keep laminated copy of green card

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hurricanemd

Registered Users (C)
when i am travelling in US and going about normal life , i want to only keep the laminated copy of the green card , do not want to risk loosing or misplacing it, when travelling out of country , will take original card, also not taking original card for my hawaii vacation.
any PROS or CONS of situation, i do know ,they say to keep card with u all time, if not can it land one in trouble
 
hurricanemd said:
when i am travelling in US and going about normal life , i want to only keep the laminated copy of the green card , do not want to risk loosing or misplacing it, when travelling out of country , will take original card, also not taking original card for my hawaii vacation.
any PROS or CONS of situation, i do know ,they say to keep card with u all time, if not can it land one in trouble
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I travel often and don't carry anything besides my drivers license...ever!
 
I only carry it when leaving country.

I would carry it more if I lived near the border; I'm several hundred miles from any border, and don't look or sound foreign (except that I use a knife to cut my food).
 
At the end of the day, it is an individual's choice.
All I know is that the letter I got with my GC, did not present me with any opt outs. My letter clearly stated that I have to carry it all times, so I did for 2 years and 9 months :)

nelsona said:
I would carry it more if I lived near the border; I'm several hundred miles from any border, and don't look or sound foreign (except that I use a knife to cut my food).
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nelsona said:
I only carry it when leaving country.

I would carry it more if I lived near the border; I'm several hundred miles from any border, and don't look or sound foreign (except that I use a knife to cut my food).
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I think this is a key. If you dont look or sound foreign, no one will even think to ask that of you for a GC within the US. Now, if you raise suspicion based on your behavior or are hanging out in the day laborer stops around the country, then you should carry the card. Most professionals flying around Mon-Fri for work will likely not be asked for a GC unless they get arrested for some crime
 
Triple Citizen said:
At the end of the day, it is an individual's choice.
All I know is that the letter I got with my GC, did not present me with any opt outs. My letter clearly stated that I have to carry it all times, so I did for 2 years and 9 months :)
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Of course. Carrying around one's I-94 is also required (never did) as is notifying SSA of your current status (never did), each time it changes.

So far as I know, only failure to file AR-11 will get you kicked out.

Note that *some* states as part of REAL ID put a 'non-citizen' notation on one's DL. I would carry something if I lived in one of those states.
 
I carry a copy of my green card in my wallet when I am in town. I keep the original at home in a safe place. However, if I leave town for some reason, I take my Green Card with me.
MGM
 
It is the immigration law to carry the real GC (not laminated, copy, .......) any where you are. As mentioned above, it is up to you to follow the rule or not and the only one who suffer from the consequences of that is you.
 
I find the chances of ever being asked to show your GC are EXTREMELY low, so I don't carry it with me. I'm not suggesting you do the same, but it is costly to lose the card and have to reapply for a new one.
 
Triple Citizen said:
At the end of the day, it is an individual's choice.
All I know is that the letter I got with my GC, did not present me with any opt outs. My letter clearly stated that I have to carry it all times, so I did for 2 years and 9 months :)
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I take it you've never been robbed?

I've been robbed at knifepoint; on another occasion my father's been robbed at gunpoint. I've also been pickpocketed. Imagine the damage a criminal can do to your life if they have both your driver's license and green card.
 
Jackolantern said:
I take it you've never been robbed?

I've been robbed at knifepoint; on another occasion my father's been robbed at gunpoint. I've also been pickpocketed. Imagine the damage a criminal can do to your life if they have both your driver's license and green card.
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When the USCIS make the law, they are smart enough to know that the person may be robbed, the card may be stollen, the hassle to get replacement GC and so on. Despite that the law is still issued and there is enforcement of the law by certain way or the other and at that time I think all that argument will be repeated for them and I believe will not help that much.
 
How about applying for a duplicate/replacement GC in anticipation of an unforseen event?
Now you have two copies and you carry one with you always.
If that gets lost you a have another one

Neo
 
neocor said:
How about applying for a duplicate/replacement GC in anticipation of an unforseen event? Now you have two copies and you carry one with you always. If that gets lost you a have another one
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If you falsely claim that you have lost it in order to get a second card, that's fraud in the pursuit of an immigration benefit.
 
mmed said:
When the USCIS make the law, they are smart enough to know that the person may be robbed, the card may be stollen, the hassle to get replacement GC and so on.
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Nope they don't care about that. They want to make everybody including citizens have to carry an ID to prove their identity and status. It just happens that so far they've been unsuccessful in extending the ID requirement to citizens, although little by little they are getting closer to doing that, such as with the REAL ID act.
 
Triple Citizen said:
My commiserations. Out of sheer curiosity, what part of the US do you live in? I need to avoid it like a plague :)
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That was years ago in Miami. Now I'm further north where the crime isn't so bad, although I occasionally go into Miami for entertainment. Still, almost anywhere in the US except border towns, there are many more people being mugged each year than people being stopped by government agents and being asked about their immigration status.
 
Triple Citizen said:
My commiserations. Out of sheer curiosity, what part of the US do you live in? I need to avoid it like a plague :)
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Actually I would like to ask where you live, because crimes like those are fairly commonplace. Or atleast hearing about them is not too surprising for most people
 
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