Hi there,
I'm new to this forum and read a few old threads but it is still unclear to me whether RTD is required for people who got GC via aslyum to reenter the US after traveling abroad... If one has GC and valid NP, he/she can of course use the NP to go abroad, but is the GC (obtained through asylum) sufficient for he/she to reenter the US? Imagine if the immigration officer at the reentry airport notices GC is of alylum origin, will the officer treat the traveller differently and require he/she produce RTD or RP?
Another question is: how much risk is involved if one who got GC via asylum visits COP briefly for emergency family reasons?
The 2 questions above are both on behalf of a friend whose mom (at her home country) has recently been hospitalized and is dying. The friend just received GC after waiting 6 years since asylum approval and is now very eager to go back to COP for 2 weeks to see her mom (he NP has been renewed -- the consulate of her COP didn't check her status in the US -- so enterring her COP is not a concern). She plans to depart in March or April, which is way too soon to get RTD, so I do hope the answer to the first question is GC is good enough for reentry and she won't need RTD...
As to the 2nd question, the friend is mainly concerned whether the immigration officer at her reentry airport may give her a hard time -- family emergency is a sound reason of travel, but the fact that she safely and timely returned from COP would suggest her fear of political persecution was no longer valid (when she applied for asylum she was an active dissident and her fear was well founded, but she is no longer politically active). She wonders whether she might be denied reentry or her GC be revoked for the reason of ceased eligibility for asylum. It should be no problem to get certified documentation showing her mom's health condition, but strictly speaking this has nothing to do with political persecution, and after all the government in her COP is the same as before and it is her who changed... I know many people on this forum have visisted their home countries and come back to the US w/o any issues, but we are just paranoid and are trying to imagine the worst scenario so as to avoid unforeseen difficulties later...
Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Best Regards,
Colt
I'm new to this forum and read a few old threads but it is still unclear to me whether RTD is required for people who got GC via aslyum to reenter the US after traveling abroad... If one has GC and valid NP, he/she can of course use the NP to go abroad, but is the GC (obtained through asylum) sufficient for he/she to reenter the US? Imagine if the immigration officer at the reentry airport notices GC is of alylum origin, will the officer treat the traveller differently and require he/she produce RTD or RP?
Another question is: how much risk is involved if one who got GC via asylum visits COP briefly for emergency family reasons?
The 2 questions above are both on behalf of a friend whose mom (at her home country) has recently been hospitalized and is dying. The friend just received GC after waiting 6 years since asylum approval and is now very eager to go back to COP for 2 weeks to see her mom (he NP has been renewed -- the consulate of her COP didn't check her status in the US -- so enterring her COP is not a concern). She plans to depart in March or April, which is way too soon to get RTD, so I do hope the answer to the first question is GC is good enough for reentry and she won't need RTD...
As to the 2nd question, the friend is mainly concerned whether the immigration officer at her reentry airport may give her a hard time -- family emergency is a sound reason of travel, but the fact that she safely and timely returned from COP would suggest her fear of political persecution was no longer valid (when she applied for asylum she was an active dissident and her fear was well founded, but she is no longer politically active). She wonders whether she might be denied reentry or her GC be revoked for the reason of ceased eligibility for asylum. It should be no problem to get certified documentation showing her mom's health condition, but strictly speaking this has nothing to do with political persecution, and after all the government in her COP is the same as before and it is her who changed... I know many people on this forum have visisted their home countries and come back to the US w/o any issues, but we are just paranoid and are trying to imagine the worst scenario so as to avoid unforeseen difficulties later...
Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Best Regards,
Colt