Traveling with expired green card and extension letter

[ana4321 0]

Hi Everyone,

So my green expired 03/03/18 and I received an 18 months extension letter on 08/06/18.I'm traveling to Turkey on Sept 14,2019 and returning back Sep 17,2019 due to an emergency.Will I have any problems returning to usa?Anyone with similar experience?

[Tanish 197]

You will need to keep your GC and extension letter with you in order to gain reentry. You shouldn't have any issues.

[payxibka 10,045]

10 minutes ago, ana4321 said:

Hi Everyone,

So my green expired 03/03/18 and I received an 18 months extension letter on 08/06/18.I'm traveling to Turkey on Sept 14,2019 and returning back Sep 17,2019 due to an emergency.Will I have any problems returning to usa?Anyone with similar experience?

What is the expiration date of the extension?  That's one of the reasons for the extension letter .  Carry the expired card and the letter 

Edited September 12, 2019 by payxibka

[ana4321 0]

3 minutes ago, payxibka said:

What is the expiration date of the extension?  That's one of the reasons for the extension letter .  Carry the expired card and the letter 

There is no expiration date on the extension.It says 18 months extension.Does the extension letter expire if the case is under review?I have heard it does not expire as long as the case is pending.

[Dashinka 24,514]

Didn't the 18 months expire on 9/3/2019?  If so, you should get an I551 stamp before you travel.  You may not be allowed to board the plane back to the US with both an expired GC and expired extension letter.

[Crazy Cat 41,893]

14 minutes ago, ana4321 said:

There is no expiration date on the extension.It says 18 months extension.Does the extension letter expire if the case is under review?I have heard it does not expire as long as the case is pending.

Yes, the extension letter expired 18 months after the expiration date on the conditional green card.  You need a stamp in your passport as @Bill & Katya stated.

Edited September 12, 2019 by missileman

[Dashinka 24,514]

12 minutes ago, ana4321 said:

There is no expiration date on the extension.It says 18 months extension.Does the extension letter expire if the case is under review?I have heard it does not expire as long as the case is pending.

Your status as an LPR does not expire, but in this case we are talking about the physical proof of your status, and by my counting both are now expired.  Considering you are leaving in two days, I would head right down to your local office and beg for an I551 stamp as a walk in.  Take both your expired GC and expired extension letter along with proof of your travel plans.

 

Good Luck!

[ana4321 0]

9 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

Didn't the 18 months expire on 9/3/2019?  If so, you should get an I551 stamp before you travel.  You may not be allowed to board the plane back to the US with both an expired GC and expired extension letter.

Government agencies and employers often mistakenly believe that the expiration date on the I751 receipt notice denotes the date on which an immigrant’s legal status expires – it does not. Under federal regulations, an immigrant’s status as conditional resident is extended “until such time as the director [of USCIS] has adjudicated the petition.” 8 C.F.R. § 216.4(a). The individual remains a resident until either her petition is approved – in which case she becomes a non-conditional resident – or the petition is denied. 8 U.S.C. §§ 1186a(c)(3)(B), (c)(3)(C). So long as the I-751 remains pending, the immigrant remains in valid status.

[payxibka 10,045]

1 minute ago, ana4321 said:

Government agencies and employers often mistakenly believe that the expiration date on the I751 receipt notice denotes the date on which an immigrant’s legal status expires – it does not. Under federal regulations, an immigrant’s status as conditional resident is extended “until such time as the director [of USCIS] has adjudicated the petition.” 8 C.F.R. § 216.4(a). The individual remains a resident until either her petition is approved – in which case she becomes a non-conditional resident – or the petition is denied. 8 U.S.C. §§ 1186a(c)(3)(B), (c)(3)(C). So long as the I-751 remains pending, the immigrant remains in valid status.

Armed with all this knowledge it seems you knew the answer to your question before you even asked 

[Crazy Cat 41,893]

1 minute ago, ana4321 said:

Government agencies and employers often mistakenly believe that the expiration date on the I751 receipt notice denotes the date on which an immigrant’s legal status expires – it does not. Under federal regulations, an immigrant’s status as conditional resident is extended “until such time as the director [of USCIS] has adjudicated the petition.” 8 C.F.R. § 216.4(a). The individual remains a resident until either her petition is approved – in which case she becomes a non-conditional resident – or the petition is denied. 8 U.S.C. §§ 1186a(c)(3)(B), (c)(3)(C). So long as the I-751 remains pending, the immigrant remains in valid status.

Your evidence of legal status has expired.....not the status itself........you will not be able to board a plane without valid evidence of your status.

[Dashinka 24,514]

4 minutes ago, ana4321 said:

Government agencies and employers often mistakenly believe that the expiration date on the I751 receipt notice denotes the date on which an immigrant’s legal status expires – it does not. Under federal regulations, an immigrant’s status as conditional resident is extended “until such time as the director [of USCIS] has adjudicated the petition.” 8 C.F.R. § 216.4(a). The individual remains a resident until either her petition is approved – in which case she becomes a non-conditional resident – or the petition is denied. 8 U.S.C. §§ 1186a(c)(3)(B), (c)(3)(C). So long as the I-751 remains pending, the immigrant remains in valid status.

I agree, but airlines do not have access to a big database of LPRs, they need valid proof of an LPRs status to allow someone to board a plane to the US.  This is why when someone has an extension letter expiring (based on 18 months in this case from when the CGC expired on 3/3/2018), they get an I551 stamp in their passport to show proof of their LPR status.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Bill & Katya

[Crazy Cat 41,893]

1 minute ago, payxibka said:

Armed with all this knowledge it seems you knew the answer to your question before you even asked 

But the OP's question was "Does the extension letter expire if the case is under review?"......The answer is yes, the extension letter expired.....

[ana4321 0]

Just now, missileman said:

Your evidence of legal status has expired.....not the status itself........you will not be able to board a plane without valid evidence of your status.

Can a driver license count ?

[Dashinka 24,514]

 

Just now, ana4321 said:

Can a driver license count ?

Nope.

[Crazy Cat 41,893]

Just now, ana4321 said:

Can a driver license count ?

NO.......you need a stamp in your passport as evidence of your legal resident status.