Search results

I turend in AR-11 when I moved after I got my GC. I sent it in via UPS just to make sure I have proof that I sent it.

Came back into the U.S. twice using the I-551 stamp on the passport only; once through the U.S. POE in the Vancouver Int'l Airport; the other time through the Sea-Tac Airport. Neither time did I get into any trouble. The officers looked at my stamp and recognised it as the GC right away.

My own experience is that neither the U.S. nor the Canadian border has ever swiped my green card or passport. At the Canadian POE they often didn't even look at my GC/passport. What the Canadian border does is stamp your passport if it is more than half a year since your last visit to Canada.

Whenever you travel, you must carry your GC with you as that's what "having access to your GC" means. I don't think you'd be allowed to make a trip back home just to grab your GC. ;)

I took my last trip from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., by car in July 2004 (i.e. last month). I am a GC holder, so is my wife. We had no trouble at the border either way. At the U.S. POE, the officer looked at our GCs and passports, asked us a couple of questions like where we had been and how...

About the tax returns, will my copies of Form 140's be enough, or will I need to obtain something more official from, say, IRS?

Green cards are for those who intend to live in the U.S. permanently, aren't they? I don't think JoeF has said anything remotely close to "if you live outside the U.S. for more than six months, you will lose your GC." All he's saying is that if you do NOT intend to live in the U.S. permanently...

Really, the only definite answer to that question is, why don't you give it a try and see for yourself? I don't think anybody can give you a simple "yes" or "no" answer to that.

I think that's correct. I incorrectly stated that his wife and daughter would have to wait for another five years. I should have said three years instead. Honestly, though, I'm having a hard time understanding this whole thing. For me, I got my permanent resident status because I wanted to...

Avalon: I think I understand your point. However, the main sticking point is "seizing the opportunity while not leaving the U.S." If you mean you continue living in the U.S. and simply make business trips to India, I don't see anything wrong with it. I don't think JoeF would, either. I was...

Are you sure about that? A friend of my father's is back in Japan after retirement and he's still collecting SS.

The biggest issue with becoming a US citizen for me is that I will automatically lose my Japanese citizenship if I do so. Japan is one of the countries that do not recognise dual citizenship. :(

That may work, but it looks to me like getting around the green card restrictions. Green cards are for those who live in the U.S. Why do his wife and daughter need green cards if they "move back to" India?

Hi. Thanks for the response. I do understand that you feel the GC holders are disadvantaged compared with citizens and H-1B holders. I can only speak for myself, but I got harrassed more as an H-1B holder than as a GC holder. I had to stop at the U.S.-Canadian border most every time to get...

I believe your wife and daughter will first have to (re-)obtain green cards through you. They will then have to go through the same 5-year cycle before they become eligible for naturalization. I am not sure if the time they spend in the U.S. with their current GC will be counted towards their...

Mine was sent from the Nebraska Service Centre, where my I-485 was approved.

Ah, that clears it up for me. Thanks for the quote. I saved it on my computer for my own reference. :)

I need your help understanding this issue. First, I got my green card through employment. I never left the country during the process. I simply filed I-485 and went to the local INS office to get the I-551 stamp when it was approved after 10 months. Second, if the immigrant visa is necessary to...

CIS = Citizenship and Immigration Services They are formerly known as INS.

Why does the USCIS refer to permanent residency as "immigrant visa," then? Temporary visa's such as H-1B and F-1 are labelled as "non-immigrant visa."