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dv visa expiry and issuing plastic green card

Z

zamboor12

Registered Users (C)
Hi
I have received the dv visa, but I have not traveled to the US yet, and I'm not ready yet to move now. maybe in 6 months. The visa expires very soon, can I go just for a weekend there to activate the visa?
what should be done? I just need to enter the us? do I need to take any action after entering the us? or just enter and leave same day and come back later?


I won't be able to wait there for the plastic GC card, it will be sent to my cousine. Is it possible to reenter the us without having my plastic gc?


what happens if happens if I don't enter the us before my visa expires?


Thanks,
Basel
 
You can enter the US for the purpose of activating your GC and leave almost immediately. If you plan on being back within the next 6 months following your initially entry into the US, you do not need to do anything. The stamp on your passport, following your initial entry into the US, can be used for upto 1 year in place of the plastic GC itself.

If you don't enter the US before your visa expires you can no longer use it and you no longer qualify for the LPR status.
 
passport damaged

what happens if my passport is damaged? (not the visa, the passport itself is slightly damaged)
 
Not sure exactly what you mean by 'slightly damaged' but my guess is you will most likely be given extra scrutiny to ensure the passport itself and the visa in it are genuine
 
Sm1smom said:
Not sure exactly what you mean by 'slightly damaged' but my guess is you will most likely be given extra scrutiny to ensure the passport itself and the visa in it are genuine
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Well, the visa will be easy to verify presumably as the person will have the immigrant packet with them too? But I do believe (at least from watching Border Security :D ) that damaged passports are given extra scrutiny to ensure that they're genuine.
 
damaged passport

The passport is slightly damaged so the the the first is slightly ripped off. the passport is almost intact. the question is if the visa is invalidated. another question, is it possible to transfer the visa to a different passport?

Another important question, what happens if that page is ripped off completely after entering and leaving the US without having my plastic green card but having endorsed I-551?
 
zamboor12 said:
The passport is slightly damaged so the the the first is slightly ripped off. the passport is almost intact. the question is if the visa is invalidated. another question, is it possible to transfer the visa to a different passport?
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Normally an unexpired visa in an old passport is still good when accompanying a new passport, even if the old passport itself is expired.

Another important question, what happens if that page is ripped off completely after entering and leaving the US without having my plastic green card but having endorsed I-551?
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How much further are you gonna push it? :)
 
Even if you immediately leave after entering the US for the first time, your plastic GC will be mailed to the US address you have provided. Your friend can mail you the plastic card.
 
seriously

c1984 said:
Normally an unexpired visa in an old passport is still good when accompanying a new passport, even if the old passport itself is expired.



How much further are you gonna push it? :)
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I'm really worried, I don't want to loose the visa even before using it.
 
zamboor12 said:
The passport is slightly damaged so the the the first is slightly ripped off. the passport is almost intact. the question is if the visa is invalidated. another question, is it possible to transfer the visa to a different passport?

Another important question, what happens if that page is ripped off completely after entering and leaving the US without having my plastic green card but having endorsed I-551?
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What is on the page? I'm inclined to say that if the page with the biographical details and the page with the visa are both fine you should be ok. And yes, an unexpired visa in an expired passport is good for entry if accompanied by a new valid passport, I've entered the US a number of times on B1/B2 that way.

I'm presuming of course that the consulate checked the passport and didn't, for example, miss a page with something that would be prejudicial to the proposed entry into the US on it. I don't know how thoroughly they check - you'd think they would, but all of our (my family's) existing, valid B1/B2 visas were left untouched even though I believe they are supposed to be stamped "cancelled without prejudice" once the immigrant visa is issued. If it is something prejudicial like a previous overstay in the US, for example, then USCIS should have a flag on the passport anyway.
 
Regarding 'damaged passport' I can only respond based on personal experience. I once had a passport "slightly damaged" by liquid spill - a bottle of juice I had in my hand-bag somehow got damaged and left some spill on my passport. Everything I travelled using that passport, I was subjected to extra scrutiny, an assumption was made that the passport was forged or tampered with. I was glad to get a new one once that passport expired.
 
zamboor12 said:
I'm really worried, I don't want to loose the visa even before using it.
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I assume your government will issue a replacement passport if your current one is damaged. Just get a new one then staple the two passports together. Tape the page of the old one so it doesn't get ripped off further.
 
Hexa said:
I assume your government will issue a replacement passport if your current one is damaged. Just get a new one then staple the two passports together. Tape the page of the old one so it doesn't get ripped off further.
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I wouldn't staple them together - that just increases the chances of them getting damaged. Just travel with both.
 
If your passport is damaged, get a new one and make sure you get the old one back too, with NO HOLES PUNCHED in the visa (and, preferably your bio page). Holes will invalidate the visa. If your passport has a slight tear in a random page, chances are you will be fine, but will go through some extra questioning. If you get a new passport, take both passports with you. There's no need to staple them together. Just hand them both to immigration. I realise some people like stapling passport together to make a stack, but it really isn't necessary.

Do NOT let the visa expire before you go, because then you will have lost your chance to be a permanent resident. When you enter the US, they will stamp your visa and you can use it to leave and come back for a year. When your cousins get your card, have them send it to you using FedEx or UPS, and not just regular post. You should be able to track it. If it gets lost, a replacement is several hundred dollars.

Finally, make sure you don't stay out of the US for more than a year after you enter and leave for the first time. Ideally, come back before 6 months have passed. If you need to stay out for more than a year without visiting the US in-between, apply for a re-entry permit when you first enter the US. Wait a few weeks for fingerprinting, and then you can leave and ask them to send the permit to the US embassy or consulate in your country. With that, you can stay out for 2 years.

When you're in the US, if you can, also apply for a driving licence or state ID, maybe open a bank account.
 
Out of interest, does anyone know if they stamp your passport for entry when you enter with a plastic green card? This may sound like a stupid question, but they (USCIS) say you don't need a passport to enter the US if you have a plastic green card. Although in most circumstances, I can't see how you can get as far as the US border without a passport!
 
Also zamboor12, remember to pay your USCIS fee online or they won't send the plastic green card.
 
SusieQQQ said:
Out of interest, does anyone know if they stamp your passport for entry when you enter with a plastic green card? This may sound like a stupid question, but they (USCIS) say you don't need a passport to enter the US if you have a plastic green card. Although in most circumstances, I can't see how you can get as far as the US border without a passport!
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Link?

I always thought they would stamp the arrival even if you enter with a US passport.
 
c1984 said:
Link?

I always thought they would stamp the arrival even if you enter with a US passport.
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https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/820

"If you are a green card holder and you do not stay outside the U.S. for 1 year or more, you should have either your green card (INS Form I-551, or your returning resident visa to re-enter the United States. You are not required to present your unexpired passport, however it is not a bad idea to carry it with you."
 
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