If I get Citizenship, Is it a must to give green card back?

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niwea

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Dear Experts,
I just mailed my N-400 (regular, non-military, after 5 years of GC) this week.

If I am approved is it a must to give the green card back to USCIS? Mine has a validilty for 5 more years? I paid $$$$ and YYYY time to get this plastic! Why should it be given back? What are the going to do with it?

Please advice...Thanks!
 
If approved, you have to give the GC back. But it is a choice - withdraw your application and stay married to the plastic card. You can even picture-frame it on your wall.
 
Of course you have to give it back. The green card shows your permanent resident status and once you have citizenship you are no longer a permanent resident (and have no need to be). If you're really concerned that you are "wasting" half the card's period of validity then you should have waited another five years before applying for citizenship.
 
Yes, once you get citizenship you are not a permanent resident anymore and they take the Green Card away. Why would you want it except as a memento? If you tried to use it you would be misrepresenting yourself as a permanent resident instead of a citizen. You might want to make some color scan or photocopy for your memories.

They will destroy the card so it doesn't fall in the wrong hands. Sometimes they destroy the cards in situ at the oath ceremony.

I'm not implying that you do something dishonest, but I see people posting questions about lost Green Cards during different times of N-400 process. I guess in that case there is no card to be destroyed. In my case I didn't have any problem complying with this and avoiding any suspicion or delay on my application.
 
The investment you made is for the GC "status", not the physical card. Physical card is just proof of that status. If you feel so much about the "investment" made on the plastic GC card, you don't need to apply for citizenship then. You can either be a permanent resident or citizen but not both at the same time. That's why you need to return the GC once you upgrade your status to citizenship. You cannot go back from citizenship to GC again, in future. You cannot just tell the officer at the POE while coming back to USA that you will decide which one to use, a passport or GC. If your N-400 is approved, you must surrender your GC. Hope you don't create a ruckus at the oath ceremony with IO's chasing you in the room to snatch the GC :) :) As for the question of what they are going to do with the GC, no one knows but I can guess that they will either put that in your A# file after de-activating it or destroy it. Please do let us know your oath date. I wouldn't want to miss the news of that day :) :)
 
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I am just curiouse that why you want to hold on to the GC after becoming USC? Is there any specific reason for it? As far as I know that plastic will be useless then, unless you want to fool your former nationality government officials in the future for the purpose of holding up to your former nationality which is understandable.Isn't this the purpose? If not you will hate that card after naturalization. I promise you if you hold on to it, whenever look at it it makes you puke. I am sure that it will be distroyed after colleting from newly citizens.
 
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niwea said:
Dear Experts,
I just mailed my N-400 (regular, non-military, after 5 years of GC) this week.

If I am approved is it a must to give the green card back to USCIS? Mine has a validilty for 5 more years? I paid $$$$ and YYYY time to get this plastic! Why should it be given back? What are the going to do with it?

Please advice...Thanks!
Click to expand...

I think others have answered it well. However, I am going to turn some questions back to you.

#1. Do you think your GC will be valid if you are naturalized?
#2. Do you think your GC can be abused if in wrong hands (someone else, or even you)?
#3. Was the value of GC just a piece of plastic? Did it provide some other benefits you may or may not have used? I will give an example to stimulate your mind - the example is being eligible for naturalization.
#4. Do you think it is a must to return the green card to CIS (as per regulations)?
#5. Was your question serious?
 
niwea said:
Dear Experts,
I just mailed my N-400 (regular, non-military, after 5 years of GC) this week.

If I am approved is it a must to give the green card back to USCIS? Mine has a validilty for 5 more years? I paid $$$$ and YYYY time to get this plastic! Why should it be given back? What are the going to do with it?

Please advice...Thanks!
Click to expand...

You must give your GC back to IO before you becoming Citizen.
Just follow the instructions on your oath letter.
Now also you are paying $$$$ (application fee) and YYYY (5 year waiting period) to get passport which you should not give it back
but you should give your GC back in exchange for your passport (proof of citizenship).
 
Sometimes, this forum is a place to come and really have a belly laughter. I sometimes can beleive some question some folks ask...:D:D its fun!!!
 
Once you get your citizenship, apply for a passport card. It has the same size as a green card, it is just a tad more blue-ish :)
 
What is the consequence if you go to oath claim you lost your GC so you do not give it back and take oath. What will USCIS do if they later find out
you did not really lose your GC?
 
I know for me I took a photocopy of my Green Card, just for memory sake of my long journey comming to the US then eventually 10 or so years later becomming a US citizen. I still have a bunch of photocopies of my old TN status cards too. I think some people want to remember the entire process and what it was like. I was kind of sad seeing my card go, I admit. I just liked the photo and the physical card really showed my progress. It would have been cool if they could just invalidate it and punch a hole in it or something, but that's not the case.

Anyways, knowing I was going to be a citizen that day, I still gladly handed over my card and was happy to get that permanent resident status finally changed to be a citizen. And like I said, I just made a photo copy of it...
 
WBH said:
What is the consequence if you go to oath claim you lost your GC so you do not give it back and take oath. What will USCIS do if they later find out
you did not really lose your GC?
Click to expand...

Some IOs may not allow you to take oath unless you can produce police report that you have lost it.

How would they find out that you didn't really loose it unless you either:

a)filed false police report and USCIS found out about it
b)lied about loosing it and used the GC so that USCIS was notified
 
Bobsmyth said:
Some IOs may not allow you to take oath unless you can produce police report that you have lost it.

How would they find out that you didn't really loose it unless you either:

a)filed false police report and USCIS found out about it
b)lied about loosing it and used the GC so that USCIS was notified
Click to expand...

OK do this: give your GC to your kid as a toy. Your kids are bloudn to lose it
somewhere in the house. Then file a report. Take oath then and after
oath, come to the house and do a intensive search and hopefully you can find it.

What is the use of GC if you are already a citizen? For soem country
people can use to extend their old passport. If it is a crime, then
it is a crime not under USA jurisdiction. It is up to original country
to find out or punish but not USCIS's bussiness.
 
WBH said:
What is the use of GC if you are already a citizen? For soem country
people can use to extend their old passport. If it is a crime, then
it is a crime not under USA jurisdiction. It is up to original country
to find out or punish but not USCIS's bussiness.
Click to expand...

It's illegal to use the GC if you are already a citizen.
Not sure I follow you on "people can use to extend old passport":confused:
 
Bobsmyth said:
It's illegal to use the GC if you are already a citizen.
Click to expand...

Then use it outside USAS jurisdiction. The worst case is to get deported back to USA. Many other countries do not enforce law as strictly as USA
does. It is easy to get away from that

Bobsmyth said:
Not sure I follow you on "people can use to extend old passport":confused:
Click to expand...

Counsulates of Some countries in USA do not extend their citizens passport
without checking applicants status in USA, part of reason is they they
do not aknowlewde dual citizenship so they want to make sure you are
naturalized yet.
 
WBH said:
Counsulates of Some countries in USA do not extend their citizens passport
without checking applicants status in USA, part of reason is they they do not aknowlewde dual citizenship so they want to make sure you are naturalized yet.
Click to expand...
The main reason is to check that you are not in the US illegally or on a short term visa. If you are either, they want you to go back to your home country to renew the passport.
 
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