Maltoo

My husband has one of the old non expiring green cards. I know that as of the present these green card holders are not required to renew those cards but can at anytime in the future be told they will have to renew it.

My question is this, I had a bookmark to the link for the law pertaining to this and have lost it, does anyone have this link or a link to an official government statement about these non expiring cards?

Thanks, we are traveling to the UK next month and he is getting concerned about his green card.

jeffreyhy

What is the form number of your husband's green card? Is it an I-551? If not an I-551, I think it does need to be replaced with an I-551. Even if your husband's green card is an I-551, and does not need to be replaced, he may encounter difficulty at a POE because the anecdotal evidence is that many CBP officers think that the old green cards without an expiration date should be replaced with new green cards. Back in 2007 USCIS published a proposed rule in the Federal Register that would require that the non-expiring green cards be replaced, but I don't know the outcome of that proposal. Regards, JEff

kimilseung

This?

http://www.uscis.gov/files/pressrele...wal_110702.pdf

fatbrit

Isn't it about time he just naturalized and completed the journey?

Maltoo

Thanks, that is not it but it will help, I will print that out.

Not sure, he is not home at the moment but from my research the ruling that the non expiry green cards DO NOT need to be replaced at this time. I could be wrong but that is what I have found from researching and I did have a link to the ruling about it but lost it when I upgraded to Windows 8.


I don't believe that has anything to do with my question, we are undecided on that since we are planning on moving to the UK in the next couple of years.

lansbury

All the more reason to do so, so you have the freedom to travel back and forth as you please.

Maltoo

Once we move there will be no reason to travel to the US unless our Son moves back here in the future and in that case my husband can just come on a visitor visa. We have no family here in the US and there is no need for my husband to have to file US income tax for the rest of his life.

jeffreyhy

That's 3 years newer than the rule that was proposed in the Federal Register in 2007, and since it states that green cards issued between 1979 and 1988 that do not have expiration dates do not need to be renewed at this time (the emphasis is mine), it seems that the proposed rule was modified or did not go into effect. Your referenced FAQ doesn't answer if anything has changed since 2010.

Regards, JEff

jeffreyhy

This is a situation where the generic term "green card" is insufficient. The older I-151 green cards do need to be replaced with the newer form I-551.

Regards, JEff

Steve_

If you are a permanent resident, then you are a permanent resident, CBP can waive the ID requirement at the POE if they want, they have various databases they can look you up in, you just have to sit around while they find you. The airline though is signed up under the VWP and they're supposed to do some basic checks under the terms of that contract with CBP, so if you aren't entering on the VWP, have no visa and have an ancient green card that might cause problems with the airline.

Anyway this is the CBP FAQ - https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...w/lpr%20travel

Depends on what kind of old green card you have, basically.

Maltoo

why does the airline have anything to do with it? They never have asked for his Resident Alien card to fly only thing they have ever needed was our passports. He has ID, he has a current passport and his Resident Alien Card with picture ID and his Tennessee Drivers license also with picture ID.

Maltoo

Hi Jeff I googled the I-151 and that is a really old card, Husband card looks to be the the I-551, it was issued in 1985.

Noorah101

When was the last time he flew into the USA?

If he's only showing his UK passport to travel, then the airline staff does not know he's a US PR, and they will require him to have the ESTA pre-clearance which VWP users must have before traveling. Since he's a US PR, he doesn't need ESTA, because he's not visiting on the VWP, but the airline staff won't know that, unless he shows them his GC.

Rene

Maltoo

pre 9/11, If they ask he can show it. There is no problem with it, just never have been asked before except when we entered the country.

And thanks Steve for the link, I will print that up and take it with us also.

Would love to have a link to the 2010 ruling I can not seem to find it.

jeffreyhy

Ugh, how did I think that the year 2000 document kimilseung referenced was from 2010?

Anyway, here's a June 2010 USCIS document that recommends that I-551 green cards without an expiration date be replaced, but stops short of saying that it's required.
http://www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Resources/B2en.pdf

Regards, JEff