Travel concerns prior to green card/travel auth?

[SalishSea 17,969]

Just now, Family said:

You can try calling USCIS or Using interactive online to Schedule an Info Pass appointment to your local Field Office to request an EXPEDITE of the I-131 Advance Parole…MAKE your case and if they approve it you will have in hand .
 

How is an Alaska cruise an "emergency" meriting an expedite?

[Family 4,064]

1 minute ago, Jorgedig said:

How is an Alaska cruise an "emergency" meriting an expedite?

OP stated special circumstances, not disclosed here. I don’t think judgement on his particular circumstances is warranted by me. 
I could for example theorize that an elderly / frail loved one , with a bucket list wish needs their help to make that dying wish happe…. 

[SalishSea 17,969]

Just now, Family said:

OP stated special circumstances, not disclosed here. I don’t think judgement on his particular circumstances is warranted by me. 
I could for example theorize that an elderly / frail loved one , with a bucket list wish needs their help to make that dying wish happe…. 

Righhhhht.

[Crazy Cat 41,982]

2 hours ago, Destin said:

Ok first, some of you are plain rude. Good advice, but come on...

How??????  You are about to make an extremely serious mistake.  We want to help.....We might be blunt, but we aren't rude.  Sometimes, people ask questions, yet they aren't prepared to hear the answers.

Edited April 22, 2022 by Crazy Cat

[JeanneAdil 6,578]

Not rude just everyone here is giving best advice as we see this before

 

The United States claims territorial waters that extend 12 nautical miles, or about 13.8 common miles, from shore.

 

the K1 visa is good for one time entry into the US and USCIS says without the AP or green card ,  the immigrant can not enter the US again

 

https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-74?language=en_US  tells u what is needed to reenter

 

i took a cruise to Mexico and had to go thru Customs and immigration myself in Miami -even a USC does

[mushroomspore 3,044]

2 hours ago, Destin said:

Ok first, some of you are plain rude. Good advice, but come on...

Next, thanks for letting me know before we leave so I can get this corrected and avoid any issues. Obviously now we won't go if we can't get permission first.

So now... Permission. If we get approved parole, would it be good for two trips, or only one? (i.e. cruise and Vietnam). We'd only do VN obviously if we need a 2nd.
Also when do we get the approved trip? Shouldn't it come before the green card? Once we get the green card it's not a big deal to travel as much right?

Thanks for the help. Despite the attitude, I don't really care as long as I get the right answers and know what to do.

Who was being rude? The other commenters were simply emphasizing the serious consequences of leaving the US without proper travel authorization (whether that is the Advanced Parole or the green card). This is your loved one's entire legal status inside the USA at stake. While she would not be banned for leaving the US without travel authorization at this point in time, she will be stuck outside of the USA and you guys will have to start completely over with a new spousal visa. That can take up to at least 1-2 years and you will have also wasted the $1000+ filing fees for the AOS package. You also cannot ask to "translate" or "transform" the existing AOS package into a spousal visa application. You'd have to file completely new papers, pay the filing fee for THAT and deal with the unexpected separation time. Many people are advised to NOT make any plans whatsoever until the legal process is completely done AND the appropriate documents have been given or delivered to you. So to simply (but still just as firmly and pointedly as the others have already done) answer your original question: yes, this cruise IS a problem without travel authorization. It is not a potential problem; it IS a problem. 

[aaron2020 11,651]

2 hours ago, Destin said:

Ok first, some of you are plain rude. Good advice, but come on...

Next, thanks for letting me know before we leave so I can get this corrected and avoid any issues. Obviously now we won't go if we can't get permission first.

So now... Permission. If we get approved parole, would it be good for two trips, or only one? (i.e. cruise and Vietnam). We'd only do VN obviously if we need a 2nd.
Also when do we get the approved trip? Shouldn't it come before the green card? Once we get the green card it's not a big deal to travel as much right?

Thanks for the help. Despite the attitude, I don't really care as long as I get the right answers and know what to do.

Please let us know who is rude and how so we can correct ourselves the next time we help you.  Please point to something specific in the posts above. 

Sorry for taking the time to help you.  

[Crazy Cat 41,982]

2 hours ago, Destin said:

There are circumstances involving this cruise beyond my control. But think what you will. 

If your spouse exits the US with no approved advance parole, you will see the REAL meaning of  "beyond my control".

Edited April 22, 2022 by Crazy Cat

[Crazy Cat 41,982]

4 hours ago, Destin said:

Or worse yet is the whole cruise a potential problem?

Yes.  Exactly.....cancel it.

[Megadreams 81]

5 hours ago, Destin said:

Or worse yet is the whole cruise a potential problem?
 

Definitely a problem. Cancel the cruise and do not plan anything else until the AP is finalized. Unfortunately it is not possible to know for sure by which date USCIS will have approved it so never assume. While cruises are definitely amazing they are not worth risking the entire process for.

[JeanneAdil 6,578]

1 hour ago, Crazy Cat said:

If your spouse exits the US with no approved advance parole, you will see the REAL meaning of  "beyond my control".

and real rude 

CBP can be very rude 

we were just trying to save u that as they think we should know everything 

[Mike E 11,741]

So @Destin we went on Alaska cruise out of Seattle in September 2021.  
 

Our cruise had no stops in Canada because Canada wasn’t welcoming cruise ships then.  
 

See if you can cancel your cruise and use the credit to book a cruise with no stops in Canada.  Congress has been considering a bill to allow cruise ships to permanently bypass Canada on Alaska cruises while still allowing foreigner workers without work visas.  

 

A couple caveats:

 

* despite it being USA-only cruise, CBP was doing cursory checks on the return port in Seattle. I don’t believe this will cause your I-485 application to be abandoned.  
 

* if the ship has to stop in Canada for an emergency you can assume your I-485 is abandoned and hope it isn’t. 
 

One of stops had land excursions to Canada.  We made a point not to join those.  
 

We cruised on Carnival. Unfortunately it appears Carnivals Alaska cruises have added Victoria again.  However the good news it seems most of them have Victoria as the last stop before returning to the lower 48. If this is the case for your cruise, see if the cruise line will let you disembark the ship in Alaska and you would fly home from there.  
 

 

Edited April 23, 2022 by Mike E

[Southern_Belle07 146]

6 hours ago, Destin said:

There are circumstances involving this cruise beyond my control. But think what you will. 

Either way, ty for the info.

Is this a life-changing event? It's up to you on how you value your current petition, it is life-changing for everyone here. They have sternly advised you because of the horror stories from experiences in the past. You may deem it as rude, but it's real. DO NOT TRAVEL outside the borders without a green card or an advance parole. 

 

Lastly, having a green card still has some hiccups when traveling. Watch videos, blogs and testimonials of immigrants stating such. AP approvals take about 8-10 months. 

 

It's your decision. Good luck.

Edited April 23, 2022 by Southern_Belle07

[Kai G. Llewellyn 838]

12 hours ago, Destin said:

Hi,

We are still pending green card status updates, and filed the travel authorization too. Biometrics done.

The concern is we have a cruise planned to Alaska, but it has one day spent in Canada. Should we work to get a visa for her (from Vietnam) to Canada? Or should we stay on the boat that day as this could cause issues with the green card status/travel authorization later on? Or worse yet is the whole cruise a potential problem?

Thanks!

 

Bad move, very bad move. Cancel that cruise.

 

That cruise is a formal departure from the US the moment your boat lands on Canadian soil (or heck, enters Canadian waters with the intention of making port in Canada) and her AoS is abandoned and she cannot return without an immigrant visa.

 

Staying on the boat won't save her as generally the crewmen in charge will provide details to immigration authorities to facilitate entry/exit requirements on her behalf.

Edited April 23, 2022 by Kai G. Llewellyn

[Destin 6]

All the advice to cancel the cruise is good advice, so thank you.

I will check with USCIS and the cruise agents to verify checks coming back off the boat and will not go unless 100% sure it is safe as of course I agree it's not worth the risk. We are probably no where near the AP yet only 2 months in so likely will not be going now.

The main concern as far as etiquette goes was already addressed, and for others the concern is just realizing that while most of you have seen this before (and I'm thankful for and is why I post here), it's obviously my first time dealing with this. Recognizing that in a post goes a long ways, and I'm sorry if I missed locating this prior as I do try and find things usually before posting. So by all means don't stop answering as I won't be scared off, and I don't want anyone else to be discouraged from answering either. We aren't a customer service organization, but it is a sensitive matter and is causing family problems already, so I apologize if I seem a little sensitive.