Waiting for green card (in the US) during the coronavirus pandemic

[ljujas2019 23]

Hi!

 

Does anyone know if USCIS services and processing times are being affected by the coronavirus right now? I have been waiting for my green card since I paid the fee and arrived here at the end of January.

 

I came here on my CR-1 visa, after having gone through the long process of waiting for spousal visa approval abroad, in my homecountry. My spouse and I were apart from each other for a bit more than a year, so we were so happy to be reunited this year in January. However, my new life here is not what I expected, with limitations from not having the actual physical green card in my hand and now, the pandemic.

 

Does anyone have any idea or clue how long I could have to wait? I have been waiting for almost 2 months now, since paying my green card fee. As most of you probably know, it says on the USCIS website that it should not take longer than 120 days to receive your green card upon arrival/payment of green card fee, but I guess that this statement is accurate only under normal circumstances or conditions. 

 

Thank you for all your support and advice!

Edited March 13, 2020 by ljujas2019

[Boiler 45,486]

You have your Passport and the I 551 stamp, what are you having issues with?

[ljujas2019 23]

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

You have your Passport and the I 551 stamp, what are you having issues with?

I would like to travel to my homecountry (Sweden), stay with and take care of my family for a couple of months.

[Boiler 45,486]

1 minute ago, ljujas2019 said:

I would like to travel to my home country (Sweden), stay with and take care of my family for a couple of months.

I 551 stamp is good for a year. 

[ljujas2019 23]

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

I 551 stamp is good for a year. 

I have plans of travelling to Europe, Sweden to be with and support my family during this pandemic, and given the current travel ban from Europe, I am concerned that my I-551 stamp will not be sufficient to prove permanent residency (when I return to the US), as this is the condition under which people can travel from Europe to the US right now. It seems that this restriction does not apply to spouses, but I am just concerned that I will have issues due to not having my physical green card.

[Boiler 45,486]

5 minutes ago, ljujas2019 said:

I have plans of travelling to Europe, Sweden to be with and support my family during this pandemic, and given the current travel ban from Europe, I am concerned that my I-551 stamp will not be sufficient to prove permanent residency (when I return to the US), as this is the condition under which people can travel from Europe to the US right now. It seems that this restriction does not apply to spouses, but I am just concerned that I will have issues due to not having my physical green card.

Well you can of course wait, only you can decide how important this is to you, legally the stamp and the card are equivalent.

[ljujas2019 23]

20 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Well you can of course wait, only you can decide how important this is to you, legally the stamp and the card are equivalent.

Thank you for your support. I think I will wait for a little while longer, and hopefully, I'll get my green card within a month or so. In case I do not and I decide to travel next month, I was wondering what the IV validity period means, because on my visa stamp, it says my IV expires on June 12 of this year, but underneath, there is a small text saying: "upon endorsement serves as a temporary I-551 evidencing permanent residence for 1 year". 

 

 

[Boiler 45,486]

Probably 12th June was the 6 month expiry of your medical? By when you had to enter?

[ljujas2019 23]

Just now, Boiler said:

Probably 12th June was the 6 month expiry of your medical? By when you had to enter?

Oh, yeah, that would makes sense. I had my interview on December 18th of last year and was approved in the first week of January, and then came here on January 22. 

 

 

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

39 minutes ago, ljujas2019 said:

I have plans of travelling to Europe, Sweden to be with and support my family during this pandemic, and given the current travel ban from Europe, I am concerned that my I-551 stamp will not be sufficient to prove permanent residency (when I return to the US), as this is the condition under which people can travel from Europe to the US right now. It seems that this restriction does not apply to spouses, but I am just concerned that I will have issues due to not having my physical green card.

As far as US immigration is concerned it is exactly the same thing. One is a stamp and one is a plastic card but they are both form I551 and prove permanent residency. 

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

11 minutes ago, ljujas2019 said:

Thank you for your support. I think I will wait for a little while longer, and hopefully, I'll get my green card within a month or so. In case I do not and I decide to travel next month, I was wondering what the IV validity period means, because on my visa stamp, it says my IV expires on June 12 of this year, but underneath, there is a small text saying: "upon endorsement serves as a temporary I-551 evidencing permanent residence for 1 year". 

 

 

IV validity lost any relevance the day you entered. The one year from that date (of entry) is what matters now.

[Scandi 4,166]

What Susie said. Getting the plastic card doesn't change anything, your stamp is just as valid as the card. 

[StarLord22 55]

My green card just arrived Thursday but I came here to the US on October 19, 2019 so you may have a little while longer to wait. 

[carmel34 3,626]

120 days is a pretty good estimate, and the target for USCIS to send the card, so if you entered the US at the end of January, you should get your card around the end of May this year.  It may be difficult to even get a flight out of the country to Europe right now anyway, as flights are nearly empty so they are canceling many.  It's not a good time to travel.  My university has cancelled all international travel until May 31.  Hopefully by May or June things will settle down, but no one can predict what will happen as conditions are changing so rapidly.  Good luck!

Edited March 14, 2020 by carmel34

[Ryan H 3,812]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to General Immigration-Related Discussion.