I recently travelled to India with just a 551 stamp on my passport. With the war and all I was concerned about my return, I will post my experience for everyone's benefit.
My passport was checked/travel documents verified 7 times during the entire travel
1. Leaving Seattle : The EVA airlines personal checked my Indian passport, asked me to fill the embarcation card, didn't ask no questions and gave me the barding pass.
2. Changing plane in bangkok: The Indian Airlines plane to calcutta was cancelled due to technical problems, the airline representative took my passport, gave me a little slip and put us in a BUS transferred us to a Hotel for overnight stay. I did leave the hotel and had a good nights out in bangkok.
3. Calcutta immigration: The immigratoin officer was in a hurry, didn't ask me anything, stamped the first page of my passport and yelled NEXT.
4. Banaglore Immigration: I guess it should be called "emmigration" but never mind. The officer was talking to another officer in bangalore while checking my passport,
Officer: Where are you going
Me: Seattle, US
flips thru the passport, ponders over the expired HI visa, looks at the I 551 stamp and looks Shocked and yells : Green Card
Me: Yes Sir
officer: Green card Dikhao ( Dikhao = Show)
Me: I don't have the physicall Green Card just this
Officer ( looking confused flips thru other pages): Umm normally there should be the Card.. where is the expiry date of this thing
me: Here sir it's valid till Nov 19 2003
Officer: OK
Stamps the passport
5. Singapore airport EVA transfer desk:
Clerk: passport please
I Give him the passport he flips thru finds the 551 stamp, again looks shocked and yells : GREEN CARD
me: yes Sir
Clerk; Can I see your green card
Me: I don't have that yet just this
He goes on prints the boarding cards and comments he is unsure of the Stamp call someone on the Phone talks in "singaporean", another clerk on the next desk sings to him that a stamp is good enough
He gives me the boarding cards and says "have a good trip"
6. singapore plane gate:
There's an Indian looking lady offcer checking passports.
Officer: You going to taipai or all the way to US
Me: US
flip thru my passport finds the 551: Do you have the card
Me: Not yet mam.
waves me thru.
7. taipai airport plane gate:
there are men with guns infront of gates with US bound plane.
officer find the 551 stamp: Do u have green card
Me : No not the physicall card
Officer talks to another officer waves me thru.
8. Seattle imigration:
On the public address system: US citizens, canadian citizens, green card holder counter 3 and 4, other nationals counter 1 and 2. I show up on counter 3
Officer flips thru passport: Do you have green card in here
Me: yes. try to show him the page.
He takes it away from me and find the page
Officer (while typing on the computer): Which are u in INdia
Me: Calcutta
Officer: They have a new name right
Me: yes Kolkatta
Officer: Do you know Where is a good place to stay in Bombay.
Me: yes somewhere in Juhu beach Iived in Bombay for a few years 7 years ago
Officer: great i might be staying at Juhu Holiday Inn, are there any good place where the locals come and have good beer
Me: yeah the bars in the hotel
Officer: I don't want to waste your time but i want a local place not bars in hotels
Me: well in India most bars are in hotels and locals do come there
Officer: Great thanks. I am going there for vaccation in 2 weeks it will be nice to be in sun then this desk Job. Welcome back
stamps my passport.
The stamp says Addmitted Until " LPR temporary 551"
Me: Thanks
My passport was checked/travel documents verified 7 times during the entire travel
1. Leaving Seattle : The EVA airlines personal checked my Indian passport, asked me to fill the embarcation card, didn't ask no questions and gave me the barding pass.
2. Changing plane in bangkok: The Indian Airlines plane to calcutta was cancelled due to technical problems, the airline representative took my passport, gave me a little slip and put us in a BUS transferred us to a Hotel for overnight stay. I did leave the hotel and had a good nights out in bangkok.
3. Calcutta immigration: The immigratoin officer was in a hurry, didn't ask me anything, stamped the first page of my passport and yelled NEXT.
4. Banaglore Immigration: I guess it should be called "emmigration" but never mind. The officer was talking to another officer in bangalore while checking my passport,
Officer: Where are you going
Me: Seattle, US
flips thru the passport, ponders over the expired HI visa, looks at the I 551 stamp and looks Shocked and yells : Green Card
Me: Yes Sir
officer: Green card Dikhao ( Dikhao = Show)
Me: I don't have the physicall Green Card just this
Officer ( looking confused flips thru other pages): Umm normally there should be the Card.. where is the expiry date of this thing
me: Here sir it's valid till Nov 19 2003
Officer: OK
Stamps the passport
5. Singapore airport EVA transfer desk:
Clerk: passport please
I Give him the passport he flips thru finds the 551 stamp, again looks shocked and yells : GREEN CARD
me: yes Sir
Clerk; Can I see your green card
Me: I don't have that yet just this
He goes on prints the boarding cards and comments he is unsure of the Stamp call someone on the Phone talks in "singaporean", another clerk on the next desk sings to him that a stamp is good enough
He gives me the boarding cards and says "have a good trip"
6. singapore plane gate:
There's an Indian looking lady offcer checking passports.
Officer: You going to taipai or all the way to US
Me: US
flip thru my passport finds the 551: Do you have the card
Me: Not yet mam.
waves me thru.
7. taipai airport plane gate:
there are men with guns infront of gates with US bound plane.
officer find the 551 stamp: Do u have green card
Me : No not the physicall card
Officer talks to another officer waves me thru.
8. Seattle imigration:
On the public address system: US citizens, canadian citizens, green card holder counter 3 and 4, other nationals counter 1 and 2. I show up on counter 3
Officer flips thru passport: Do you have green card in here
Me: yes. try to show him the page.
He takes it away from me and find the page
Officer (while typing on the computer): Which are u in INdia
Me: Calcutta
Officer: They have a new name right
Me: yes Kolkatta
Officer: Do you know Where is a good place to stay in Bombay.
Me: yes somewhere in Juhu beach Iived in Bombay for a few years 7 years ago
Officer: great i might be staying at Juhu Holiday Inn, are there any good place where the locals come and have good beer
Me: yeah the bars in the hotel
Officer: I don't want to waste your time but i want a local place not bars in hotels
Me: well in India most bars are in hotels and locals do come there
Officer: Great thanks. I am going there for vaccation in 2 weeks it will be nice to be in sun then this desk Job. Welcome back
stamps my passport.
The stamp says Addmitted Until " LPR temporary 551"
Me: Thanks