Documents help needed !!

P

puneet_gcard

Registered Users (C)
Hello folks. I have a quick question. I am a GC holder and have the plastic card. I am going on a vacation trip to India in Dec for 35 days. I am making a list of all the docs which I need and here is what I have got:

1) Indian Passport (previous and current ones)
2) GC Plastic card
3) File with all of the Immigration docs so far
4) Copies of Papers about my home ownership


Would some gurus please help me out on any other things which I have missed out. Is an employment reference letter on the letterhead of my company necessary.

I would really appreciate your help as this is the first time I am going abroad since I came to the US.

Regards to all...
Puneet
 
puneet_gcard said:
Hello folks. I have a quick question. I am a GC holder and have the plastic card. I am going on a vacation trip to India in Dec for 35 days. I am making a list of all the docs which I need and here is what I have got:

1) Indian Passport (previous and current ones)
2) GC Plastic card
3) File with all of the Immigration docs so far
4) Copies of Papers about my home ownership


Would some gurus please help me out on any other things which I have missed out. Is an employment reference letter on the letterhead of my company necessary.

I would really appreciate your help as this is the first time I am going abroad since I came to the US.

Regards to all...
Puneet
Click to expand...

I always take the employer's verification letter with me. In fact, last month, when I went to India on my maiden trip after attaining LPR status, the officer at the PoE did take a look at it.

Also, consider carrying pay-slips, any legal papers if you have arrest records or traffic violations, divorce records, etc.
 
you must be kidding!!

Why would you carry all these docs?!! All you need is a valid passport and the GC. We did not get this far to continue carrying all our immigration docs. It just does not make any sense.

By the way on the USCIS site, it says clearly that you need only your GC to enter the US. You also need a valid passport so that the airlines allows you to board the plane. I also confirmed with my lawyer and she said the same.

Spartakus
 
Last edited by a moderator:
spartakus, am not kidding.

I don't think I need to reiterate the importance of carrying legal papers for violations, infractions, divorces, arrests, etc. They are obvious and are needed for those who have undergone any of these things.

That leaves only the EVL. As I said, I am not kidding when at the PoE (Atlanta) they asked if I am working for the same employer who filed for my GC and am still on their rolls. I had provided them the pay-slip and more than that I had the EVL which clearly said that I am on vacation in India for a week and will come back directly to report for duty. Once the officer took a look at that, she stamped and allowed me in without asking further questions.

I hope it would make sense now.

My other friends have also been asked about pay-slips when they came in after month-long vacation. This, I personally guess, is to verify if they have abandoned their residency or not.

Green-Card is not citizenship and is a privilege that is subject to withdrawal if at any point if it is proven that the alien had no intentions to maintain his or her residency. One way of proving that the alien DOES have and ALWAYS had intentions to maintain residency is to show one or two docs about "working in the US". This person's original presumption regarding mortgage/rent is well founded because of this singular reason.
 
Agreed but..

Hi poongunranar,

This is not normal, in your case it may be because you traveled the next day you got your approval to India and also on the stamp which means you have to go through secondary inspection. It is true GC is not citizenship but still it is a proof and permission for you to enter and live in the US. My family entered on APs before we got our GC and they treated them like citizens without any issues and I have friends traveling all the time and they do not ask for anything else, also why do we need to carry our traffic violations so I had one traffic ticket (45/39) so I have to carry the ticket with me and the immigration are going to ask me about it?why? this stuff is all normal and carrying the ticket with you while traveling does not serve anything.

Just my 2 cents.

regrads,
Spartakus
 
I agree, there is no need to carry all these documents. Only thing I would suggest is to carry your work ID and if you are travelling on I-551 stamp, carry the approval letters. Mortgage papers? absolutely no need. I only carry my GC, passport and work ID which I never had to show.
 
spartakus

I agree with your surmise regarding my travel. Yes, it was immediately the day after approval and yes it was secondary inspection. I agree. Regarding traffic violations, I meant serious ones. Not just a 5 mph speeding ticket. In these areas, your guess and proactiveness is as good as mine. Because, both of us are right. However the bottom-line is: Having one or two additional docs that would clearly rule out any question of inadmissibility will always be helpful because the onus is always on the immigrant who is seeking entry and not otherwise. Again, the individual's judgment is what will reign supreme here. Yes, mortgage or home-ownership papers will not be needed for you and me. However, my friend had to carry it after having pitched his tent in Malaysia for the overseas assignment he had for the past 5.5 months. So, things like that are highly dependent on the individual's case.

So, I do agree with your perception that other things being the same and normal, you don't need to carry anything other than your GC. However, I have always carried my EVL and will do so, if not for anything, it will not make me stand for a split-second more than I need to at the PoE.

BTW, I haven't received my card yet and I will be making my overseas trip to Europe and Asia in December. Surely, they are going to take me to the secondary inspection again. Duh!
 
As a green card holder, Customs won't even check your fingerprints. Why you bother to take traffic offense records or court records? Have your physical green card at hand, we all should be fine.

Joe
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top