? Or should we seek a passport stamp as soon as (hopefully) approved?  Thanks!

We had a similar problem when we had our interview back in January. We had a trip planned and weren't sure my card would arrive in time.  The officer who conducted the interview recommended that, should the card not arrive in time, I should come back to the USCIS office with my passport and approval letter (no appontment needed) and say I had emergency travel coming up, to get the stamp.  He also said that I would probably be admitted back into the U.S. even without stamp or greencard, with just my invalid AP card, just that it would probably be quite a hassle. 

 

In the end my greencard arrived well in time (7 days after the interview) so I didn't have to do any of that. 

 

I think in your case I would plan for getting the stamp, with sending the card by courier as a backup. 

[Helen Quail 28]

On 3/22/2019 at 5:18 PM, RLA said:

We had a similar problem when we had our interview back in January. We had a trip planned and weren't sure my card would arrive in time.  The officer who conducted the interview recommended that, should the card not arrive in time, I should come back to the USCIS office with my passport and approval letter (no appontment needed) and say I had emergency travel coming up, to get the stamp.  He also said that I would probably be admitted back into the U.S. even without stamp or greencard, with just my invalid AP card, just that it would probably be quite a hassle. 

 

In the end my greencard arrived well in time (7 days after the interview) so I didn't have to do any of that. 

 

I think in your case I would plan for getting the stamp, with sending the card by courier as a backup. 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Yes we will ask about the stamp, and meanwhile I've emailed CBP to ask them too.

Thank you!