amancalledsun

Hi guys, hope you're all doing well.

Just a quick question, I lost my green card over the weekend (in Vegas) and probably need to get this replaced asap. I still have my British passport as ID. How do I go about ordering a new one?

Thanks in advance.
Keith

Pulaski

There's no "probably" about it, you MUST!
If I were you I'd Google <lost green card>. I am mystified as to why you didn't do that yourself. This is the top search result: http://www.uscis.gov/i-90

Hotscot

By the power of Google! Why didn't you do this? Just curious

http://www.uscis.gov/green-card/afte...ace-green-card

amancalledsun

$450 :-( Do I really need to carry this thing around with me in the future?

Hotscot

"you are required to have a valid green card in your possession at all times"

Brigette

I have never carried mine with me. The minute I got it it went into my safe. By the way just became a U.S. Citizen on Friday

amancalledsun

Awesome. Thanks though.

amancalledsun

Yeah surel you can get away with just having some sort of State ID. I had no idea it was so pricey to replace or I totally would have just left it at home.

S Folinsky

USCIS and ancillary services are paid for by "user fees" and not out of the general fund. The powers that be budget how much it costs to pay staff, maintain buildings, etc etc, give a projection of how many applications will be filed. Also, there are certain applications that, as a matter of policy, are not charged filing fees [asylum, military naturalizations, etc.]. After crunching all the numbers, the powers that be then come up with a figure to be assessed against each individual application. Then add the marginal cost of processing the application -- and you've got the filing fee. Also, the biometrics fee is an additional $85.00. Also, round up to the next number divisible by 5.

Hotscot

While it's up to you whether you ignore the requirement the Government requires you to have it at all times, as already posted.

Pulaski

Legally yes, you are required to. Can you get away without carrying it? Maybe, but you could easily end up being detained if you are stopped by CBP checkpoint if you are travelling near a border or port. I hear that along the southern border checkpoints are set up as far as 100 miles from the border.

The Earl of Drumer

Hah, why the sad face? I still have to have conditions removed on my GC (come Summer for the paperwork) but I can't wait until I become a citizen. At least the more difficult part has been and passed.

S Folinsky

True story: back in 1993, LA County Bar Immigration section sponsored a tour of the consulate in Ciudad Juarez with flight to and from El Paso and accommodation in El Paso. After tour, we had a Q&A luncheon at the hotel in El Paso.

So, here is a bus with 20 immigration lawyers crossing the border into El Paso. The INS officer boards "Everyone here a U.S. citizen?" One lawyer goes "I'm a permanent resident." "Can I see your green card?" She produced a photocopy. She was taken off the bus! I was section chair at the time and my good buddy Howard Hom was L.A. AILA chair -- we get off the bus to rescue our wayward colleague. Howard and I decided the only way to deal with the situation was humor -- we presented ourselves while LOL and informed the powers that be that we had a 4:00 pm flight back to L.A. and this women would suffer the embarrassment of traveling with 19 immigration lawyers who knew what happened. The inspectors started to LOL and lets us take her out with a stern warning.

MarylandNed

To carry or not to carry around the PR card has been discussed many times before. Firstly, you are legally required to carry the PR card with you. So if your only concern is to obey the law at all times, read no further and carry the card.

In practice, I suspect many PR's do not always carry the card around. I know that I didn't always carry it when I was a PR. My kids didn't either. They were all minors at the time and there was no way I was sending them out to school etc with their PR cards.

Much depends though on where you live. If you live in a border area or even a state that is highly sensitive about immigration, you are probably more likely to be asked to prove PR status. I live in Maryland so, when I was out and about but not too far from home, I stored my card at home and carried a photocopy with me. If I was travelling far from home (inside or outside the US), I took the card with me. If we were all travelling as a family, I took all the cards. In all our time as PRs, we only ever needed to produce our cards when encountering US immigration (at a US airport, a US border crossing or US pre-clearance at a foreign airport).

MarylandNed

LOL! It always amazes me how real life produces stories you'd be hard pressed to make up.