Question for people with PR/I-485 approved: Did you get a new Passport?

H

henri97

Registered Users (C)
If you can share your experience about that, we will appreciate it. (This is supposed to be a very practical question by the way). For people with PR/I-485 approved: Did you get a new Passport? I know this has been discussed before. Sorry I am the one asking now, but previous discussions were a bit confusing. I am (and probably a lot of people are) interested to know WHAT DID YOU DO?

I'd love to here from you guys that ALREADY got PR approved. Did you get a new passport? ESPECIALLY I'D LIKE TO KNOW FROM PEOPLE THAT HAD A LAWYER HELPING THEM WITH THIS ISSUE. What did the lawyer say?

I know you are not supposed to renew your passport before you are adjusted to PR status; I also know you are not supposed to go back to your country, which I am scared to do anyway. This is not what I am asking about.

My concern is: having to count on the RTD to travel until we finally qualify citizenship.

The approval of my I-485 is years away anyway, but I really would like to have an idea of what people have done. Thanks in advance.
 
You shouldnt renew your passport. When you apply for a RTD..it asks "have you renewed your passport?"...IF you did you woul dhave to answer YES and explain why..which can raise some questions...

Don't renew until you need a RTD..which means until Citizenship..If you want a lawyer to answer that..they may say GO ahead renew it..but you need to look at the facts..not all lawyers give you good info
 
If you renew NP and then obtain RTD you would have to fill out in the application that you renewed your NP. Well it is not necessarily true that they would issue arrest warrants for you and maybe in most cases they would still issue you an RTD after having to know the reason of your NP renewal. (Most people want to renew not to go back to home country but ease of travel and to avoid botheration of obtaining highly expensive RTD for mere few months). But this a huge -ve that can be used against you in future. Probably during adjustment time. Its not advisable to renew NP.
 
At the same time I know of at least one person who has renewed his national passpoart and during adjustment got stamped on it and now is just about to become a USC.
Is all this a myth or depends on an officer? This is crazy.
 
I have a friend in NY..who got his GC(asylee) and then renewed his passport. He went back to his home country..twice..came back..had no problem. Applied for citizenship and was questioned why he went back..to protect hismelf he gave an excuse of a sick member..to which he couldnt produce any evidence...

HIS Us Citzenship was denied. His citizenship was denied because GC was obtained on "Fraud"..He was asked to re-apply for asylum because his asylum was also taken away from him.

HIs asylum since has been rejected 2 times..and he has been issued a deportation order. His son is born here (A U.S citizen) and the judge has told them that he can stay but his parents have to leave within six months.

If you dont believe me, I can give you his number and you can hear his sad story...

Bewarned!!!
 
thanks for replies but ... I'd prefer 1st person actual experiences

I am not sure if we have a lot of people here in this forum with their GCs. I think people in this forum would have a better idea if it is not a story "somebody told me".

If this is a taboo question (meaning that people might be afraid of answering here in writing), someone, please, tell me. Also - it does not have to be a long answer. If you had a lawyer working with your case at this point, what did he/she say?
 
one more thing

I don't mean to be bossy (about how people should answer question). I just think it would be nice to hear from a 1st person experience instead, like ...

I did this or I did that. :) Again if it is a taboo question, sorry .... :cool:
 
Henri97......You can't even use your NP because you can't travel without a RTD...right? So why are you worryign about it now?...Bascially everybody(asylee) wants no boxing match with USCIS so no one has renewed their passport..because no one wants to be the "FIRST EVER CASE"...

So We all can shutup but you wont find many users who have done stupid things as what you are asking for...Mr Bossman! :)
 
OK you wanted to hear from the experience.

This one will be easy. Dear friends, please just visit, STL or CHI and go to 'Bosna Town' in the couth city (STL). You can easily meet hundreds of refugees AND asylees who (I KNOW) have NPs and traveled. In the matter of fact there was no even a single incident regarding this issue.

I also know some people from Serbia and Kosovo! So buy cheap southwest ticket, spend a weekend and remove your fears.

Saying this, it may not be applicable to all refugees or asylees, ie depends what has really changed in his/her home country. Does this make sense?
 
samird said:
This one will be easy. Dear friends, please just visit, STL or CHI and go to 'Bosna Town' in the couth city (STL). You can easily meet hundreds of refugees AND asylees who (I KNOW) have NPs and traveled. In the matter of fact there was no even a single incident regarding this issue.

I also know some people from Serbia and Kosovo! So buy cheap southwest ticket, spend a weekend and remove your fears.

Saying this, it may not be applicable to all refugees or asylees, ie depends what has really changed in his/her home country. Does this make sense?
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You can use your NP and travel but you can not renew it. So basically it's useful for a couple of years. As stated in some posts we ahve to have RTD to return and that's mandatory rule. Nobody knows how USCIS would react on NP renewal. I guess it depends if Officer is in a good mood or an asshole by his nature. At the end I want to state that travel to the home country untill the citizeship is a huge risk.
 
ok then

you said you cannot renew your NP? How abut this: There was a visit from a Bosnian official to STL and many people attended. Most of them refugees but some asylees. The law is actually the same for both groups except for the fact where the status has been obtained, and the ugly processing time differences.

So here we are at this meeting where an official (from Bosnian government) congrats to 'Bosnian emigration' on how sucessfull they are, mentioning their businesses and new establishments far from home. He was also collecting money donations, for his political party (did somebody say something about ties with his/her country :eek: ). And then introduces people with consulate services etc. Many but I mean MANY people obtained or renewed NPs!!! In the matter of fact I will try to get a scan of one (and blur the name BUT will leave the dates). Yes they OBTAINED new passports because as refugees they most likely had OLD Yugoslav passports and now they have NEW Bosnian passports!

So what is actually happening here? Well they did not take advantage of refugee/asylee law. Yes their homes have been burned and family members killed. Some (most) of them have been in camps and tortured, but somehow they got here. The war is over, and yes they can go back. They can even go back to their homes (but in most situations they either sold them or exchanged them with other ethnic groups). The bottom line is that they can go home. And they do.

Once again the law is black and white but you can interpet it in either way.

So let's help each other, and let's not claim something we 'heard' or advise people. Everyone should asses and take the risk accordingly.

my 2 cents.
 
My answer is if you really want to renew your passport for WHATEVER REASONS(Maybe u want to see your parents, Lover, Dog, Miss home, Wanna keep an ID.....so on..) let your friend in the embassy do it for you.

If you dont know anyone, dont renew your passport if u still want the GC or citizenship
 
samird said:
you said you cannot renew your NP? How abut this: There was a visit from a Bosnian official to STL and many people attended. Most of them refugees but some asylees. The law is actually the same for both groups except for the fact where the status has been obtained, and the ugly processing time differences.
my 2 cents.
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Well The bosnian official or any other offical wont come and help you when you are denied a GC.

Look, you apply for asylum stating that you are scared to go back to the country. Yes situations change..countries change..politics change..It doeasnt mean you can never go back. USCIS simply follows rules..ok? when you enter U.S, the officer looks at your A# and sees you are an asylee and sends you off...He is following a Protocol that was installed...

If there were rules installed that put in your U.S passport that since you are an asylee from that country..cant travel there...then you can say you can never travel back.

Advise is KISS..Keep it simple stupid and until you get your G.C, dont risk applying for a NP.

This board is not to scare anyone by "You know what" stories..IF you choose to ignore that and say "OH a bosnian official" came and cheered for asylees and etc etc...USCIS wont listen to your "bosnian official" when things turn sour in your case.

If you choose to fool yourself ..then go ahead do it. But things that have happened to others is what most of us go on...I mean why do ppl ask for timelines etc?..Real-life experience is what we can go for..
 
Ok I have stupid question then: If people apply for NP, how exactly and when it will cause them problem? Will the consulates/embassies send the list of refugees who applied for NP to INS?
 
wantmygcnow said:
samird, embassies wont do anything UNLESS asked. I have no clue what USCIS may or may not ask..
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Well you have to give your old passport to your consulate to get a new one. What if USCIS will request your old passport?
 
answer:

"I do not have it. It expired and I throw it just like old credit cards". Why would anyone keep old expired passport it is good for NOTHING. Nobody will accept it as ID or ask for it.
 
samird said:
"I do not have it. It expired and I throw it just like old credit cards". Why would anyone keep old expired passport it is good for NOTHING. Nobody will accept it as ID or ask for it.
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But for USCIS it's an evidence that person didn't renew it. Anyway, this coversation goes nowhere. I think a lot of people here already renewed their passports and also visited home countries, but play innocent. Everybody should think before taking a risk. Most of the time everything goes fine with USCIS unless person shows direct evidence of him or her btraveling to home country.
 
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