N400 And Physical Presence

[hertha]

Hi dear friends,

I have a question.

How come at POE the officers dont know ,how long u have been away, if you are a green card holder. They asked a couple of friends of mine. And they never knew.

It also happened to me once as well. I was gone for 5 months ans was asked, i accidentally said 5 weeks, before i cud correct myself, the officer said TY and Welcome Back.

Is it because, if u are an EU national, u passport does not get stamped, neother when you leave the Us noe when u enter ur home country?


I m really interested in knowing why.


And furthermore...

A friend of mine (a GC holder)left the States for more than a year, cos his parents died. He didnt apply for reentry-permit.

He s coming back next week.

Is it advisable for him to pass thru the GC POE or the regular POE for tourists, where they dont ask him, how long he been away.

What happens if a GC holder pass thru this port, without showing his card then.

I know he shud have applied for reentry and all

But he didnt, he was totally thru with his life, now he wants to restart.

So please advise me ( or him) on the questions.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE

 

[pralay]

How come at POE the officers dont know ,how long u have been away, if you are a green card holder. They asked a couple of friends of mine. And they never knew.

It also happened to me once as well. I was gone for 5 months ans was asked, i accidentally said 5 weeks, before i cud correct myself, the officer said TY and Welcome Back.

Is it because, if u are an EU national, u passport does not get stamped, neother when you leave the Us noe when u enter ur home country?

Because US does not have any formal BCBP-controlled exit system. However, after 9/11 they started tracking people who are leaving too - not directly, but thru passenger menifests which they obtain from airlines. So even if most of your friend's are getting away with it, someday someone can land in trouble. And it's not very difficult to figure out, if the officer suspects someone is lying for a reason, he/she can ask for the ticket book and check onward jorney date.

A friend of mine (a GC holder)left the States for more than a year, cos his parents died. He didnt apply for reentry-permit.

He s coming back next week.

Is it advisable for him to pass thru the GC POE or the regular POE for tourists, where they dont ask him, how long he been away.

What happens if a GC holder pass thru this port, without showing his card then.

I know he shud have applied for reentry and all

But he didnt, he was totally thru with his life, now he wants to restart.

So please advise me ( or him) on the questions.

Better to enter as GC holder. Entering as tourist (non-immigrant) can land him in more trouble in future (even at POE). Normally a PR should apply for re-entry permit before leaving USA, however in special circumstance, a PR can obtain re-entry permit even after leaving USA. He should have tried that when he realized that he have to stay more than one year.