pinetime

08/19/24 - Mailed I-131 paperwork to USCIS 08/22/24 - USCIS received I-131 request 08/28/24 - I-131 Approved 09/03/24 - 2 Letters received in the mail via USCIS. One stating the approval, the 2nd stating they would use the biometrics from the previous I-131, so no need to take them again. We were approved and USCIS used biometrics from 31 months ago. Just waiting for the new document now. Thought I would post an update in case anyone is in a similar position trying to apply for a 2nd I-131 while the current one is not expired. And just to re-iterate, we sent in the current travel document that did not expire for an additional 6 months. As stated in the instructions, this is a requirement and likely helped with the quick approval.

We messaged USCIS through the chat and they said to go ahead and apply. The instructions say we can apply if we send the current re-entry permit. (see attachment) We read different accounts ranging from 180 days to not being able to apply until the current one is not valid. However, it seems like all of the information is outdated as much of the material is written when the re-entry permits were taking 3 months, not 15+. We have gone ahead and sent in our information as well as the current re-entry document. It's extremely unfortunate how little guidance USCIS has on this subject, 15+ months for a re-entry permit is ridiculous. Very much appreciate the reply! Will try to post updates if anyone has this question in the future as we found almost zero guidance on the subject.

Hello, I noticed there is a new question on page 4, part 8. The question is about Operation Allies Welcome, which clearly does not apply to a our re-entry application. My question is, should we simply answer the question "no" or leave it blank. Obviously N/A would be the best answer to this question, but it only gives a yes or no option. Thank you!

Hello, Was wondering if anyone had any advice when applying for a *new* I-131. Some background info; Our current I-131 travel document is set to Expire end of February 2025. We have not needed to use the I-131 as intended, we were planning to be in Japan for a lot longer, but that just did not end up happening. Because the I-131's are still taking a very long time to process, we are wondering if we can/should apply right now for new one right now. We have read many pieces of conflicting advice online on when to apply for the second I-131, I'm hoping someone could help us with this problem. Thank you for any and all advice!

Hello, Was wondering if anyone had any advice when applying for a 2nd I-131. Some background info; Applied for current I-131 on 11/2021, was approved around 01/2023. Due to our life situation we are not going to end up using the travel visa as intended. My wife (who applied for the I-131) will be spending *more* than 6 months per year in the US during the duration of the travel visa, we will also be filing US taxes during that time. I think we have a good chance of being approved for a 2nd I-131 because of this, but I'm not 100% sure. My question(s) are as follows. 1. Does anyone have any experience applying for a 2nd I-131? 2. Any advice on when to apply for the I-131? Due to how long the i-131's are taking to process, we aren't sure if we should go ahead and apply right now as they are taking 1+ year to complete. Thank you for any and all advice!