Advance Parole Usage: Collecting Statistics...

A

ari4u

Registered Users (C)
Im just being curious here. Those who returned back to US using AP...

1. Were you subjected to secondary inspection?
2. Did the officer at the POE take away one sheet (original) of your AP?
3. How long was your wait till you were allowed to go?
4. Which line did you wait in before you got to speak to the officer at POE? (visitors/residents?)
5. What documents were you asked to show (besides your I-485 receipt)?
6. I know this is taking my questions too far... Did you overstay your visa and tried to enter US using AP? What was the outcome at the POE?

Please share your experiences as there seems to be a lot of confusion with AP usage at the POE. Your replies might help a lot of people here.

Thanks
 
Hey Ari4U,
I travel this summer on my AP and I did not have any problem at all. When I left the country I was not ask for any documents, infact I did not even have my AP when I left. My wife mailed it to me by DHL the next week. When I got back (Wash. DC airport) there was a very very long line of people (I was in the vistor's line). I stood in that line for about 45mins. After speaking with the immigration officer I was asked to go in another area to speak to another officer. In that room there were only two people, me and another lady. I was very suprise. When it was my turn, the officer asked me for my AP and passport and asked me to have a seat. After about 5 mins he called me back and stamp in my passport and AP and gave them back to me. He gave me back the two AP. He did not ask me for any other documents or ask me any other questions. That was it.
 
Originally Posted by ari4u
Im just being curious here. Those who returned back to US using AP...

I went to Pakistan in Dec 2004 and came back in Jan 2005,


1. Were you subjected to secondary inspection?
no secondary inspection

2. Did the officer at the POE take away one sheet (original) of your AP?
No, he stamped my AP and gave it back to me (i received 2 AP initially)

3. How long was your wait till you were allowed to go?
Usual time no un-necessary delays

4. Which line did you wait in before you got to speak to the officer at POE? (visitors/residents?)
I was travelling with my wife, she asked the officer which line to go to and he said resident/citizens line is fine.

5. What documents were you asked to show (besides your I-485 receipt)?
My passport and nothing else

6. I know this is taking my questions too far... Did you overstay your visa and tried to enter US using AP? What was the outcome at the POE?
I did not over stay, I was on H1-B (but no H1-B visa)

Please share your experiences as there seems to be a lot of confusion with AP usage at the POE. Your replies might help a lot of people here.

Thanks
 
Behalf of my husband who traveled using AP

I went to India in October, returned back end of November


1. Were you subjected to secondary inspection?
no secondary inspection

2. Did the officer at the POE take away one sheet (original) of your AP?
Yes, he took away one sheet and stamped the other sheet and gave it back to me (i received 2 AP initially)

3. How long was your wait till you were allowed to go?
Usual time no un-necessary delays

4. Which line did you wait in before you got to speak to the officer at POE? (visitors/residents?)
Visitors

5. What documents were you asked to show (besides your I-485 receipt)?
My passport, H1 B Visa paper

6. I know this is taking my questions too far... Did you overstay your visa and tried to enter US using AP? What was the outcome at the POE?
I did not over stay, I came her on F1 and then got H1 B after finishing school
 
Im answering my own post. Just got back today from a hectic three week vacation and here is my AP experience.

ari4u said:
Im just being curious here. Those who returned back to US using AP...

1. Were you subjected to secondary inspection?
Yes.
2. Did the officer at the POE take away one sheet (original) of your AP?
Yes, Both sheets were stamped, the officer retained one sheet for their records and returned the other one to me.
3. How long was your wait till you were allowed to go?
10 mins.
4. Which line did you wait in before you got to speak to the officer at POE? (visitors/residents?)
I got onto the US Citizens and Permanent residents line as my wife was with me.
5. What documents were you asked to show (besides your I-485 receipt)?
Passport, AP, I-485 receipt.
6. I know this is taking my questions too far... Did you overstay your visa and tried to enter US using AP? What was the outcome at the POE?
No overstay.
Please share your experiences as there seems to be a lot of confusion with AP usage at the POE. Your replies might help a lot of people here.

More Info:
At the primary inspection, i was asked for my birthdate, who the petitioner was, how long was i gone and what was the purpose of the trip and i was asked to proceed to the secondary inspection room.
At the secondary inspection (After a 10 min wait), i was asked if this was my first time using AP, how long was i gone for, purpose of the trip, parents name for verification and my AP was stamped (one sheet retained and other one returned to me) and i was let go. My I-94 expiry is dated one year from the date of entry. The officer told me that i have to go through a secondary inspection every time i use my AP. This was at SFO airport

At the departing airport, i wasnt sure if immigration officers were aware of AP and if it would be recognised as a valid travel document. So to avoid confusion i showed my H1B which was still valid (Though i dont work for that company anymore, they did not cancel my H1B after i quit) and there were no problems, they cleared immigration and let me board the plane.

Thanks
Click to expand...

P.S: MY inbox is full with PM's, apologies for not replying to them earlier as i was on a vacation for three weeks. I will reply to them as and when i get time.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the update on AP, Ari.

Quite soon my Mom will be on her way to India on AP (i.e. if we don't receive an IL before that). She still has her B1/B2 visa valid for at least another few years. Right now, her I-485 is in process, with only FP completed so far. A few days ago, a Newark officer confirmed that her FPs AND her Name check had cleared. I still don't understand why we haven't received a IL or a Transfer notice yet from NBC - not even a online LUD change. Any idea?

Coming back to the question of AP, since her I-94 has expired already will she have a problem leaving US (at Newark airport or at Chennai). I am thinking not, but still asking to cover base.

I was under the impression, that I only need to send the AP docs(2 sheets) and the PP with her. But from your above post, it seems like I have to send with her the ORIGINAL I-485 Receipt letter as well? Or is a copy of Receipt Lr good enough?

When returning to US, since her knowledge in English is limited, is it sufficient if she is only trained to say to the officer at POE -

that her daughter is the petitioner
briefly state the purpose of her visit
duration of visit
DOB and
whatever else you were asked at primary & secondary inspection.

Should be showing at the POE her B1/B2 visa that's still valid?
Do I as the petitioner need to send a letter explaining this whole shebang which she can show at the POE?
I'm just trying to do as much, so she won't be stuck at the POE not knowing what's been said to her.

If any one knows what other potential questions might be asked, please post.
Thank you.
 
jenimmi said:
Thanks for the update on AP, Ari.

Quite soon my Mom will be on her way to India on AP (i.e. if we don't receive an IL before that). She still has her B1/B2 visa valid for at least another few years.
Click to expand...
the B visa is of no use as your mom is on a pending AOS status and has demonstrated immigration intent. Hence her non-immigrant visas cannot be used.

Right now, her I-485 is in process, with only FP completed so far. A few days ago, a Newark officer confirmed that her FPs AND her Name check had cleared. I still don't understand why we haven't received a IL or a Transfer notice yet from NBC - not even a online LUD change. Any idea?
Click to expand...

Coming back to the question of AP, since her I-94 has expired already will she have a problem leaving US (at Newark airport or at Chennai). I am thinking not, but still asking to cover base.
Click to expand...
There wont be a problem leaving US. Your mom should be prepared to show I-485 receipts to let them know that GC is pending if asked. I doubt the immigration officers at india would know what an I-94 is. So nothing to worry.

I was under the impression, that I only need to send the AP docs(2 sheets) and the PP with her. But from your above post, it seems like I have to send with her the ORIGINAL I-485 Receipt letter as well? Or is a copy of Receipt Lr good enough?
Click to expand...
either one is fine. They need to confirm that AP is being used with a pending I-485, so it is definitely a good idea to carry I-485 receipts.

When returning to US, since her knowledge in English is limited, is it sufficient if she is only trained to say to the officer at POE -

that her daughter is the petitioner
briefly state the purpose of her visit
duration of visit
DOB and
whatever else you were asked at primary & secondary inspection.
Click to expand...
Not sure if they would ask a lot of questions. She "may" be subjected to secondary inspection and might be asked how long she was gone for and why.

Should be showing at the POE her B1/B2 visa that's still valid?
Click to expand...
Since the officer will have the passport, he/she might take a look if they are interested, but it wouldnt make a difference as the b visa cannot be used anyway.

Do I as the petitioner need to send a letter explaining this whole shebang which she can show at the POE?
Click to expand...
Not a bad idea. You could do that.

I'm just trying to do as much, so she won't be stuck at the POE not knowing what's been said to her.

If any one knows what other potential questions might be asked, please post.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
I dont think there shouldbe any problem. If they really need to ask her questions, they will get her an interpreter.
 
jenimmi, I travelled in March on AP for 2 weeks, without my I-485 receipt and I had no problems. Just like ari4u mentioned, I had to make the officer at my home country (before boarding the flight) understand that I am travelling on an AP and not on a visa, and what an AP was. I should have just done what ari4u did instead. Anyways, at the POE, my wife and I were in the citizen/permanent resident's line and they send me to this other room (my POE was Dulles too like wor above) where I met 2 other uniformed officers. My wife was with me and they were joking with us and telling her that if she isn't very happy after the trip, they can refuse to let me in to the country. They didn't ask me anything except what we did back home. while one guy was looking through my AP and passport, the second guy came over as I guess they were bored sitting around in that room as we were the only people who came through there, and they seemed happy that they got someone to chat with. Anyways, they just stamped one of the copies of my multiple AP and gave back both of them to me. Btw, I never ovestayed on visas, though I had extended stay on a business visa years ago.

Now as a postscript, when I went for the AOS interview, the officer was surprised that the officer at the POE didn't keep a copy for their records. He made a copy of the AP document which was stamped by them for his records at the interview.

Now, if your mother has her AP (or if she has applied for AOS already), she should enter the country using that and not the B1/B2 visa because that is a non-immigrant visa and as soon as she started her AOS process, it became invalid. Now, that is not the case with the H1 visa which ari4u had which is a dual intent visa. Now, if you hadn't filed for her AOS before her I-94 expired and you didn't apply for an extension, she was out of status, and it is not really safe to travel on an AP as there is no guarantee that they would let her in. Otherwise, entering the country should be pretty straight forward for her as I don't believe that the people who inspect the AP are looking for a reason to not let you in, but just to make sure that you are the same person as is shown on the AP and you are following the rules.
 
Thanks very much Ari and Sgs. I really appreciate your response.

The most important thing that I wanted to ask but forgot was, whether my Mom should use the B1/B2 visa or the AP, at the ariport when leaving India, for her return trip. From your response, it seems it would be a good idea to show the B1/B2 and not AP (to avoid unnecessary explanation).

Do you guys know at what points at the Airport do they check these visas/AP (Airline counter for Boarding Pass and where else?)
How do they check the validity of the Visa? Is it just by looking at the PP?
I understand by filing I-485, the B1/B2 is technically not valid, but I'm curious to find out, if at the airport in India do they have means for checking this info?

Sgs- Her RD for I-485 is well before the I-94 exp dt, thanks for mentioning it though.
 
Jenimmi, I don't think the officials at the airport in India would have any way of checking the validity of you rmom's visa. So I think she would be safe showing them the B1/B2 visa, unless she has a direct flight from India which seems to be possible now.

At the airport where she boards the flight into the US, they are sure to verify her documents again. This is because the DHS would make the plane turn around even if there is just one undocumented passenger on the flight. So at the airport/gate where she boards that flight, she will have to show them her AP. Since she already has the AP, she won't be subjected to the same amount of questioning that people with visa would be subjected to. (These guys are sometimes more thoroguh than the immigration officers at the POE. I was tired of saying that "yes they are our bags, yes we packed them, yes, all the stuff inside are ours" etc. So I tried telling at one time "Let me make your job easy, yes, the bags are ours, we packed them, all the stuff inside is ours, and it was never out of our sight". But the guy was nice and said, he still has to ask those questions by rules. So I let my wife answer them that time :D) To make the long story short, your mother should show the AP at the airport/gate where she boards the flight into the US as they keep track of that information and it could be verified later.
 
Thanks again sgs.
Ok.. That's one problem solved at the Airport in India.

Yes her flights to the US always include a connecting flight, usually outside the US such as Frankfurt/London, the Boarding Pass for which is always issued at Chennai (starting point of the trip). I think this is what you are referring to.

When I checked with her about the formalities that she goes thro every time at these transit airport(s), she told me that they simply ask her to show an ID at the gate just before boarding (the 2nd leg of the flight)- which for her is always the PP. She doesn't know what they are looking at in the PP, but they give it back to her in a flash. Is it here that you are suggesting that she volunteer the AP info? Again b'cos of the language issue, I am wondering if she can still get by, showing them the PP, unless they want to ask her further Qs.

Did any one who went thro this in a transit airport had to show their AP there?
 
Yes, I meant the transit airport, where you take the direct flight into the US. That is where they examine things more closely than in India, in which case you were just flying out of the country. This is where she would need to show them her AP. When was the last time your mother flew into the US? I had to go through much more closer inspection the last 2 times I flew into the US at the boarding airport for the direct flight into US, which was in 2005 and 2006, and so did all the other passengers. The officials at the airport gate questioned you closely even if you were a USC or a GC holder, but not as much as if you were just a visa holder. I think when you are on AP, they consider you similar to a GC holder. They also don't care about other information about you since all the information about you is already in the USCIS (and thereby Department of Homeland Security) databases. I have even seen F-1 student visa holders being asked for other documents like their I-20s.
 
Hi Everyone,

This is very interesting posting. I am visiting my parents and I am going to use AP.

We applied I-485 in Dec 2004 through my wife's GC process. At that time I was on H1B and in 2005 I have received EAD, from then on I am using EAD and working for different employer, and my H1B and I-94 expired in Dec 2005.

Presently I am working on EAD and I have applied I-485 ONE year before the expiration of I-94. I do not have a valid I-94 now.

My question is:

When I leave US, I will give all the I-94 cards that I have (Please note that the I-94 is valid until Dec 2005). At that time the air line ticket agents think that I overstayed in US????

Is there anyway that I can explain agent at POE (when I leave) that did not overstayed.

Anyway what is overstaying??? Did I??
 
Baby, you have no reason to worry. The agent shouldn't be asking you that question when you leave anyway. Even if he/she did, you can just tell him that your GC is in process and you are travelling on an AP. In any case, you didn't overstay as you applied for AOS well before your status as an H1 visa holder expired.
 
Hi,
I just got my AP approved.I came into US as canadian resident in 2000(exempt from visa at that time) ,my husband applied for my I-130 in jan2001 and then I never went back to canada.In March 2006 I applied for AOS and AP,now can I travel or being out of status I would have difficulty re-entering the country and I shouldnt take the risk.
My lawyer says that I can travel since I didnt have a date on my passport to leave the country and the INS wouldnt issue AP if I couldnt.What u guys suggest?.Thanx to all.
juno
 
Juno, I wonder why you waited for so long to apply for AOS/AP/EAD, after your husband applied for I-130. Wasn't he a citizen at that time? How long could you stay on in the US according to the visa exempt program that you used to enter the US in 2000? If you overstayed that time period, you have been out of status and you are safer not trying to travel on an AP. USCIS would issue an AP if you show them that you have a reason to travel, but they check if you overstayed previously only when you try to use it.
 
thanx sgsnathan for ur reply.Even I am thinking not to travel since I see INS is doing AOS quicker than before.
I think u could only stay 6 months.My husband has applied for citizenship in 2005.
juno
 
juno said:
Hi,
I just got my AP approved.I came into US as canadian resident in 2000(exempt from visa at that time) ,my husband applied for my I-130 in jan2001 and then I never went back to canada.In March 2006 I applied for AOS and AP,now can I travel or being out of status I would have difficulty re-entering the country and I shouldnt take the risk.
My lawyer says that I can travel since I didnt have a date on my passport to leave the country and the INS wouldnt issue AP if I couldnt.What u guys suggest?.Thanx to all.
juno
Click to expand...

Looks like you entered using Visa waiver and overstayed your visa for a couple of years before you applied for AOS. If i were you, i would not leave the country as the 10 year ban will definitely be enforced.
 
Just curious to find out:

If there's a transit airport (where one boards the connecting flight into US) who in that airport checks the PP for visa? Is it the Airline officials or a government agency? If there was a visa on the PP, plus the AP - which one of that did you show to the officials in the transit airport?
Pls share your experience.
(Thanks sgs, I'm also trying to find out what the others did in this situation. It's quite an interesting topic)

I thought that only in the US they have the system to check the validity of the visa :confused: If the transit airport happens to be outside of US, then don't they just go by what they see on your PP? If one simply shows their visa, do they even have means to find out that they are in adj of status?
 
Hi there all,

I'm interested in applying for an AP as I'd like to go and visit my mother in Singapore in early February. My questions are, how long is the AP valid for?Do you have to use it within a certain time period or is it indefinite? Is there a time limit as to how long you can stay out of the states during the GC processing on the AP? Also, what if you visit multiple countries during your time out of the states, for example, i use my return ticket to singapore, buy a new return ticket in singapore enroute via london, visit friends there for a while and then return? would that be alright? Again, is there a time limit as to how long you can stay out of the states for while your GC is processing?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top