Travel possible with I-797 approval notice but no GC yet?

[Caminho 0]

I had some PTO left over from this year which I can roll over till January (only), so I thought I'd use it to go home and visit family. The flight is booked and paid for already, I am due to leave on 1/12.

On 12/13, a friend (also British) called me to ask about some visa stuff, which prompted me to check my old I-797s; and to my horror I saw that the 24 month extension period had already expired. I logged onto USCIS straight away and checked online and saw that my case was approved, so had a huge sigh of relief.

Now I am back on the roller coaster ride of emotions again - the language on the website led to believe that I would receive my actual I-551 in the post before Christmas. However, I actually received another I-797 that says my request was approved, but also that I should not travel.

Has anyone else here experienced a similar issue? Did you have to get an I-551 stamp at the local USCIS office? Are appointments easy to get? Are you able to travel with just this I-797 (I travelled many times on my old extension letters)? Does the GC actually arrive way before 60 days?

I am transferring in Dublin if it counts for anything - they were very good with traveling with the extension letters in the past. I'm also hopeful that should not travel is not must not travel....

Any information and advice is greatly appreciated!

Edited December 20, 2022 by Caminho

[Mike E 11,739]

9 hours ago, Caminho said:

 Are you able to travel with just this I-797

It isn’t a document that is valid for boarding a flight to the U.S.  route your travel through Canada or America and walk into the U.S.  

[Chancy 6,241]

On 12/19/2022 at 9:13 PM, Caminho said:

the 24 month extension period had already expired

 

Expired extension letter is not valid for boarding a flight to the US.  Your options are --

1. Wait for your new 10-year GC
2. Get an I-551 stamp prior to travel
3. Re-enter through a land border from Canada or Mexico
4. Apply for a single-entry boarding foil from the US consulate in London (costs $575)