Sending wife her Green Card to her home country (South Korea).

[Dante2022]

I've received my wife's Green Card via mail, but she's currently out of the country for personal reasons. She'll return in a few weeks. Her passport contains her temporary I-555. I want to ensure she faces no issues re-entering the US, despite her only having a temporary I-555 with a stamp next to it. She received this stamp at the end of January 2024 and left the country around the beginning of March 2024.

To send her physical Green Card, I'm considering carriers like USPS, UPS, or FedEx to send her Green Card to her home country. I'd appreciate any advice or experiences others may have in this regard. I'm concerned about the risk of the Green Card getting lost during shipment, which would entail a hefty $600 replacement fee. While I've heard about insurance options, I'm unsure if they cover lost Green Cards. Any insights on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Even though I've read that she can re-enter the US with her passport containing the temporary I-555 and the accompanying stamp (issued when she first entered the US), I'm worried she might face difficulties. The temporary I-555 doesn't provide comprehensive information on her re-entry eligibility.

Do anyone have any advice?

 

[cafeconleche]

If she has the proof of permanent residence in her passport there is no need to send her the card unless she will be transiting countries that waive visa requirements ONLY for the physical card. CBP will absolutely let her in with just the stamp, and airlines know about it too so she will not require an ESTA.

You're right that mailing the GC carries the risk of loss and a huge potential hassle. However I received mine via FedEx when I was abroad. Your choice whether you want to do it or not.

BTW it is I-551, not I-555.

 

[Marco Jahn]

CBP will absolutely let her in with just the stamp, and airlines know about it too so she will not require an ESTA.

However, this can cause problems if the CBP officer is poorly trained when entering the country. Before entering the country for the first time, you will receive an immigrant visa, which is intended for a single entry. When you enter the country, you will then receive an oval stamp (I551) that is valid as a temporary green card. It was exactly the same for me. And like many green card holders, I then traveled back to my home country because I wanted to prepare for the final move. When I wanted to re-enter the USA less than 6 weeks later, the CBP officer caused a lot of problems. He was of the opinion that I was only allowed to enter the country for 2 weeks without a physical green card because my immigrant visa was only valid for those 2 weeks. After that, in his opinion, I would be in the country illegally because I did not yet have a physical green card. In other words, he completely ignored the stamp and the sentence on the visa that the stamp is valid for 1 year as a temporary green card. In the end, I was only able to enter the country because I wanted to leave 4 days later.

 

[newacct]

However, this can cause problems if the CBP officer is poorly trained when entering the country. Before entering the country for the first time, you will receive an immigrant visa, which is intended for a single entry. When you enter the country, you will then receive an oval stamp (I551) that is valid as a temporary green card. It was exactly the same for me. And like many green card holders, I then traveled back to my home country because I wanted to prepare for the final move. When I wanted to re-enter the USA less than 6 weeks later, the CBP officer caused a lot of problems. He was of the opinion that I was only allowed to enter the country for 2 weeks without a physical green card because my immigrant visa was only valid for those 2 weeks. After that, in his opinion, I would be in the country illegally because I did not yet have a physical green card. In other words, he completely ignored the stamp and the sentence on the visa that the stamp is valid for 1 year as a temporary green card. In the end, I was only able to enter the country because I wanted to leave 4 days later.

The CBP officer at entry has no power to send you (a permanent resident) back. If you stand your ground, the most they can do is give you a Notice to Appear for removal proceedings in immigration court, where the immigration judge will agree with you that you can obviously enter.

 

[cafeconleche]

However, this can cause problems if the CBP officer is poorly trained when entering the country. Before entering the country for the first time, you will receive an immigrant visa, which is intended for a single entry. When you enter the country, you will then receive an oval stamp (I551) that is valid as a temporary green card. It was exactly the same for me. And like many green card holders, I then traveled back to my home country because I wanted to prepare for the final move. When I wanted to re-enter the USA less than 6 weeks later, the CBP officer caused a lot of problems. He was of the opinion that I was only allowed to enter the country for 2 weeks without a physical green card because my immigrant visa was only valid for those 2 weeks. After that, in his opinion, I would be in the country illegally because I did not yet have a physical green card. In other words, he completely ignored the stamp and the sentence on the visa that the stamp is valid for 1 year as a temporary green card. In the end, I was only able to enter the country because I wanted to leave 4 days later.

Well, it seems you, my friend, had the privilege of encountering what we in the immigrant community like to call an asshat. Worse, you got an asshat who didn't know one of the most basic immigrant visa regulations, even one that was written out in full on the visa sticker in your passport. This was unfortunate, and yes, anyone could be in this situation, but in 99% of cases, the officer knows full well what an endorsement on an immigrant visa sticker means. Whether the person in question now wants their green card sent to them abroad or not is their decision based on what they have read here now. If they are the nervous type, you are probably right, and it might be better to have the card. If it were myself, I would definitely stand my ground and assert my rights, something that all new immigrants ought to learn to do

 

[SusieQQQ]

Well, it seems you, my friend, had the privilege of encountering what we in the immigrant community like to call an asshat. Worse, you got an asshat who didn't know one of the most basic immigrant visa regulations, even one that was written out in full on the visa sticker in your passport. This was unfortunate, and yes, anyone could be in this situation, but in 99% of cases, the officer knows full well what an endorsement on an immigrant visa sticker means. Whether the person in question now wants their green card sent to them abroad or not is their decision based on what they have read here now. If they are the nervous type, you are probably right, and it might be better to have the card. If it were myself, I would definitely stand my ground and assert my rights, something that all new immigrants ought to learn to do

The problem normally doesn’t come from CBP officers who as you point out usually know the law (maybe that guy was new), but I’ve heard a number of instances where airline staff don’t understand it and refuse to board the person. That can be got around demanding to speak to a supervisor and consulting the carrier manual, but I’m not sure many people even know about that -especially if they don’t hang out on forums. I’ve seen a number of people post after being sent back from the airport and missing their flights because of this (enough that this was why I got my GC couriered to me before my return).