Need advice:
I am a US citizen. In late 2004, my wife and I were living overseas and applied in the US embassy for a green card for my wife. Since at the time we were not yet married for 2 years, they gave her a green card with conditional status. They also gave us 6 months to move to the US. In early 2005, we moved to the US, and everything was fine. In 2006, we went back overseas, and we ended up staying out of the US for over 12 months, which according to the USCIS terminates the green card.
In 2007 when the green card was due to expire, we got a letter telling my wife to go to a USCIS office to have the conditional status removed. However, since we were overseas, she didn't go.
However, right around that same time, we decided to move back to the US. So we went to the embassy again to see how to proceed. They had her apply for an SB-1 Returning Resident Visa, and told her that she would receive a new green card without conditional status this time.
Great. It was approved, and we moved back to the US in Feb 2008. They told us that she would receive the green card in up to 6 months.
During the course of 2008, we received several letters from the USCIS telling her that the green card would arrive soon, etc.
6 months came and went, and no green card. We called several times and were told that it was sent in March 2008. We never got it. They told us to file for a lost card and we did. In the mean time, we received a letter telling her to go to the office to have the conditions removed! What conditions? The receipt number on this letter matched the original green card from 2005!
We called, and nobody knew what to tell us. She went to the office just in case and was fingerprinted, etc.
I had a feeling that we were going to get 2 green cards, and I was right. Last month, she received the green card with a residence date of 2005 and the receipt number from the 2005 application. Basically this was the green card that had the conditions removed.
A week later, we got the "lost" green card that was from the SB-1 application with a 2008 residence date.
So now she has 2 green cards with 2 different "resident since" dates. One 2005 and the other 2008. I would assume that the 2008 is the correct one, but who knows. I called USCIS, but as I am sure everyone here knows, the people there are complete idiots.
I am afraid to make an appointment with the local office, because from experience, they are also idiots, and might end up cancelling the wrong card and causing more headaches.
My wife and I are going overseas next week for 3 weeks, and we are not sure which green card to show the immigration people in the airport when we come back.
Should we show both?
Please help.
I am a US citizen. In late 2004, my wife and I were living overseas and applied in the US embassy for a green card for my wife. Since at the time we were not yet married for 2 years, they gave her a green card with conditional status. They also gave us 6 months to move to the US. In early 2005, we moved to the US, and everything was fine. In 2006, we went back overseas, and we ended up staying out of the US for over 12 months, which according to the USCIS terminates the green card.
In 2007 when the green card was due to expire, we got a letter telling my wife to go to a USCIS office to have the conditional status removed. However, since we were overseas, she didn't go.
However, right around that same time, we decided to move back to the US. So we went to the embassy again to see how to proceed. They had her apply for an SB-1 Returning Resident Visa, and told her that she would receive a new green card without conditional status this time.
Great. It was approved, and we moved back to the US in Feb 2008. They told us that she would receive the green card in up to 6 months.
During the course of 2008, we received several letters from the USCIS telling her that the green card would arrive soon, etc.
6 months came and went, and no green card. We called several times and were told that it was sent in March 2008. We never got it. They told us to file for a lost card and we did. In the mean time, we received a letter telling her to go to the office to have the conditions removed! What conditions? The receipt number on this letter matched the original green card from 2005!
We called, and nobody knew what to tell us. She went to the office just in case and was fingerprinted, etc.
I had a feeling that we were going to get 2 green cards, and I was right. Last month, she received the green card with a residence date of 2005 and the receipt number from the 2005 application. Basically this was the green card that had the conditions removed.
A week later, we got the "lost" green card that was from the SB-1 application with a 2008 residence date.
So now she has 2 green cards with 2 different "resident since" dates. One 2005 and the other 2008. I would assume that the 2008 is the correct one, but who knows. I called USCIS, but as I am sure everyone here knows, the people there are complete idiots.
I am afraid to make an appointment with the local office, because from experience, they are also idiots, and might end up cancelling the wrong card and causing more headaches.
My wife and I are going overseas next week for 3 weeks, and we are not sure which green card to show the immigration people in the airport when we come back.
Should we show both?
Please help.