Sending Green Card by international mail

[dhouse89 4]

I've received my wife's Green Card via mail, but she's currently out of the country for personal reasons. She'll return in a few weeks. Her passport contains her temporary I-555. I want to ensure she faces no issues re-entering the US, despite having only the temporary I-555 with a stamp next to it.

To send her physical Green Card, I'm considering carriers like USPS, UPS, and FedEx to her home country. I'd appreciate any advice or experiences others may have in this regard.

I'm concerned about the risk of the Green Card getting lost during shipment, which would entail a hefty $600 replacement fee. While I've heard about insurance options, I'm unsure if they cover lost Green Cards. Any insights on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Any advice?

[OldUser 6,604]

7 minutes ago, dhouse89 said:

Any advice?

Either let your wife return on I-551 stamp if it's valid, or fly to her and bring GC with you.

 

The risk of losing GC by sending via FedEx, UPS etc should not be underestimated. No insurance will cover the time she will be stuck overseas while trying to get boarding foil or other documentation.

[TBoneTX 45,248]

51 minutes ago, dhouse89 said:

I'm concerned about the risk of the Green Card getting lost during shipment

With good reason!  Do not risk this.  Do what OldUser recommends -- an excellent answer.

[dhouse89 4]

On 4/9/2024 at 8:09 PM, OldUser said:

Either let your wife return on I-551 stamp if it's valid, or fly to her and bring GC with you.

@TBoneTX

She came to the United States with the I-551 from her passport this January. Do you think she will have any issues coming back to the US with the I-551 from her passport because she has her official Green Card now?

[Ontarkie 14,215]

No, because they will see that she left long before her GC was processed and delivered. 

Edited April 11 by Ontarkie

[OldUser 6,604]

12 minutes ago, dhouse89 said:

@TBoneTX

She came to the United States with the I-551 from her passport this January. Do you think she will have any issues coming back to the US with the I-551 from her passport because she has her official Green Card now?

No issue. It hasn't been that long, and stamp is valid for 1 year.

[TBoneTX 45,248]

44 minutes ago, dhouse89 said:

any issues coming back to the US with the I-551

As stated, zero.

[dhouse89 4]

@TBoneTX@OldUser@Ontarkie

I'm going back to this forum because I read this in reddit where someone's spouse had a difficult time re-entering back in the US with just an Endorsement Stamp:

In summary of my question above, my wife is re-entering back in the US, but when she left the US, her green card was still processing. However, last month I received her Green Card.

She first entered in the US in January 23, 2024. She left the US in early March, 2024, and will re-enter back in the US in early July, 2024. In total, she will be out of the US for less than 5 months once she arrives back.

I know people said that she will have no issues coming back to the US, but it seems like not everything will go well for everyone. My wife just has is her passport and an Endorsement stamp next to it (pictures below). I also read about ADIT stamps and I'm confused between an ADIT stamp and an Endorsement stamp. My wife never got an ADIT stamp before leaving the US. After reading that reddit post, it made me concern that my wife can have issues re-entering back into the US. Will an Endorsement Stamp be enough to re-enter back to the US?

[nastra30 2,284]

20 minutes ago, dhouse89 said:

Will an Endorsement Stamp be enough to re-enter back to the US?

YES, and it's the law.

[dhouse89 4]

8 minutes ago, nastra30 said:

YES, and it's the law.

But why did that person's spouse have issues if it's the law that she can re-enter back to the US? Should my wife have gotten an ADIT stamp before she left the US?

[OldUser 6,604]

1 hour ago, dhouse89 said:

But why did that person's spouse have issues if it's the law that she can re-enter back to the US? Should my wife have gotten an ADIT stamp before she left the US?

ADIT stamp, endorsed immigrant visas, expired GC accompanied by extension letters - all of those carry some degree of risk. The only place that's pretty much guaranteed to recognize these is the US. Airline staff in foreign countries typically doesn't have questions about US passports and valid Green Cards. Everything else is always depends on their training and understanding.

 

Reddit case proves - the person was admitted to the US even after annoying CBP encounter. Unfortunately this you cannot change. Anybody can be subject to hard time by CBP - from immigrants on visas, to LPRs and even US citizens. It doesn't happen often, but even US citizens can be questioned and detained by CBP when trying to reenter.

Edited May 6 by OldUser

[dhouse89 4]

5 minutes ago, OldUser said:

ADIT stamp, endorsed immigrant visas, expired GC accompanied by extension letters - all of those carry some degree of risk. The only place that's pretty much guaranteed to recognize these is the US. Airline staff in foreign countries typically doesn't have questions about US passports and valid Green Cards. Everything else is always depends on their training and understanding.

 

Reddit case proves - the person was admitted to the US even after annoying CBP encounter. Unfortunately this you cannot change. Anybody can be subject to hard time by CBP - from immigrants on visas, to LPRs and even US citizens. It doesn't happen often, but even US citizens can be questioned and detained by CBP when trying to reenter.

So I'm guessing with my wife's endorsement stamp, she should be able to re-enter back to the US and cannot be refused re-entry by a CBT officer? I have her 10 year green card. Below is her Endorsement stamp (I believe that's it's called) that she received by a CBT officer when she first entered back to the US.

[OldUser 6,604]

4 minutes ago, dhouse89 said:

So I'm guessing with my wife's endorsement stamp, she should be able to re-enter back to the US and cannot be refused re-entry by a CBT officer? I have her 10 year green card. Below is her Endorsement stamp (I believe that's it's called) that she received by a CBT officer when she first entered back to the US.

Yes CBP officer should not deny the entry. 99.99% she'll be admitted without an issue.

[nastra30 2,284]

9 hours ago, dhouse89 said:

But why did that person's spouse have issues if it's the law that she can re-enter back to the US? Should my wife have gotten an ADIT stamp before she left the US?

She was taken into secondary. Even in some situations, you can still be taken into secondary with a physical greencard. Heck, even actual US citizens get taken into secondary sometimes, it doesn't mean you'll be denied entry.

Edited May 6 by nastra30

[dhouse89 4]

@nastra30@OldUser

Long story short, my wife now has her green card in her possession.

 

I do have another question. Will my wife have any issues the the officers if my wife has been outside the US for less than 5 months? She was only her for a month before she had to go back to her home country for personal reasons.