est11

Definitely will re consider travelling with Jetstar on future flights @top_secret

Well said @RamonGomez it is a very detrimental situation when someone's incompetency can ruin our moment/ plans and take that from us and have it all fall down. Everything is at stake. Leaving our fate in incompetent hands- that is scary

I highly agree with you on this one!

Exactly! I think Qantas, Australia's leading airline, have most likely seen several of these visa types before and understand the logistics of them. Jetstar. Unaware! I understand their consequences for sure but they failed and refused to read the fine print and kept insisting on seeing an ESTA. I would have booked Qantas, but I saved a thousand dollars flying with Jetstar. These days due to inflation, travel is a luxury

Absolutely, it sure does !

They literally almost bumped me from a flight because they thought I was not a PR. I am making a complaint now with the airline

Thank you for your input - this helps heaps - cheers

I had a very scary experience - I endorsed my green card in April 2024; we flew to Hawaii for the stamp, right before my 6-month IR1 initial/temporary immigrant visa, issued by the consulate, expired (expiry date:May 2024). We stayed a week in the USA and flew back to Australia to wrap things up with my American husband. So, there was no time for us to stick around for the actual physical green card to arrive in my hand. We flew out again from Australia to USA on 7/10/24 (USA date format). No ESTA this time (I am an Aussie), just the immigrant passport sticker in my passport that the embassy gives you after the interview in the Sydney consulate AND the I-551 which got endorsed in Hawaii. My green card has not yet arrived, and is still processing. But my social security card number arrived to our address in America, in May. My Immigrant fee is paid. All of my ducks are in a row. When we got to the Jetstar check in counter today, my husband hands them his American passport and I hand them my Aussie passport (with the immigrant visa sticker inside). The Jetstar lady replies “this visa is expired” and points at the date on the sticker: May 2024. I respond “This sticker/visa and the endorsement stamp beside it acts as a green card for 1 year until my physical green card arrives at my US address, because we flew to Hawaii before that initial 6-expiry date, and had the IR1 stamp physically placed beside it in the passport next to the sticker. If you read the fine print on the bottom, it says that ‘Upon Endorsement (stamped beside it by the immigration officer in Hawaii on April 07, 2024) serves as a temporary I-551 evidencing permanent residence for 1 year (from the time of the aforementioned stamp placed beside it by the officer in Hawaii)’”. My husband and I at this moment were in panic mode. She responded “Do you have an ESTA?” I respond “I am a permanent resident, I am a green card holder, ESTA is a visa, Green card is residency”. She then says “I have never dealt with this situation before. I am going to have to hand you over to our service team”. Time for our flight was ticking. Once we got hand balled to a different check-in counter, my husband intervened to explain to the new service representative (all three of them) how it worked and to read more carefully. The visa sticker in my passport showing the initial expiry date of May 2024 is simply based upon the six month window to enter the USA from the time of placement into the passport at the interview by the consulate. This sticker must be stamped by an officer on USA soil within that 6-month window, and indeed it had already been endorsed in April, when we flew there to do that. She must look beside the sticker at that stamp ‘IR1’, dated April 07, 2024. The paper visa is now valid until April 06, 2025, one year from that date stamp. The print disclaimer at the bottom clearly says ‘UPON ENDORSEMENT……which has been DONE….the visa is valid for 1 YEAR….. from that endorsement, pending receipt of the actual, physical green card in the mail. She continued to refuse and said “I still need to see a valid visa. All of them were absolutely obtuse and robotic. She said, “I need to see a valid visa to clear you for this flight. I can’t clear you, otherwise it comes back on me!” (My husband and I thought: "over the top Aussie" by the book as usual, totally incapable of free thought or reason, and apparently also unable to read ). I then had to open my laptop and try to track down past paperwork that proves I have my green card. But in fact the aforementioned proof in my passport is already there, as explained. I signed in to the NVC website at the counter on my laptop, searching for some help, and nothing appeared showing that I have a green card status, just that all the previous documents I uploaded for NVC were received. It was very stressful as time was ticking and we were about to forfeit our flights, accommodation, etc. My husband was very stressed and tried several times to explain to them the immigration requirement’s and encourage them to read the fine print….to these three clerks who had it in their power to ruin our trip. We tried to call the embassy but it was not taking calls. So here I was, stuck at the Jetstar airport check-in counter at Melbourne airport, by now one hour before our flight. They kept yammering on about the now totally irrelevant ESTA, and the expired immigrant visa, (according to them). These clerks stubbornly, robotically, mindlessly still wanted to see a valid visa. The representative finally made a phone call to someone in the USA thankfully, after nearly 30 minutes of refusal, and they ended up clearing me. We then made it just in time for our flight. I hope in future that when I do fly out of Australia again, I will have my physical green card and will never have to go through such distress again!! My only gripe with the USA is that they do not send a pdf or email letter showing some words that say my green card is granted and it’s in the mail processing, to pacify these dim witted nabob gate keepers in the Ozzie airport. Any comments, tips or advice would be greatly appreciated, and perhaps what you may have done differently. Also, does anyone know where I could get an official letter on the NVC site saying I am a green card holder?

Hi all Thanks for the advice just wanted to give people an update I landed with my American husband into the USA to endorse my ir1. All went smooth. We lined up in the USA passport /resident line. I was a bit worried about boarding since the airline kept prompting me to get an ESTA, but I just ignored it. Eventually the airline saw my visa at check in and used this as evidence of entry into USA, in Australia. So basically all went smooth. I got the IR1 stamp in my visa which acts as a valid green card for a year until I receive my card as the custom officer advised me while stamping my passport and also he read out my mailing address that the green card will be sent to. The customs officer congratulated me on getting my green card (instead of always having to travel on an ESTA this time) and said that I was welcome to travel back and forth and said “here is your green card” and handed me back my passport with a huge welcome smile. The fee I paid before travel was total amount of 235 USCIS fee

Hello - I applied for my green card 3 years ago. I have forgotten the address the physical card will be posted to. I just paid the ir1 immigrant fee and I will arrive tomorrow into the USA. Does anyone know how I can check / revise the address? Do I login to CEAC to check this? Thank you - sorry, I feel so silly forgetting this.

Thank you ! I just paid it. Anyone know which adress it will be sent to? I am confused I put an Australian Address on the CR1 first form my husband did the petitioner one and then I put a USA address on the online form ?? Does anyone know how I can check the address it is going to? It has been 3 years since I applied so I have unfortunately forgotten

Hi Just wondering when I should go ahead and pay the immigrant fee since I am flying out to the USA this evening for the first time, on an ir1? Thank you this forum is very helpful

Thank you

Hi I am leaving Australia on Sunday to fly to the USA to endorse my IR1, but the airline keeps contacting me saying I need to ensure I apply for an ESTA 72 hours before. Do I just ignore these texts and show up at Check In with my IR1 in passport? This will be my first time flying without an ESTA in to the USA. Any other tips regarding a smooth arrival will also be appreciated - thank you !!! Also I was given no envelope as all docs are uploaded to the ccd

Hi I received my spouse visa and my husband and I are not ready to relocate to the USA until July 2024 however my visa expires in May 2024. We plan to do a quick trip over for 5 days ($$$) and return to Australia to wrap things up. Is there a minimum amount of time I am required to remain in the USA when activating /endorsing my green card visa that is in my passport ? I know that it acts as a PR in the interim until I receive my green card. Does anyone know roughly when I will receive my actual green card? How long I must stay? Any other useful information will help me and others with the same situation? Thank you