Conway7

Dear All,

My wife and I, have recently been granted IV's to the US, courtesy of her mother who became a US Citizen in 1996, and commenced sponsoring us at that time.

The questions, that I would most grateful for answers to, are as follows;

1. In order to comply with the requirements of our Immigrant Visa's in our
passports, we must enter the US, within six months of the IV's being
issued, ie before 2/9/05. Q. Can we enter the US at any POE, as we
have booked our flights to Florida, with a view to finally residing there,
instead of LA where her mother and brother and sister live?

2. We have to return back to the UK after one week, in order to sell up, and
terminate employment etc.. and we intend filing for a re-entry permit
while in the States, to allow us additional time away from the US (up
to 2yrs), should we (for any unforseen circumstances) need it. Q. After
receiving the green card (1-155?)stamp in our passports, on entry into
the US, can we file for a re-entry permit in Florida, and if successful,
have this validated in our passports, at the American Embassy in London,
UK, when we arrive back here from the US this July 2005?

3. Q. How long does it take approx for the plastic "green card" to be issued
to our sponsors address in LA, after we have first entered the US in
July 2005, and can they then send it on to us in the UK, or is the (1-
55?) stamp in our passports equivalent to/the same as, the actual
plastic "green card" itself?

We have asked these questions previously on another website, but we would just like to be absolutely sure of what we can and cannot do, courtesy of any Ex-Pat Brits, who have been thro' the system already!

Many thanks for any assistance you may be able to give!

Vince

Bob

Welcome to the site...there's an immigration section for these kind of questions where you'll be able to find more detailed answers.

But anyway, can enter anywhere, once entered, you can then bugger off to finish your affairs and re-enter with the temp stamp, and the greencard will be sent to the address given, can take anything from a few days to a few months, but for the IV, it's normally in around 7-14 days from what I've read on the forums.

Pulaski

1. Yes

2. Not sure - if you have a I-155 I thought that you were, more or less (see below), free to come and go?

3. My green card came in six weeks, it can take several months, but depends on which office is processing your application (you have no choice in the matter, it just depends on which POE you arrive at as to where your paper work goes. I flew into Newrk, NJ, and my green card was issued out of an office in Texas).

In theory the I-155 is as good as a green card, but you may be given the third degree when you return to the US - you'll need "extra processing" to verify the validity of your visa stamp (which is about as high tech as a potatoes cut! ). In other words, having your green card is a definite plus - and would I trust it to the mail, .... er, .... no. If you must have your green cards forwarded to you, have them FedEx'ed.

ImHere

1. Yes. We live in Florida but entered via a New York POE. Makes no odds except some will process you faster than others.
2. Yes. Travel on the MRIV in your passport is no different to the actual I551 once it has been endorsed (stamped at the POE) up until the MRIV Expires which is one year from date of entry.
3. Mine came in 8 weeks.

You should have an MIRV in your passport issued by the embassy which is a "temporary I551" and has the same validity as the actual GC for the year after its stamped. Not sure whether you can have the GC sent to a UK address (unlikely) as you need to provide an address when you arrive at the POE to which the GC will be sent, so why not have it addressed to your parents house and they can then forward it on to you where ever you may be?

Ray

For safety sake ..stay in the US until your GC arrives in the mail ...in the US ..it will not be issued/sent to a UK address..

Conway7

Thank you for your kind assistance.

Take care,

Vince & Marilyn

Conway7

Thank you very much for your helpful advice!

Best wishes,

Vince & Marilyn

Conway7

Ray,

Sorry, I guess a couple of you guys may have picked up wrongly on what I asked.

As we are unable to stay in the US, for what appears to be an inprecise period of time, before our plastic "green" cards are sent out to our sponsors address in LA, we asked if it was ok to leave the US after our one week stay there in July, and let our sponsors (on receipt of our "green" cards) courier them over to our home address in the UK.

I think that what I am being told by our friends in the forum, is that we will immediately be given the 1-155 ("green" card) stamp in our passports at our POE in Florida, and that this stamp, is every bit as good, as the forthcoming plastic card variety, and enables us to exit the US immediately, as a "green card holder." We would then await receipt of the actual "green" card itself in the UK, from our relatives in LA.

At least that is what hopefully, I understand to be correct!

Many thanks to you also, for your kind help!

Vince & Marilyn

Conway7

Bob,

Thank you also, for the valuable information

Regards,

Vince

Ray

I know what your saying ..my advice still stands ...if you want to get a re-entry permit ..that is going to take a bit of time anyway ...which you must get before you leave if you intend to be away more than 6 months ..

Conway7

Okay, and thanks again!

Vince

Rete

Actually the re-entry permit has to be applied for while you are in the US but you can designate which US Consulate you can pick it up at on the form if you will be leaving before it is issued.

Conway7

Yes thank you, I have just seen something to that effect, on another website, which also states , that you can leave the US immediately after filing your re-entry permit request, and pick-up same at the US Embassy in London, after whatever the processing period is.

Regards,

Vince

Lynne

My POE was Atlanta, GA. My actual green card arrived five months after arriving and came out of Texas. I think it depends on how fast they can move.

Conway7

That's an awfully long time Lynn!

I understood the "average" time to be between somewhere between two and four weeks?

Thanks!

Vince