I-131 Re-Entry Permit and Finger Printing

Srika,

About Expedite process, #4 post of this thread talks about how to expedite while sending the I-131 application. Since I have already sent the application for normal processing, how can I expedite now. Is it by calling 1-800 number.
When you called 1-800..no, do you have to give any reason to expedite. I already called the 1-800 number and told still I have not received FP notice. The customer service person told me that she will send an email to the FP scheduling supervisor. Is that what you did to expedite. Please explain.

I do not know anything about RTD.

Thanks.
 
I received the RP in a month

thanoa said:
I checked the online system and it said that my approved reentry permit was send on May 19th,2008 to the address that I specified on form I-131. I requested to be send at the embassy oversees,so i will update this thread when/if i receive it. It looks like it takes less than a month to issue a Reentry permit if they accept your reason for expedite process. Valid reasons for expedite process can be found on www.uscis.gov (under case is pending [right upper end corner],category USCIS Expedite Criteria)
Click to expand...

I went to the American embassy oversees to pick up my Reentry Permit on June 9th,2008valid for two years. The Nebraska Service Center send me a letter at the USA address,and a letter from USA embassy oversees was send to my oversees address so i could go and pick up the RP. I applied expedite express April 22nd,2008. They send the fingerprinting notice after about 3 weeks and the USCIS on line check system said that May 19th the RP was send to the address oversees that I have requested to pick it up.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I attended my biometrics on 6/14. They only wanted my index finger and photo. Anyone else only got 1 fingerprint taken as opposed to 10?
 
thanoa said:
I went to the American embassy oversees to pick up my Reentry Permit on June 9th,2008valid for two years. The Nebraska Service Center send me a letter at the USA address,and a letter from USA embassy oversees was send to my oversees address so i could go and pick up the RP. I applied expedite express April 22nd,2008. They send the fingerprinting notice after about 3 weeks and the USCIS on line check system said that May 19th the RP was send to the address oversees that I have requested to pick it up.
Click to expand...

Hey, good for you. Did you do fingerprinting at the embassy, too? So, your RP was valid for 2 years? Mine just for 1. I have to go and talk to them.
 
cafeconleche said:
Hey, good for you. Did you do fingerprinting at the embassy, too? So, your RP was valid for 2 years? Mine just for 1. I have to go and talk to them.
Click to expand...

I got fingerprinting in USA and the card was valid for two years. My first time applying and it took about a month to be issued on expediation.
 
hi everyone, please help im really confused. i just finished my finger printing for RP this day, then they stamped it. so umm, what happens next? will they send me my re entry permit in mail? and one thing, if i cant recieve it by october, coz im going this october, can i have my relative mail it to me? or do i really have to wait for it here in US?...

thanks to anyone who will reply. pls do, coz i really dont know what else to do next. im really new at this.
 
QUESTION: My father just had a RP for 2 years which expired today. He came into the US (with a GC) every 5-6 months and was given A LOT of trouble even with a RP. I need to renew it for him while he is here in the US. He needs to leave on Aug28, so I will try to expedite his biometric with information I leared from this thread, for very valid reasons actually.

My question is: If you expedite your RP application does this affect the duration that the RP is issued for? 1 year vs. 2 years?

itsuptome said:
hi everyone, please help im really confused. i just finished my finger printing for RP this day, then they stamped it. so umm, what happens next? will they send me my re entry permit in mail? and one thing, if i cant recieve it by october, coz im going this october, can i have my relative mail it to me? or do i really have to wait for it here in US?...
Click to expand...

Once you have your fingerprinting done, you DO NOT need to wait in the US for the actualy RP booklet. A relative can send it to you once it arrives. You DO, however need to have it with you when you return to the US after your October trip. But if you are staying out long enough that should not be a problem. I hope this helps :)

EDIT: I think anyone applying for an RP should read this USCIS Q&A release about I-131. It answers a lot of the questions asked here http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/i131_biometrics_070808.pdf

A previous newsletter states that the waiting time for a biometrics appointment after USCIS receives your application is 3-4 weeks. http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/qa_063008.pdf
 
Last edited by a moderator:
No, the expedited procedure does not affect the length of the re-entry permit - it is valid for 2 years from the date of issuance.

gambalung said:
My question is:[/B] If you expedite your RP application does this affect the duration that the RP is issued for? 1 year vs. 2 years?
Click to expand...
 
Just curious...why was your father still troubled at POE after having RP?
I just got my RP...wanted to know what questions they asked him???
Thanks
 
@laborvisalaw Thank you very much for your prompt response. I really hope they approve him for two years becaue at the price they charge it is a rip-off!

dezi said:
Just curious...why was your father still troubled at POE after having RP?
I just got my RP...wanted to know what questions they asked him???
Thanks
Click to expand...

Every time he has entered the US in the past 2 and a half years (even if trips were for just 2 months), they have stopped him and asked him provocative questions like:

1-"How long were you outside of the US"
2-"Do you plan on leaving again soon?"
3-"Do you have a return ticket outside of the Us for this trip?"
4-"Are you really sure that you are not trying to abbandon your green-card residency?"
5-"How can you prove to us that you are committed to becoming a citizen?"
6-"Have you worked at all while you were abroad?" "Do you work in the US?"- this is a sticking point because they want you to pay taxes in the US, which my father does. They have always asked it!
7-"Why were you traveling outside of the US"
8-"Where is your family living"
9-"What is your address and phone number in the US?" "Is this your primary residence?" Make sure you know this well and that you answer yes!!!

After being grilled on this, even though his family has lived in the US for 5 years (wife and one doughter, I, are US citizen) he was still taken to a second officer on a different floor and asked these questions again. The second officer begrudgingly stamps his RP and threatens him that he must not leave the country again if he doesn't want to permanently loose his GC.
And I remind you, he has never left the US for longer then 5 and a half months. Neither is there any possibility that he is being discriminated against because of background.

One, probably obvious piece of advice, is that when you re-enter the US and fill the I-94 card on the plane, make sure that as a residency address you put down your US one!

But you shouldn't get too scared by this case. My father might not be the rule but the exception. I have heard worse and then better cases. Also if you have mostly lived in the US and this will be your first long-term trip you will have much much less trouble. Just be prepared to answer those questions.

Hope this loooong response didn't tire you. Good luck :eek:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
gambalung said:
One, probably obvious piece of advice, is that when you re-enter the US and fill the I-94 card on the plane, make sure that as a residency address you put down your US one!
Click to expand...
I-94? Green card holders aren't supposed to fill an I-94. Do you mean the Customs form?
 
Thanks for the response...
but having an RP should make things easier. Thats the very reason one applies for an RP so you can be away for max 2 years with the intention that one will be back.
Are u sure your father had an RP at that time?
By the way..what POE was it??

Thanks
 
After reading the thread by Gambalung...

I am wondering if it is OK to visit US every 2-3 months for a few days on a GC even in posession of a RP without the GC taken away??

I know at the end of 2 yrs I have to permanently move to the US.
Need the time to sort out some personal matters here in Canada before
moving.

Gambalung's story kind of scares you a little.

Thanks
 
[QOUTE]Once you have your fingerprinting done, you DO NOT need to wait in the US for the actualy RP booklet. A relative can send it to you once it arrives. You DO, however need to have it with you when you return to the US after your October trip. But if you are staying out long enough that should not be a problem. I hope this helps :)[/QOUTE]

thank you very much for answering :) it really helps a lot :)
 
Hi guys, need some sort of help here.

I plan to leave this coming October (the 19th to be exact) and I already applied for a re-entry permit last week. I filed and passed it on 8/18 thru my lawyer and received a notice last Friday, saying that they received it on 8/19. Question is, when do you think will the finger-print processing take place?

And also another thing-- I found a ticket w/ a pretty good price already, and I'm told by my travel agency that I should book it this coming Friday. Otherwise, the price will bump higher than expected. What do you suggest should I do? Book it already considering the flight will still be in nearly 2 months time? Or wait for the FP notice? Crap, decisions... decisions...
 
gzep said:
Hi guys, need some sort of help here.

I plan to leave this coming October (the 19th to be exact) and I already applied for a re-entry permit last week. I filed and passed it on 8/18 thru my lawyer and received a notice last Friday, saying that they received it on 8/19. Question is, when do you think will the finger-print processing take place?

And also another thing-- I found a ticket w/ a pretty good price already, and I'm told by my travel agency that I should book it this coming Friday. Otherwise, the price will bump higher than expected. What do you suggest should I do? Book it already considering the flight will still be in nearly 2 months time? Or wait for the FP notice? Crap, decisions... decisions...
Click to expand...

This depends on many factors: is this your first application or repeated one (The first, the better chance to be done earlier in most cases), what is your pattern of stay in US (The more stable stay the more better chance for earlier approval), beside many others. No one can till you when this will be done , some cases finish every thing in few weeks, others stuck with pending application for months, others receive RFE and for sure others denied. To book the ticket or not depend on your threshold of accepting surprises which differ greatly from one to other. I know my advice is very vague but this is, from my opinion, is the truth
 
^ this is my first attempt on applying one.

Pattern of stay? I just came back from my home country last June. And I really do need to leave around that time (October) for both business and personal reasons. Hope this somewhat helps.
 
Hi All,

My situation ties in with this topic so here goes. We (my wife, daughter and myself) are LPR's. We won the green card lottery in 2006, we moved to US in feb 2007. We were living there for 6 mths before we had to leave. At the time our daughter was not very old and my wife had developed post natal depression and was recommended that it were better is she had some family support.
After we returned to Australia we were unsure if we would return to the US. Months went by and my wife got over her depression. We decided that we would like to give the US life another go. At that stage we had been out of the US for 10 months, so we returned to apply for a re entry permit, unaware that the rules had just changed and biometrics were now required.
Upon our entry into the US the Dept. homeland security officer asked us how long we had been out of the US, we explained the situation truthfully. He told us that extended stays abroad require a re entry permit.
As we did not have the time required to stay for the biometrics we left the US after 2 weeks. Four months have passed and we are returning to the US next week to apply for the re entry permit and wait for the biometrics will be requesting expedited service .
Hopefully the DHS officer will not grill us about the trips abroad.
We plan to return to the US in about 1 yr +. We really want this to work our, daughter is 2 now and we have a different veiw and a better outlook on life in the US for us.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top