wisewol

Hi Just wondering if anyone knows the answer to this, My husband should have his immigration interview sometime Oct/ Nov. We would now like to visit our daughter in Orlando over New Year which will be about 2 months before we make our big move. I understand there are certain restrictions on entering the USA after Visa is issued and having e-mailed the embassy on this and a few other bits there only answer was ' Visa is good for one entry to the USA' does this mean he cant go ever for a holiday ? We have been whilst our paperwork was going through the process and had no problems at POE but this will be very different.
Many thanks for any help

Noorah101

I suppose you could do that, you can ask at the POE to be let in as a visitor and not activate your immigrant visa just yet....but you'd probably be better off just using it. You are allowed to go back home for a couple of months to tie up loose ends before you make the big move. In the meantime, you will have become US PRs and will have your green cards and SS cards waiting for you when you get to the USA after the big move.

Best Wishes,
Rene

wisewol

Does this mean that as he enters he effectivly activates the process of obtaining SS number and PR ? If so I suppose the best thing would be to come in on Visa and get started. Do you know if you have to complete any form to come back to UK for the couple of months to tie up loose ends ? (read SELL HOUSE PANIC ETC)

Noorah101

Yes, entering the USA on the immigrant visa will activate the PR status. He'll get an I-551 stamp in his passport which is proof of his PR status. The regular green card and SS card should come in the mail within a month or so after entering the USA, so make sure you have a valid mailing address for that to go to. Let them know at the POE what that address is.

With that I-551 stamp, it will be fine to leave the USA for a couple of months and then return. No paperwork for that is necessary. If you think you'll be gone more than 6 months, it's best to file form I-131 for a Re-entry permit...but it's also even better NOT to be gone that long right away.

Don't panic.

Rene

wisewol

Don't panic.

Rene[/QUOTE


Thats bits easier said than done !
Thanks for for advice its been really helpful. think we wil use his vias when we enter then, seems the most sensible route. All we need to do now is get through the visa appointment.

meauxna

Rene, as an FYI, the immigrant is no longer given an I-551 stamp at initial entry at the POE.
Immigrant Visas are no longer separate documents attached to the Mysterious Brown Envelope, but are now MRIVs--Machine Readable Immigrant Visas. They are the size of a passport page and are glued into the immigrant's passport.
At entry, the visa is 'endorsed' by means of some kind of stamp, but it is more official than the plain old I-551 stamp. It's the endorsed MRIV that is now proof of status (and still valid for work, travel etc as you note).

Here's an interesting reference to the MRIV, regarding lost MBEs: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/C...1_12-15-04.pdf

The Consulate in Madrid has this explanation on their site:
The Immigrant visa is placed inside the bearer’s passport, adhered to one of the pages. At the port of entry, upon the CBP officer’s placement of an admission stamp on the Machine Readable Immigrant Visa (MRIV) the alien is admitted to the United States as a permanent resident. This constitutes a temporary I-551 valid for one year from the date of the endorsement on the admission stamp. This endorsed stamp is acceptable for travel and employment purposes. Should the immigrant wish to leave the U.S. and his/her stamp has expired and s/he has not yet received the Alien Registration Receipt Card, s/he should contact CIS in the U.S. before departure to ensure permission to return to the United States


I guess it's sort of hair-splitting.