keep laminated copy of green card

[hurricanemd]

when i am travelling in US and going about normal life , i want to only keep the laminated copy of the green card , do not want to risk loosing or misplacing it, when travelling out of country , will take original card, also not taking original card for my hawaii vacation.
any PROS or CONS of situation, i do know ,they say to keep card with u all time, if not can it land one in trouble

[Dedo]

Originally Posted by hurricanemd

when i am travelling in US and going about normal life , i want to only keep the laminated copy of the green card , do not want to risk loosing or misplacing it, when travelling out of country , will take original card, also not taking original card for my hawaii vacation.
any PROS or CONS of situation, i do know ,they say to keep card with u all time, if not can it land one in trouble

I travel often and don't carry anything besides my drivers license...ever!

[TheRealCanadian]

I travel often and carry my GC everywhere I go. Oddly enough I never lose it.

[Triple Citizen]

How much are you willing to risk to find out?

Originally Posted by hurricanemd

i do know ,they say to keep card with u all time, if not can it land one in trouble

[nelsona]

I only carry it when leaving country.

I would carry it more if I lived near the border; I'm several hundred miles from any border, and don't look or sound foreign (except that I use a knife to cut my food).

[Triple Citizen]

At the end of the day, it is an individual's choice.
All I know is that the letter I got with my GC, did not present me with any opt outs. My letter clearly stated that I have to carry it all times, so I did for 2 years and 9 months

Originally Posted by nelsona

I would carry it more if I lived near the border; I'm several hundred miles from any border, and don't look or sound foreign (except that I use a knife to cut my food).

[Dedo]

Originally Posted by nelsona

I only carry it when leaving country.

I would carry it more if I lived near the border; I'm several hundred miles from any border, and don't look or sound foreign (except that I use a knife to cut my food).

I think this is a key. If you dont look or sound foreign, no one will even think to ask that of you for a GC within the US. Now, if you raise suspicion based on your behavior or are hanging out in the day laborer stops around the country, then you should carry the card. Most professionals flying around Mon-Fri for work will likely not be asked for a GC unless they get arrested for some crime

[nelsona]

Originally Posted by Triple Citizen

At the end of the day, it is an individual's choice.
All I know is that the letter I got with my GC, did not present me with any opt outs. My letter clearly stated that I have to carry it all times, so I did for 2 years and 9 months

Of course. Carrying around one's I-94 is also required (never did) as is notifying SSA of your current status (never did), each time it changes.

So far as I know, only failure to file AR-11 will get you kicked out.

Note that *some* states as part of REAL ID put a 'non-citizen' notation on one's DL. I would carry something if I lived in one of those states.

[MGM]

I carry a copy of my green card in my wallet when I am in town. I keep the original at home in a safe place. However, if I leave town for some reason, I take my Green Card with me.
MGM

[mmed]

It is the immigration law to carry the real GC (not laminated, copy, .......) any where you are. As mentioned above, it is up to you to follow the rule or not and the only one who suffer from the consequences of that is you.

[cafeconleche]

I find the chances of ever being asked to show your GC are EXTREMELY low, so I don't carry it with me. I'm not suggesting you do the same, but it is costly to lose the card and have to reapply for a new one.

[Jackolantern]

Originally Posted by Triple Citizen

At the end of the day, it is an individual's choice.
All I know is that the letter I got with my GC, did not present me with any opt outs. My letter clearly stated that I have to carry it all times, so I did for 2 years and 9 months

I take it you've never been robbed?

I've been robbed at knifepoint; on another occasion my father's been robbed at gunpoint. I've also been pickpocketed. Imagine the damage a criminal can do to your life if they have both your driver's license and green card.

[mmed]

Originally Posted by Jackolantern

I take it you've never been robbed?

I've been robbed at knifepoint; on another occasion my father's been robbed at gunpoint. I've also been pickpocketed. Imagine the damage a criminal can do to your life if they have both your driver's license and green card.

When the USCIS make the law, they are smart enough to know that the person may be robbed, the card may be stollen, the hassle to get replacement GC and so on. Despite that the law is still issued and there is enforcement of the law by certain way or the other and at that time I think all that argument will be repeated for them and I believe will not help that much.

[neocor]

How about applying for a duplicate/replacement GC in anticipation of an unforseen event?
Now you have two copies and you carry one with you always.
If that gets lost you a have another one

Neo

[TheRealCanadian]

Originally Posted by neocor

How about applying for a duplicate/replacement GC in anticipation of an unforseen event? Now you have two copies and you carry one with you always. If that gets lost you a have another one

If you falsely claim that you have lost it in order to get a second card, that's fraud in the pursuit of an immigration benefit.

[Jackolantern]

Originally Posted by mmed

When the USCIS make the law, they are smart enough to know that the person may be robbed, the card may be stollen, the hassle to get replacement GC and so on.

Nope they don't care about that. They want to make everybody including citizens have to carry an ID to prove their identity and status. It just happens that so far they've been unsuccessful in extending the ID requirement to citizens, although little by little they are getting closer to doing that, such as with the REAL ID act.

[Triple Citizen]

My commiserations. Out of sheer curiosity, what part of the US do you live in? I need to avoid it like a plague

Originally Posted by Jackolantern

I've been robbed at knifepoint; on another occasion my father's been robbed at gunpoint. I've also been pickpocketed.

[neocor]

Originally Posted by TheRealCanadian

If you falsely claim that you have lost it in order to get a second card, that's fraud in the pursuit of an immigration benefit.

So there is no way out.

Neo

[Jackolantern]

Originally Posted by Triple Citizen

My commiserations. Out of sheer curiosity, what part of the US do you live in? I need to avoid it like a plague

That was years ago in Miami. Now I'm further north where the crime isn't so bad, although I occasionally go into Miami for entertainment. Still, almost anywhere in the US except border towns, there are many more people being mugged each year than people being stopped by government agents and being asked about their immigration status.

[Dedo]

Originally Posted by Triple Citizen

My commiserations. Out of sheer curiosity, what part of the US do you live in? I need to avoid it like a plague

Actually I would like to ask where you live, because crimes like those are fairly commonplace. Or atleast hearing about them is not too surprising for most people

[mmed]

Originally Posted by neocor

How about applying for a duplicate/replacement GC in anticipation of an unforseen event?
Now you have two copies and you carry one with you always.
If that gets lost you a have another one

Neo

If so, if you travel book two tickets in case one is lost, 2 DL in case one get lost, and so on.
BTW: If you lost your GC and applied for another one and by one way or the other you find you old one, by then this will not work in any scanning machine. And I expect if you claim that your GC was lost and applied for replacement, the USCIS will de-activate the lost one (like credict cards) not to be abused by anyone.

[Jackolantern]

Originally Posted by mmed

If so, if you travel book two tickets in case one is lost, 2 DL in case one get lost, and so on.

Not a good comparison, because the airline ticket does not need to be carried anywhere except the airport; it can be stored in a safe place until the day of the flight. And with e-tickets these days it usually isn't necessary to carry a physical ticket at all. As for driver's licenses, they can be replaced within a few weeks (same day in some states) for a small amount of money like $25.

BTW: If you lost your GC and applied for another one and by one way or the other you find you old one, by then this will not work in any scanning machine. And I expect if you claim that your GC was lost and applied for replacement, the USCIS will de-activate the lost one (like credict cards) not to be abused by anyone.

True, the "lost" green card would only be useful for showing to people who isn't going to verify it electronically.

[nobody2006]

carrying it is for a peace of mind. not is totally OK. this topic has been discussed many times. my own conclusion, to me only, is NO, NO, NO... no need to carry it.

I have been living in the US for about 10 years, and never been asked for immigration document, even at the situations stopped by police for speeding, going to court, extensive air fight within the US…

Someone else's experience was that you might get $100 fine if caught. I would rather pay the fine.

[Triple Citizen]

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/

I live in the city mentioned third on the list.

Originally Posted by Dedo

Actually I would like to ask where you live, because crimes like those are fairly commonplace. Or atleast hearing about them is not too surprising for most people

[Dedo]

Originally Posted by Triple Citizen

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/

I live in the city mentioned third on the list.

Nice, but you may have heard of crime in Chicago?

[Triple Citizen]

Of course. That is why I only go there for work Monday to Friday. Other times it is a no-go zone for me

Originally Posted by Dedo

Nice, but you may have heard of crime in Chicago?

[mmed]

Originally Posted by Jackolantern

True, the "lost" green card would only be useful for showing to people who isn't going to verify it electronically.

How you know that the official who supposed to inforce the law, if any, do not have scanning machine to know if this is the right card or stolen and in other hand.

[GotPR?]

Criminal can do better with DL than GC. I have never been asked to show GC except for employment and at POE, but had to show DL a million times for various applications.
Never understand why people are so concerned about GC more than anything.

Having said that, I don't carry it because the back side of the card is sooo shiny and beautiful and I don't want to scratch.

[Dedo]

Originally Posted by GotPR?

the back side of the card is sooo shiny and beautiful and I don't want to scratch.

LOL!! so true

[cafeconleche]

Hehe, it does have a nice rear (hehe). Anyway, forget getting robbed. My mom took her GC out with her because she needed it for something once. Then, a few months later, she realised she couldn't find it. After another couple of months, it was in one of her purses that she was using at the time, in a side pocket. THAT was a scare. I was blamed for misplacing it until then (because I had taken it to make a copy). So, anyway, now it doesn't leave the 'immigration box' in which all immigration-related stuff is kept.