Travel Document

X

xcrunner28

Registered Users (C)
I am currently an asylee (Asylum granted in December 2012) and have an unrestricted SS card, also a refugee travel document. I am also a pilot by profession. An airline I applied to recently is requesting my ability to work in the U.S. and also my ability to travel in and outside of the U.S. I told them of my situation (I am asylee and I have a travel document), but they are not convinced that the SS card and the travel document qualifies for my being eligible to work at the airline. I was very confused and further tried to explain my situation to no avail. Is there any other documents I would need to present to prove my case? I think the problem is that the RTD specifically states that "This is not U.S. passport and is not evidence of naturalization..." Thanks!
 
You should point the HR person at the airline to "A Guide to employers" at USCIS website. You don't have to be a US citizen to work as an airline pilot.

[h=3]www.uscis.gov/files/form/m-274.pdf[/h]
 
Thank you, I will point it out. However they are asking for proof of my status in the U.S. Other than the court order that said we received asylum I can't think of any. Also they are not so sure about accepting my travel document either even though you and I know it's perfectly acceptable...
 
The court order should be the proof of your status. Do you have an I-94 annotated with your status? They cannot ask for anything specific and definitely not outside of the list in M-274 document referred to in my previous post.
 
As per I-9, an unrestricted SS card + driving licence = you have a legal status and, therefore, can work. Period. By the way, it is illegal for employers to require more documents than indicated on the I-9, AND it is equally illegal for employers to check for I-9 compliance BEFORE offering a job. Based on the OP's description, this airline company might violate both rules if they claim they do it to verify his right to work in the USA.

However, what the airline company can do is to check the ability of the potential employee to travel internationally. Being a pilot would require an applicant to be able to travel unrestrictedly pretty much anywhere in the world. So, in my opinion they are a bit hesitant because the OP is effectively stateless which might in some way prevent him to travel to certain destinations.

I am not sure which scenario applies to the OP. First one would be illegal, and the second one would not.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks

Hello Folks,
Thanks for your responses. It is clear to me that there is absolutely no doubt that I can transit in and out of Canada while working for this airline (Canada is only the international destination). I have made an appointment with DHS to obtain my I-94 card and also gather some documents (unrestricted SS card, driver's license, and perhaps a letter) and submit it to the airline. I am confident that things will work out in my favor. I thank you again, and I will update once I hear a final word.
 
construct ansmicat

Update:
Just received my I-94 annotated with my status saying that "asylum granted indefinitely." Here is another question. I am of course in the process of verifying this with an attorney. But with my refugee travel document, can I freely transit in and out of Canada and the Caribbean (the 2 international destinations this airline goes to)? In other words, it will be just very short term, temporary travel...
Also I certainly do not want to be questioned or worse do anything illegal here. I want to make sure that I am legit. The problem that the airline has is that the RTD unfortunately states something to the matter of "This is not a U.S. passport and does not confirm to naturalization..."
 
Well, Refugee Travel Document is not a passport, in that it does not prove any citizenship. Do you have a Green Card? Just because you are asylee, it does not mean you are stateless (although you might be), so you can try to obtain the passport from your country of persecution. As long as you do not travel to the country of persecution, you should not have any problem with your asylum status in the USA. Having a GC + your national passport would certainly help clearing things up with the airline because it appears that this particular airline has absolutely no clue what asylum status is and what to do with it. It would also help with your future travels.
 
König said:
Well, Refugee Travel Document is not a passport, in that it does not prove any citizenship. Do you have a Green Card? Just because you are asylee, it does not mean you are stateless (although you might be), so you can try to obtain the passport from your country of persecution. As long as you do not travel to the country of persecution, you should not have any problem with your asylum status in the USA. Having a GC + your national passport would certainly help clearing things up with the airline because it appears that this particular airline has absolutely no clue what asylum status is and what to do with it. It would also help with your future travels.
Click to expand...

I received asylum in December of 2012, so as you may know I have to wait an year until I can apply for the GC, then I will of course have no issue traveling with the GC+ Sri Lankan passport. Yes there is no doubt that the HR people are not aware of my situation. So I am having an attorney write a letter explaining that I can a) work legally with my asylum status since I have an unrestricted SS card and U.S. driver's license and I-94. and b) explain the purpose of my travel document. In my case as a Sri Lankan citizen, I just learned that I will have to obtain a VISA to transit in and out of Canada. It may take a couple of weeks to get everything in order, but I am confident that things will work in my favor...
 
Yeah, with RTD and without GC you would need a visa to pretty much any country. With GC it gets much easier in terms of visa-free travel to Canada and the Caribbean Islands.
 
hello, I have a related question: can I travel to Turkey with RTD and GC but without my NP from Uzbekistan (and Uzbek national are not require visa to enter Turkey). I cannot use it because: 1. It has expired 2. USCIS recommends not to use it at all. My RTD says that my nationality is Uzbekistani, do you think in my case I can go ahead and purchase air ticket? Thanks
 
utkonos82 said:
hello, I have a related question: can I travel to Turkey with RTD and GC but without my NP from Uzbekistan (and Uzbek national are not require visa to enter Turkey). I cannot use it because: 1. It has expired 2. USCIS recommends not to use it at all. My RTD says that my nationality is Uzbekistani, do you think in my case I can go ahead and purchase air ticket? Thanks
Click to expand...
You almost certainly have to get a Turkish visa in your RTD.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top