HopefulAus

Thank you! I posted my update in this thread, let me know if you can't see it.

Just wanted to give an update. Firstly, I'd like to say that in my opinion, it is a pretty tricky situation to ask airline staff to process an I-551 stamp as equivalent to a Green Card, considering that I couldn't be processed by any of the usual ways. I have no ESTA visa waiver, no Green Card and no visa, just a stamp in my passport. Still, I have the relevant evidence that I'm allowed to travel back home and never doubted my right to do so, only their willingness and ability to accept it (which to me is fair enough if they were to baulk). However, I was processed without issue at not just one but two airports in New Zealand (in accepting a seat on an earlier connecting flight, I inadvertently created a situation where I had to check in at two airports before leaving). I was always polite, kept it very simple and let them ask questions rather than over explain anything. When I arrived in LA, I was allowed to use the line for US citizens and directed from there to the customs waiting room while they verified my stamp. That waiting room was full, but I was last in and first out. I felt a bit guilty about that! My flight home from LA was cancelled because of a snow storm and honestly that has been the biggest issue of the whole journey. Thanks everyone for giving info, suggestions and support in this thread! I'll be applying for naturalization asap.

Thank you both for your replies. I do like to prepare for the worst, but reading your positive experiences and thoughts does help me a lot. I also appreciate Lemonslice's post with the document attached (just what I was looking for) and Crazy Cat's suggestion to file for naturalization. Plus I really love lemon slice! My fav. This has been a really useful and helpful thread for me!

Thank you for this clarification. Air New Zealand, which is largely owned by the NZ government I'm told. Therefore I'm expecting a characteristically strict set of guidelines.

Thanks for all the replies. I will keep trying to contact the airline to see if they can help me to decide which step to take next. It's looking like the boarding foil may be the best option for me. Seems so surreal that the country I've been living in, paying state and federal taxes (and social security) for more than 4 years with my employer there (who is expecting me back at work in March), paying a mortgage on a house in my and my husband's names, paying off car loans and receiving unemployment benefits during seasonal layoffs, has given me explicit permission to return to the country and yet the country I'm departing from is in a position the deny my entry.

Apologies if this has already been covered. My search didn't bring up my particular situation so I started a new topic. My situation is this: I am an Australian citizen spouse of a US citizen. My application to have conditions removed my Green Card (I-751) was received by USCIS in Feb 2019. I still have not had my interview scheduled. After my GC expired, I received my I-797 notice of action letter. After that expired,I had an I-551 stamp in my passport done at the Minneapolis St Paul field office. I've had the stamp renewed each year. The field officer told me that this stamp would allow me to return to the USA as proof of my LPR status while I wait for my interview. I'm currently in New Zealand and planning to return home to the USA next week. I've been away from home for a total of just over 3 months. My passport stamp is current until 10/19/2023. I've just learned that this may not be sufficient to travel. The airline may deny boarding at the port of departure (New Zealand). I've contacted an immigration lawyer in MN, USA who told me to contact the Consulate in NZ, who told me to contact the airline to confirm whether or not I need further proof of my LPR status to allow me to board a flight to USA. The airline is not currently taking calls not related to a recent severe weather event. So my question is - does anybody have any experience or knowledge of a situation like mine, whether or not I need further evidence to be able to travel to the USA, apart from what I already have (I-551 stamp in passport) and what that further evidence might be? Please note that I'm not requesting info about the port of entry in USA, only the port of departure in NZ. Thank you in advance for any help.