help me figure out

V

vlorak

Registered Users (C)
alright, like everyone else i am waiting on N400 IL. I applied based on the marriage to a US citizen. my PD is dec. 19th, 2007 and i was put in line for interview feb. 18th, 2008. DO is baltimore, MD
here's my dilemma.
I haven't visited my family since 2003. Have kids my dad has never seen who will be 4 yrs old this summer. needless to say I am bursting from the thought of not visiting them again this year.
I have no valid passport and no way of getting mine extended. My country does not exist anymore. :)
what do i do? i'd like to go for 2 weeks overseas with the kids. should i wait for my N400 to be completed or should i not? the way things are going i don't see my IL coming anytime soon. that's one dilemma?
if you do think i should just go for 2 weeks, what do i travel with? i have a 10 yr green card. what do i apply for? what's the form? i see I131 but says advance parole, travel document, refugee something etc.
or maybe just talk some sense into me to not go. the thing is if i don't go now i can't be dragging lil kids in winter time with power outages and expect them to love the place i come from. i am just so distressed over this. dad's health is going south, although i get bits and pieces of info from the rest of the family as they don't want to make me sad. i need to go or i need someone to talk some sense into me.
:(
 
Passport

Vlorak,

I see your situation and feel bad for what you are going thru. You have a 10 year valid GC which is good but what about the passport. You need a passport to travel. Nowadays even if you have to travel to Mexico/Canada, passport is a must. Which country do you belong from and what's going on? Why can u not renew your passport and travel? Please let us know.
 
Couple of things come to mind. Even if your former country doesn't exist, isn't it possible to get a passport from the new country? Last time I checked there is not much land on earth that doesn't belong to a country (except Antarctica) so your birth place must belong to a country today. If you had the passport then it would be trivial, you go to visit your family and you come back entering with your Green Card and passport. You don't need to ask for any advance parole or anything, you just make sure you're back for your interview. Two weeks trip shouldn't have any issue with interview, as you would either know the interview date before the trip, or if the letter arrives while you are traveling you would still have enough time between the letter and the interview. The main problem I see is that you will need a passport.
 
Sorry to hear about your situation.....there's a whole bunch of folks with similar issues. May I suggest sending the kids over with someone you trust- atleast seeing the kids will raise your father's spirits. I know its tough to loose sight of the kids- but given what you have shared- I don't see how you can travel without a passport yet have a summer trip.

Just my 2 cents...hang in there.

All the best.

vlorak said:
alright, like everyone else i am waiting on N400 IL. I applied based on the marriage to a US citizen. my PD is dec. 19th, 2007 and i was put in line for interview feb. 18th, 2008. DO is baltimore, MD
here's my dilemma.
I haven't visited my family since 2003. Have kids my dad has never seen who will be 4 yrs old this summer. needless to say I am bursting from the thought of not visiting them again this year.
I have no valid passport and no way of getting mine extended. My country does not exist anymore. :)
what do i do? i'd like to go for 2 weeks overseas with the kids. should i wait for my N400 to be completed or should i not? the way things are going i don't see my IL coming anytime soon. that's one dilemma?
if you do think i should just go for 2 weeks, what do i travel with? i have a 10 yr green card. what do i apply for? what's the form? i see I131 but says advance parole, travel document, refugee something etc.
or maybe just talk some sense into me to not go. the thing is if i don't go now i can't be dragging lil kids in winter time with power outages and expect them to love the place i come from. i am just so distressed over this. dad's health is going south, although i get bits and pieces of info from the rest of the family as they don't want to make me sad. i need to go or i need someone to talk some sense into me.
:(
Click to expand...
 
vlorak, is your green card still valid? I believe the recent ones are good for 10 years...that is, you need to get it renewed after 10 years. If yours is still valid and will remain valid for the duration of your trip, that should be good enough for the US government's purposes for getting back into the country. (I don't know what value travel documents from the US government would add if there's nothing wrong with your greencard.... You would normally get travel documents if your greencard was stolen or was in the process of being renewed/replaced and you still needed to travel.)

I think your bigger problem is getting into your old country without a passport and that's not governed by US regulations. What country succeeded your previous country? Can you call the applicable consulate about getting a passport or travel documents issued by them? If that process takes a long time, you may well get US citizenship before then. Good luck whatever you decide.
 
You should be able to apply the so call "Travel Document". It looks like the US passport with the lighter colors. You would be no problem for traveling.
 
vlorak said:
alright, like everyone else i am waiting on N400 IL. I applied based on the marriage to a US citizen. my PD is dec. 19th, 2007 and i was put in line for interview feb. 18th, 2008. DO is baltimore, MD
here's my dilemma.
I haven't visited my family since 2003. Have kids my dad has never seen who will be 4 yrs old this summer. needless to say I am bursting from the thought of not visiting them again this year.
I have no valid passport and no way of getting mine extended. My country does not exist anymore. :)
what do i do? i'd like to go for 2 weeks overseas with the kids. should i wait for my N400 to be completed or should i not? the way things are going i don't see my IL coming anytime soon. that's one dilemma?
if you do think i should just go for 2 weeks, what do i travel with?
:(
Click to expand...

What country was your passport issued from? I'm guessing from one of the former Balkan republics?
 
yes, i hold an expired yugoslav passport but would be considered from kosova now (ndew country).
i had called the serbian embassy about a year or two years ago here in DC and even though I knew the answer to my inquiry i was told i cannot get my passport extended unless i own property in serbia, which i don't.
one of you mentioned travel document? can you please elaborate?
i had considered sending kids alone but i am too neurotic to let someone else watch my kids even for an hr let alone without me for 2 weeks.
i guess i just answered my own dilemma. thank you to all who replied.
 
Hi vlorak -

I am stateless - as you are, and I recommend you apply for a Re-Entry Permit. It is valid for 2 years and functions pretty much like a passport for those of us who cannot get one from our native countries (for whatever reason). Do not apply for the RTD or Refugee Travel Document, because although you are entitled to if (from your description), it is only valid for 1 year and is a waste of money. I have traveled with the Re-Entry Permit and have not had any problems securing visas to countries provided you show them you can support yourself and have a strong tie to the US - which you obviously do have US-born children.

The only problem I see with the Re-Entry permit is that it is now taking up to 9 months for the Nebraska Service Center to issue these documents. And unfortunately, they are the only ones who issue them. Read the form I-131 instructions for a better understanding of what the re-entry permit is all about it.

Good luck.
 
I am not a lawyer or even know a lot about immigration laws but If I were you I will stay where you are right for right now...You are gonna have to answer less questions at the time of the interview but man I feel your pain!
 
Vlorak, You will get your new country's passport soon. See the info at http://news.sbs.com.au/worldnewsaustralia/kosovo_unveils_new_passport_542795

Also, embassy of your new country will open in DC as soon as USA establishes diplomatic ties with your new country.

I think Lolai's suggestion is the best way. Cuban people escaped from Cuba on boats and they don't have any documents with them. After they applied for green cards based on aslyum, they were given travel documents, weren't they? I am not sure. Perhaps you can talk to one of the lawyer, immigration office, state department, or one of the embassies of your new country in Europe that supports your new country.
 
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