Re: Re: not so clear cut
Originally posted by JoeF
No, but I had to get new CCs, drivers license, etc. because I lost my wallet. And that is much more of a hassle.
What is the hassle of filing an I-90? You file it and wait for the card. That's it.
No thats not it. You keep ignoring the reality that there are situations where you need the card to avoid further hassels. For example:
* At a POE, it is not fun to be held for more than an hour because you are considered suspicious for not having the card. This did happen to me, so don't just brush away this anecdote.
* I did not particularly enjoy educating the I9 administrator at my workplace that technically she was violating the law when she insisted that she needed the green card as proof of work permit while refusing to take my SSN card + drivers license.
* The stamp expires in a year. I did not get my replacement cards after one year (twice) but I had to have a current stamp. For me, it is a big deal to lose two vacation days (one to file the I90, one for re-stamping) and I don't enjoy the anxiety that I feel while sitting in the local offices' waiting room for _hours_ while the officers take their sweet time to stamp my PP.
* In the current climate, try to get an unrestricted SSN card without a real PR card. It used to be easy to get but its not anymore.
I also lost one of my CCs some time ago. All I did to get a new one is call their 1-800 number and a few days later I had a new card in the mailbox. If replacing a CC is tough for you already, pray that you never lose your PR card, cause you will be in for a nasty surprise.
Originally posted by JoeF
Besides, as I have shown, carrying the card is the law.
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No, you also painted a totally unrealistic picture that it is trivial to get a new PR card. If it was that easy, do you really think I would type a 'novel' in a message board on the Internet?
To your credit, it is easy in theory, but not necessarily in practice.
Originally posted by JoeF
If you let yourself be humiliated... Be polite, but firm and know your rights. That helps a lot.
You know, this is a cynical advise. Next time I stand in line at 4am in the morning in front of the USCIS (or whatever they are called now) building I try to follow this advise. I am sure it will help me a lot when I finally sit in the waiting room wondering if I am paranoid or if this system is intentionally set up to make aliens feel inferior. Compared to the immigration staff, the dispatchers at Six Flags are superefficient models of productivity. If you have ever been to a Six Flags, you will get my point.
Originally posted by JoeF
Again, be prepared, polite and know your rights. Here is an example: on my last trip abroad, the TSA screener wanted me to take off my shoes. I asked why, and pointed to their website, where they say that this isn't required. End result: I didn't need to take my shoes off.
Well, I don't feel humiliated when they ask me to remove my shoes (esp. if this is done to everybody else). I guess you don't feel humiliated, if an authority makes you wait for hours for something trivial like putting a stamp on the PP while giving you attitude.
Originally posted by JoeF
If you look at the law that I quoted, it doesn't say that you have to carry your passport with you.
"Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card"
It is simply a violation of law to not carry the card. Plain and simple.
And following your logic, isn't the stamped PP exactly what you have to carry, while you are waiting for a year to get the replacement card? What else would be the proper alien registration in this case in your opinion?
I am no more a lawyer than you are but I do not think it is appropriate for you to say that "It is simply a violation of law not to carry the card. Plain and simple." If law were so plain and simple, then why is there a need for lawyers. Your strict interpretation is naive and frankly, supports the stereotype of the 'correct' German in a quite negative (because it is not well thought through) way.
For example, another interpretation of this passage, one, which at least on our 'amateur' level is just as valid as your black-and-white view, is that 'any' certificate of alien registration could also be a photocopy of the card.
A lot of your advise in the past years has been quite good on this site, but you are losing your credibility if you keep on insisting that replacing a PR card is a simple task like replacing a Credit Card. It was not in my case and I am reasonably sure it is not for many other people. It is a fact that it takes several months, just look at the processing times report under I90-replacements.