Travel with GC and NP but no RP

C

confus

New Member
Hi everyone,

First of all, thanks for such helpful forums - I just recently found them and I found a lot of useful information and advice on here. Also, sorry if my question has been asked before. I tried finding an answer to it but couldn't.

I currently have a GC, which I received as an asylee. I also have my NP from Russia. I would like to travel to Ukraine.

Technically, I could travel to Ukraine on my NP without any visa. However, I read before that USCIS recommends asylees to travel abroad using the Reentry Permit instead of using NP - even if that requires getting a visa on the Reentry Permit.

The trouble is, I haven't received my Reentry Permit yet. I applied for it, and also asked if my request could be expedited since I have to travel for business rather soon - but unfortunately it is still pending and is taking some time.

Can I still travel with my NP? Is it a good idea? I am not worried about entering Ukraine so much as about coming back into the US. I am afraid if I will have some issues at the point of entry to US if I do this?

Thanks ahead of time for your help!
 
im not 100% sure about this, but i know that it is better to enter the states on either RP or RTD. again im note sure. i have a similar problem. technically i don't need to get a visa for turkey on my RTD, but my lawyer said its better for me to get one then travel on my NP. i have both my NP valid and my RTD (no GC tho), but getting a turkish visa on RTD is such a pain. i hope u find the answer ur looking for.
 
I am going to renew my NP in a few days and travel with it. i already submitted my N-400 therefore i would rather travel around my fingerprint time than my interview time.

my company's immigration law firm, along with a couple of attorneys they referred me to in new york city area, all think this is a non-issue as long as you do not travel back.

hope that helps.
 
I would suggest not using (or renewing it). I had my interview for citizenship last week and the officer cared about that.

confus said:
Hi everyone,

First of all, thanks for such helpful forums - I just recently found them and I found a lot of useful information and advice on here. Also, sorry if my question has been asked before. I tried finding an answer to it but couldn't.

I currently have a GC, which I received as an asylee. I also have my NP from Russia. I would like to travel to Ukraine.

Technically, I could travel to Ukraine on my NP without any visa. However, I read before that USCIS recommends asylees to travel abroad using the Reentry Permit instead of using NP - even if that requires getting a visa on the Reentry Permit.

The trouble is, I haven't received my Reentry Permit yet. I applied for it, and also asked if my request could be expedited since I have to travel for business rather soon - but unfortunately it is still pending and is taking some time.

Can I still travel with my NP? Is it a good idea? I am not worried about entering Ukraine so much as about coming back into the US. I am afraid if I will have some issues at the point of entry to US if I do this?

Thanks ahead of time for your help!
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i am not ignorant of all these. but currently i will have to do it. my job involves me to go to different places to meet our clients; previously the conventions took place in some European countries which i had no problem visiting using RP or RTD. however, this year they put the convention in a country which recognize neither RP nor RTD (it is not my COP). no, i was not the one who could make those decision so don't ask me to change the place. no, at this time i don't think quit my job is a viable option, so don't ask me simply to find another job. it went through a little twist recently because of the swine flu; the trip was delayed temporarily. now it looks that the ban is going to be lifted soon, so i am going to renew it.

i first talked with our company's lawyer; they are specialized in H1b processing. i was told that simply renewing it is not an issue. she actually referred me to two law firms who has more experience in asylum cases. both of them (alex berd and frank belluscio) told me that there was not a problem. the two guys are considered top immigration lawyers in new york city areas, btw.

hope this helps.
 
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Given the circumstances, Uniller, if you're actually questioned about your NP during your interview, I think you'll be able to explain why you renewed and used your passport, and it should not be a problem, really.
 
Thank you very much for all your replies everyone!

I am still unsure about what's the right thing to do here though - but at least I have more backgroud on the issue now :)
 
cafeconleche said:
Given the circumstances, Uniller, if you're actually questioned about your NP during your interview, I think you'll be able to explain why you renewed and used your passport, and it should not be a problem, really.
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i am going to ask one of the attorneys i spoke with to go with me in the naturalization interview. legal services is included in my employment package, therefore paid by my employer. the only thing i can not do is to use the attorney to sue my own employer.

attorneys won't tell you outright that it is ok to renew. they usually phrase out those words with some matrix of risk and possibility. the answers i got from them were "this is really a remote possibility...." or "the risk for that is almost negligible...." after i briefed them of my asylum case. i interpreted it as it is fine.

hope it helps.
 
Lazerthegreat said:
Kiev
Can you share the details of your interview with us?

thanks,
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The officer introduced himself and gave me the oath (to tell the truth). He looked over the N-400 form and asked for my name, address, and DOB. Then he asked Mr. so and so, who petitioned you for your green card. I said nobody because I applied for asylum. Then he opened my A-file and pulled out the asylum application and quickly read what I wrote so many years ago (as an aside it is a bit odd to be sitting next to your own stack of immigration paperwork). He then said can I see your national passport. I handed to him. He looked at it and asked I saw that it expired a while back. did you renew. I said no. why? I said I fled from that country and had no business using a passport from there. he then said I saw that you did not visit your country (he was looking at the N-400 question which asks you to list your trips). I confimed it. The officer then said "thank you for making my life easier." Yes this is a direct quote.

We then moved on to other parts of the N-400. When we were done with the form, I took the civics, reading and writing exams. I passed them all. The officer said that he was approving the application (a supervisor would have to OK his decision before I could be sworn in). I am waiting for my oath letter now.
 
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kiev said:
The officer introduced himself and gave me the oath (to tell the truth). He looked over the N-400 form and asked for my name, address, and DOB. Then he asked Mr. so and so, who petitioned you for your green card. I said nobody because I applied for asylum. Then he opened my A-file and pulled out the asylum application and quickly read what I wrote so many years ago (as an aside it is a bit odd to be sitting next to your own stack of immigration paperwork). He then said can I see your national passport. I handed to him. He looked at it and asked I saw that it expired a while back. did you renew. I said no. why? I said I fled from that country and had no business using a passport from there. he then said I saw that you did not visit your country (he was looking at the N-400 question which asks you to list your trips). I confimed it. The officer then said "thank you for making my life easier." Yes this is a direct quote.

We then moved on to other parts of the N-400. When we were done with the form, I took the civics, reading and writing exams. I passed them all. The officer said that he was approving the application (a supervisor would have to OK his decision before I could be sworn in). I am waiting for my oath letter now.
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good luck on that, and let us know how it goes.

my sister applied naturalization years back in Federal Plaza, NYC. she was interviewed when she was a freshman in college. since there was no pressing needs to be a citizen, she literally 'forgot' the case. after she graduated from college and landed a job, finally they asked her to travel to Canada. she suddenly realized that 1) her green card was going to expire 2) she never heard back from them regarding the N-400 case. she called them and was told that her case was still pending for "security check".

finally she decided to sue. ten days after all parties were served, the assistant US attorney told her that her case was approved. on the phone, she asked him "so my security check was completed?" "security check?" the US attorney was like, huh, who told you that. "to tell you the truth," he said, the immigration officer left his job right after he interviewed you, so your file was locked up somewhere for 4 years.

since i need to get this done so that i won't have to apply all these visas, if they still give me this bull, i will have to sue them on the 121st day.
 
The federal plaza immigration office works much better now. Most applications for naturalization are completed (by completed I mean the taking of the oath) in five months or less. Also the office management is now very proactive.

Good luck with the process.
 
Uniller said:
good luck on that, and let us know how it goes.

my sister applied naturalization years back in Federal Plaza, NYC. she was interviewed when she was a freshman in college. since there was no pressing needs to be a citizen, she literally 'forgot' the case. after she graduated from college and landed a job, finally they asked her to travel to Canada. she suddenly realized that 1) her green card was going to expire 2) she never heard back from them regarding the N-400 case. she called them and was told that her case was still pending for "security check".

finally she decided to sue. ten days after all parties were served, the assistant US attorney told her that her case was approved. on the phone, she asked him "so my security check was completed?" "security check?" the US attorney was like, huh, who told you that. "to tell you the truth," he said, the immigration officer left his job right after he interviewed you, so your file was locked up somewhere for 4 years.

since i need to get this done so that i won't have to apply all these visas, if they still give me this bull, i will have to sue them on the 121st day.
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After your interview you may want to inform the officer that you have an urgent need to travel. My clients could speed up the process this way (at least for clients who could say that they could not use their national passports).
 
thankful said:
After your interview you may want to inform the officer that you have an urgent need to travel. My clients could speed up the process this way (at least for clients who could say that they could not use their national passports).
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thankful, thank you for the tip, however, i don't think i will be able to say so since at that time i probably would have renewed my NP (i stated this in previous posts in this thread), unless tomorrow i win some big lottery or the swine flu was on the top news again.
 
Dear friends, it's so nice to read about your "interview for citizenship" but for us who are still years far from filing n400 the question is: HOW dangerous to travel(I mean short trip 7-10 days) with NP when there is delays with RTD/RP?
And what does "depends on the nature of your asylum application " means?(Thankful?)
We're going through the same circles you already did.but in the new time?
Thanks.
 
kaya14 said:
Dear friends, it's so nice to read about your "interview for citizenship" but for us who are still years far from filing n400 the question is: HOW dangerous to travel(I mean short trip 7-10 days) with NP when there is delays with RTD/RP?
And what does "depends on the nature of your asylum application " means?(Thankful?)
We're going through the same circles you already did.but in the new time?
Thanks.
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I think timeline plays a great role in these issues. Some people's journey took 10-15 years. Nowdays everything moves much faster. If you applied for asylum just a year ago and now have a GC, it is better to wait before you do any business with your COP Embassy. This is my take on it, though technically speaking, we all are in a same boat. :)
 
You are damn right! It also depends on whom you claim to be. Asylees claimed to be the authoritarian regime fighter like Dalai Lama in their asylum application may take notice: all what I have said that it is O.K. to renew your passport does not apply to you.
 
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