Noorah101

Hi All,

My case is a unique one, in that my Iranian husband had to do "Special Registration", at the POE when he came on his K-1 visa. He now has CPR status, and has not left the USA at any time since his arrival. Note - these questions will not apply to the majority of people on this forum. Please don't panic.

I've read everything regarding Special Registration at http://www.ice.gov/graphics/specialr...tion/index.htm, but I still have a few questions, for those who might know.

1. This mostly seems to be geared toward non-immigrants, visitors, and students. Since my husband is now a CPR, does it still apply to him? (I'm guessing yes, until he becomes a USC, but just thought I'd ask)

2. He must register his departure from the USA in person (including trips to Canada and Mexico) on the same day as departure. There is a list of POD (Point of Departure) sites listed on the website, but I'm only familiar with Nogales (Arizona). How will we know where to go if we plan a trip to Vancouver by car? Is it just any place where there is a border crossing? It says it must be one of the attached designated POD's...but I have no idea which ones belong to where.

3. He must depart from the same POD where he registered his departure. So, if he is flying from Phoenix to London, for example, he would register in Phoenix. It says he should register at least 2 hours before his international flight, and must register on the same day as departure. However, it lists the Phoenix Sky Harbor registration hours as 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. What if his flight is before 9:30 a.m.?? How does he register in person on that same day, then?

4. The flight we prefer going to Istanbul travels LAX - JFK - IST. Would he need to do the departure registration in Los Angeles (where his flight originates), or at JFK (where he actually takes the flight out of the USA)?

I guess that's it for now. What a hassle! All the more reason for him to get citizenship!

Thanks!
Rene

CarlM

Rene,

I thought i had heard somewhere that Special Regsitration had been done away with!? I know reading it somewhere doesnt make it so, but a friend of mine from Pakistan was told it was no longer applicable. Perhaps someone could put me right!?

Carl.

Noorah101

Hi Carl,

I am actually wondering the same thing. I have a friend who came from Pakistan on the K-1 also, in Oct. 2004, and he says he didn't have to do Special Registration either, even though Pakistan is listed on that Special Registration website. Either the website is outdated (which is possible), or they've done away completely with Special Reg. since April 2004 (which I doubt).

I know for sure my hubby had it done, in April 2004...Office Cruz at JFK explained what he was doing step by step, said yes, this is Special Registration, and gave us some guidelines on it in writing. The only new thing I can see, is that the alien does NOT have to go back to RE-REGISTER every year, as was the case a couple of years ago.

Hope that helps! I'm sort of confused about it all too...we're planning a trip overseas next year and I don't want anything to hinder his ability to either return to the USA or apply for citizenship later!

Rene

Folinskyinla

Hi:

PART of the SR was done away with. However, entry/departure spec. reg. has not.

silanone

Renee:

I had to go through Special Registration myself and I thought the program had been suspended in its entirety (there were several announcements in this regard) - but Mr. F's comment makes me wonder if I still have any responsibilities in this regard - for example, if I need to report to USCIS at the airport before leaving the country.

I guess if Sadegh is going to travel soon, you may want to do an InfoPass to check this out. I know that in many airports it is very difficult to locate a USCIS office in the departure area, so it would be good to get this sorted out well in advance.

When I was fingerprinted and interviewed under the NSEERS Special Registration program in 2002 and 2003, I was in F-1 status and I remember reading in the documents I was given that permanent residents were exempt from the process. But the document on the link you provided does not say anything on those lines, so I don't know what to make of it.

Let us know if you hear anything....

Noorah101

Hi silanone,

I'm glad to find someone else who has done Special Registration, yay! You and I can compare notes.

In reading the website, it mentions visitors, students, and people here on work visas...in other words, non-immigrant visas (which explains why the did Sadegh's SR, since he was on a K-1 non-immigrant visa). That's why I wondered if one is still supposed to follow the SR rules once he/she becomes a PR.

I don't dare ask the 800-number, I'm sure this is beyond their scope. I was thinking of a consultation with an immigration attorney who has experience in SR cases. Perhaps an Info-pass appointment would work, too. Will they see me if I go in alone, as the USC in the marriage, or would Sadegh have to be there too, I wonder?

Thanks for chiming in!

Rene

Hebapotamus42

Hi Rene. The trouble never ends, does it? I bet Sadegh will definitely be applying for naturalization.

Regarding special registration, it does not apply to permanent residents. They should supposedly be informed of your husband's change of status, but I remember reading somewhere that you should inform them yourself. You use the alien change of address for to let them know. http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/f...es/ar-11sr.pdf Unfortunately, I don't know if CPRs are treated any differently than LPRs, but I hope this will at least set you in the right direction.

Noorah101

Oh wow! Officer Cruz at JFK never said we need to notify anyone when Sadegh becomes a PR. I'm pretty sure CPR and LPR would be treated the same. I'll do some research on the AR-11 and see what I can find out...I guess that form is more than just a change of address form, eh? I hope I wasn't supposed to let them know within 10 days or something...it's been a month now. lol

Thanks for the tips, Heba!!

Rene

Noorah101

Heba,

That looks like just a change of address for someone who has done Special Registration. Although there are boxes to check for your current status, it says right on the form that it's not intended to clarify status. It's just a change of address form. We haven't changed our address at all, and I'd hate to goof anything in the system up, we've been receiving mail from USCIS with no problem so far.

Hmmmmm...help!

Rene

Hebapotamus42

Oh, I wouldn't say go ahead and do it just yet. You've still got time to research since your trip will be next year. For some reason, I just remember reading that it should be filled out and sent to them. I'm not sure if that is still the case now. Perhaps writing to them and asking if you need to inform them or if they knew who to ask?
On the other hand, since Sadegh has a greencard now, couldn't he just travel like a normal person? NSEERS is for nonimmigrants and he is no longer subject to it as per everything we read. So I'd think that there shouldn't be any problems. Even as a greencard holder, he still has to notify USCIS of any change in address, so if they want him, they'll know where to find him anyway. I think the problem is the fear that the USCIS will come up with some silly obscure reason for punishing us and taking away the PR status after fighting so hard and patiently to get it.

Noorah101

Hi Heba,

I guess that is my main and basic question. Since becoming a PR, does Sadegh still need to do the Special Registration notification upon exiting the USA? It would be a relief not to have to do that, for sure! But if he is supposed to, we don't want to jeopardize anything by not doing it. Argh.

I have some calls and emails out there, will keep you posted.

Thanks!
Rene

Noorah101

Just thought I'd let those who are interested to know, I wrote to my x-lawyer(LOL) and she was kind enough to provide the answer:

"He is not subject to special registration anymore. You are correct that only nonimmigrants are subject to that requirement. He does not need to notify anyone of his travel/departure anymore. The only thing he should do is notify CIS of address changes using Form AR-11."

Thanks!
Rene

Hebapotamus42

Yay! Thank goodness it ends at that. I was beginning to doubt my sanity but this proves that the USCIS does follow logic at times.