help needed: I applied for my green card as an asylee last year still pending in TSC .I need to travel Europe so in this matter I need a travel document to travel .I already travelled with refugee travel document before I apply for my green card .now which application type should I select in part 2 on i131 form?thanks in advance .
documents you need to enter or leave the USA
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cafeconleche
Registered Users (C)
Yeah you can. Re-entry is not a problem with GC and passport.
D
drvb165
Guest
Can we renew cop passport as an asylee? If no how to travel abroad?
#1. If you are an asylee only, ABSOLUTELY NOT. You must apply for and use a Refugee Travel Document.
#2. If you have a green card already, it's highly debatable and usually dependent on what your original asylum case was based on. Although the general consensus around here is that it's not a goo idea to do it and you should still use a Refugee Travel Document. But many people do it after they get their green cards with no issues.
Agreed with what has been said above. Here is what I know:
1. USCIS does NOT share your information with COP. Your COP does not share your information with USCIS. So, depending on your situation, if you are able to get benefits from your COP, including passport renewal, you should do it. The point here is that if you worked 50 years in your COP, it doesn't make sense for you to lose everything, just because uncle sam is not happy about it. You should get your pension, etc, from the COP, if you are able to do it.
2. Due to family issues, I applied and renewed my COP passport. I was never able to use it, because my RTD then showed up, just as I got the passport. It had been 10+ years since my asylum grant when i applied for the passport, the situation in COP had completely changed, and there were delays in getting the RTD. So I got the COP passport. I was ready to argue my position at my citizenship interview.
3. As I stated above, I got the passport but I was never able to use it. The citizenship officer was not interested in the passport issues, so technically they didn't care.
Like everything else here, this situation only applies to me, in your case, things might be different, so it is up to you to decide what risk you can tolerate.
Good luck.
1. USCIS does NOT share your information with COP. Your COP does not share your information with USCIS. So, depending on your situation, if you are able to get benefits from your COP, including passport renewal, you should do it. The point here is that if you worked 50 years in your COP, it doesn't make sense for you to lose everything, just because uncle sam is not happy about it. You should get your pension, etc, from the COP, if you are able to do it.
2. Due to family issues, I applied and renewed my COP passport. I was never able to use it, because my RTD then showed up, just as I got the passport. It had been 10+ years since my asylum grant when i applied for the passport, the situation in COP had completely changed, and there were delays in getting the RTD. So I got the COP passport. I was ready to argue my position at my citizenship interview.
3. As I stated above, I got the passport but I was never able to use it. The citizenship officer was not interested in the passport issues, so technically they didn't care.
Like everything else here, this situation only applies to me, in your case, things might be different, so it is up to you to decide what risk you can tolerate.
Good luck.
D
drvb165
Guest
Thanks for the detailed explanation.
asylum seekef
Member
Hi Guys,
I have an asylee status and pending GC card, Im planning to apply for RTD but kind of confused whether i have to select the basis of the application : based on Asylee, or based on a permenant resident ( I didnt find any option for pending GC application ), appreciate your inputs.
I have an asylee status and pending GC card, Im planning to apply for RTD but kind of confused whether i have to select the basis of the application : based on Asylee, or based on a permenant resident ( I didnt find any option for pending GC application ), appreciate your inputs.
Hello I have been following this thread for a while. I have some concerns wondering if expects here can help me out.
1. I have GC, NP (My National Passport- Still valid) and Refugee Travel Document with me.
2. I want to travel to Australia.
3. My Asylum was based on Certain Group in my country but that tried to harm me but not the government, but claim also says that my country was not able to protect me from them.
I wish to travel to Australia which is not my country of Origin, I have this big question about if i should Use :
a) National Passport + GC and travel? (Convinient as i already have Australian Visa).
b) Refugee Travel Document + GC ? (This way i will have to apply for Australian Visa).
How much into trouble will i get if i use option "a" Above?
Thank you so much.
1. I have GC, NP (My National Passport- Still valid) and Refugee Travel Document with me.
2. I want to travel to Australia.
3. My Asylum was based on Certain Group in my country but that tried to harm me but not the government, but claim also says that my country was not able to protect me from them.
I wish to travel to Australia which is not my country of Origin, I have this big question about if i should Use :
a) National Passport + GC and travel? (Convinient as i already have Australian Visa).
b) Refugee Travel Document + GC ? (This way i will have to apply for Australian Visa).
How much into trouble will i get if i use option "a" Above?
Thank you so much.
Only you can answer these questions. You are the only one (and your attorney if you have one) who knows all the details of your case. You need to assess whether you feel comfortable enough defending and justifying your decision if they raise the issue during the citizenship interview.
If you do use your NP though, I would not recommend ever using or applying for an RTD again, as that application specifically asks if you have used/renewed your NP after gaining asylum status. Keep using the NP and then be prepared to explain your reasoning if the issue comes up.
I'm not an attorney and this based solely on other users' input here that I've read. As always, it's best to consult with an attorney.
Edit to add: Please only ask questions on one thread. Asking the same question on multiple threads causes confusion and it's considered spamming.
I disagree with your opinion here:
1. There is no question about if i "used" my NP in form I-131, it only ask if i Renewed a New passport which i wouldnt do, i would not renew my passport after it expires in few year.
2. I read a INA Article: cliniclegal.org/resources/family-based-immigrant-law/adjustment-status/bia-clarifies-asylees-lose-status-when-they
Which in summary says if a ASYLEE adjusting to LPR, his/her Asylee status gets terminated meaning no rules for asylee applies to him/her as a LPR.
3. Returning back to the COP is definitely a problem, in my initial question i wanted to travel to third country not to my Home Country.
The only thing that matters here is what does cbp want. They want the GC. Visiting Australia you use your national passport to board the plane. When coming back, you board the plane with your national passport + gc. When you arrive in the US, you hand over to cbp your GC+RTD - there might be delays but that is good. Your national passport works too, but in the future on your citizenship, you might be asked to explain this trip etc.
anyway, technically, option a and b are all ok, so there shouldn't be any issues.
I personally never re-applied for a COP passport as I was actually not in a position to get it renewed. I never visited COP since I came here even after becoming a citizen. They being said, it’s an individual choice. Here are the facts.
1. There is no explicit rule or law of not renewing a COP passport after asylum grant
2. There is no explicit rule or law that prohibits you from visiting COP after your asylum based GC.
3. Some officers may ask you to explain this behavior and you should be ready for it. But there is no federal law or case precedent that makes this a deportable situation.
1. There is no explicit rule or law of not renewing a COP passport after asylum grant
2. There is no explicit rule or law that prohibits you from visiting COP after your asylum based GC.
3. Some officers may ask you to explain this behavior and you should be ready for it. But there is no federal law or case precedent that makes this a deportable situation.
Hi Evelyn
Like I said in my previous post, I have personally never applied because I belong to a family of political dissidents and they won’t issue me a passport. I wrote that post for people who may have one or may be able to get one from their COP. I was questioned many things about my asylum during my citizenship interview and I had to file a federal case. That was another beauty and I have detailed it in one of my older posts if you are interested.
That being said I traveled with my GC and RTD 14-15 times and I had to wait during checking in with airlines as they get confused with the document. But I have never ever faced any problem or secondary inspection with CBP while coming back
Like I said in my previous post, I have personally never applied because I belong to a family of political dissidents and they won’t issue me a passport. I wrote that post for people who may have one or may be able to get one from their COP. I was questioned many things about my asylum during my citizenship interview and I had to file a federal case. That was another beauty and I have detailed it in one of my older posts if you are interested.
That being said I traveled with my GC and RTD 14-15 times and I had to wait during checking in with airlines as they get confused with the document. But I have never ever faced any problem or secondary inspection with CBP while coming back
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Thank you @Fin for your swift reply. i really appreciate your input here. I am in this big dilemma and i dont know whom to talk to. i dont have any friend who has been thru this process thats the reason why i am trying to find answers thru this community.
Please when you said you had to file federal court, i feel worried.
during naturalization interview, did they ask you a lot of Questions about your asylum case? was that exactly like USCIS interview ?
kinda gets me worried as i may have to recap everything that had happened to me. I belong to a political family as well.
My main concern and worry right now is this:
- I still have my National passport valid for 3 more years.
- Its so easy to get visas to other country, i will not renew my passport after it expires for sure and not willing to travel back to my own country.
- But i really wish i could use it to travel abroad to see family and friends.
My main worry is WILL i get into big trouble during N400 Interview? My asylum case was based on Certain group of people that cause harm to me, but not the government.
I just need your helpful opinion what should i do ?
Thank you @Fin
@Everlyn Unfortunately no one can predict what kind of officer you get for a citizenship interview or for that matter in any immigration proceeding. All of these guys are government bureaucrats and have a lot of discretion because USCIS is a black box with very little transparency and most immigrants are unaware of the laws and procedures which gives them a upper hand. My case was extremely straightforward (no crimes, no long trips, moral character issues and not even traffic violations). Still the guy gave me a tough time. I was myself unaware of much of immigration laws until that point But studied them as I decided to fight them in court. my experience is in the thread below. As you see in my thread, the First post was me being “scared”. But after I studied laws, I became more confident and filed the case, negotiated with the US attorney, even refused to appear for another interview and still got naturalized. It’s different when there is a judge overseeing your case...the government quickly folds unless of course you have serious legal issues in your case. I got my citizenship around a year and a half ago. I have to point out that my experience is more of an outlier, most people don’t have to go through what I did. Hopefully that makes you feel better!
https://forums.immigration.com/thre...on-need-help-or-guidance.340415/#post-2518821
https://forums.immigration.com/thre...on-need-help-or-guidance.340415/#post-2518821
Agree with Fin. USCIS is a black box. Officers can do whatever they want, including illegal things. The officer handling my case was no interested in anything, she wanted to get done with the interview so, she never asked about my asylum issues, my trips abroad, passport renewals, tax issues etc. She was not interested. So nothing was asked. But like Fin said, some officers can give you a hard time....which makes it hard to prepare for these interviews. Good luck.
drjaymeka
New Member
Hi guys can someone help me with this. I'm an asylee with pending green card application for almost a year now at NSC. I have a RTD expiring at the end of May, 2021. I will like to visit Santo Domigo with colleagues at the end of April with my RTD. So my questions are
- Do I need a visa to visit Santo Domingo with RTD?
- Is it advisable to travel internationally with barely less than 2 months validity on my RTD?
Please does anyone have similar experience? I really want to go on this trip.
- Do I need a visa to visit Santo Domingo with RTD?
- Is it advisable to travel internationally with barely less than 2 months validity on my RTD?
Please does anyone have similar experience? I really want to go on this trip.
Many countries need a minimum validity of 3 to 6 months on a travel document (passport or RTD). I suggest you consult their embassy and validate on Timatic database. If I were you I would apply for another RTD.