Need to travel (not home country)

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Kelabit03

Registered Users (C)
Dear all,

I am an asylee and am in the process of applying for my GC. Now there is a need for me to travel to a 3rd country (not home country) on business. This is new to me so I would really appreciate any advice from people who have done it before. I think I need to apply for a RTD and cannot travel on my home country passport (even though it is still valid). How long does it take to apply for RTD? I might be flying out in a matter of weeks or months. Also, what is this thing called "advanced parole"? Do I need to apply for that? Is the process of leaving and then returning to the US going to be difficult? Any advice would surely help. Thanks all.
 
I was told by my lawyer that I have to apply for the Advance Parole, but that was a wrong info. Only thing you need is RTD (and money of course :D ). As I've heard from this forum, it takes 4-6 weeks to get it. If I'm wrong, please correct me. The last time I traveled (August 2002), it took me a while to clear BCIS check on the border when I came back because of the advance parole. If I had RTD it would be easy check. She almost let me go, when I showed my advance parole. Nothing wrong, but had to sit 45 minutes waiting for them to check me. This is my experience.
 
Thanks, nofreedom

Thanks, nofreedom. That was good advice and I guess sufficient for me to get the process into the process of applying for the RTD. I guess. I am like you were ... confused between what "advanced parole" is and what a "RTD" is, only because we've never tried it before. Thanks, man.
 
You are required to use a RTD if you want to retain you asylum status after coming back.

Before leaving, I would strongly advise you to look over your immigration history with a lawyer to ensure that you are not subject to an exclusion ground when you return.

Good luck.
 
Exclusion Ground?

Gilbert, thank you very much for that response. Your advice is always welcome and very useful. As one of the "senior" members of this forum, we always love to hear from you and your experience. Coulld you please provide a little bit more detail on what are the common "exclusion grounds" I should look out for? Here's my brief history (dates are approximate).

05/00 - Entered country on a B-1 B-2 visa. Applied for asylum at port of entry.

10/00 - Visa type changed H1B1 visa.

11/01 - Missed first interview for asylum.

02/02 - Attended rescheduled interview for asylum.

04/02 - Recommended approval for asylum.

07/02 - Asylum approved.

09/03 - In process of applying for GC.

I have never been "out of status" as such. I have never traveld out of the country since entering in 05/00. Do you think there might be any grounds for any concern for me as far as traveling out of the country for me is concerned? I do not choose to travel out of the country voluntarily although I do miss my family members back home, but my company needs me to take a business trip out of the country.

Thanks in advance.
 
Hi Kelabit03,

Gilbert is right, if you have an asylum approval, you can't travel without RTD. As you posted earlier you are going on a business trip next month. The RTD as of today takes at least 4 month to process. The trick around this is as follows. Apply to Nebraska Service Center for RTD. After you recieve your application notice so that you know your case or receipt number, appear in person and they will process it in 5 working days. This is not a rule of thumb, but when you appear in person at their office in Lincoln, they appreciate your emergancy and travel. Just take a written letter from your employer that you need to travel. Believe it or not, I have done that twice and I know at least two people who have done that as well. I don't know how far you live, but I think its not a big deal to waste a day doing that.
 
Thanks, EaglSkyB ... cool!

You never know what you learn in these forums but they are so useful and things you'd never have thought of by yourself!

That's a cool piece of advice, EaglSkyB ... I know what I need to do now if I need to have to get the RTD urgently! I am in the deep south so it's gonna be quite a trip to Lincoln, NE but at least I know now what I need to do, and that it is possible to get the RTD sooner do if one is willing to make the trip and use up a day or two.
 
EaglSkyB,

This is interesting, I did not knew this could be done. Thanks for sharing this information.... Can you please post the physical address of the Nebraska Service Center so those of us who may have no choice but to visit to expedite the case have a destination.

Regards,
 
Hi Every body,

I think what I posted got people excited. Like you know, nothing is guarnteed with the INS because it is mentioned clearly in the Nebraska center web site that they don't deal with the public. I think it's worth trying. The physical address is in downtown Lincoln as follows:-

850 S Street
Lincoln, NE 68501

By the way this "S" doesn't stand for South, the street is called "S" street. They have a weard way of naming streets down there. You will find "O"street, "S" street, "Q" street and "T" street.
Good Luck.
 
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