A Re-entry Permit is a document issued by the USCIS to lawful permanent residents ("green card" holders) as a travel document. Green card holders use re-entry permits to re-enter the U.S. after travel of one year or more.
A re-entry permit does NOT take the place of your "greencard," nor of your passport. Instead, you use a Re-entry Permit IN ADDITION to your greencard, and passport.
For green card holders returning to the U.S., re-entry permits are generally valid for two years from the date of issuance of the re-entry permit. A green card holder should apply for this benefit before leaving the U.S.
Conditional residents also use re-entry permits to re-enter the U.S. after travel of one year or more. For conditional residents returning to the U.S., re-entry permits are generally valid for two years from the date of issuance of the re-entry permit or until the date the conditional resident must apply for the removal of conditions, whichever comes first. The conditional resident should apply for this benefit before leaving the U.S.
| Example Re-entry Permit: Cover |
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| Example Re-entry Permit: Inside |
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Does reentery permit allow
Does reentery permit allow to enter the USA with out valid travel passport?
Reentry Permits in lieu of a Passport
See the page: What is the purpose of a Re-entry Permit? Where it is noted:
In other words, as a general matter, a reentry permit does NOT normally allow one to enter the U.S. without a valid travel passport, EXCEPT that some stateless permanent residents may be able to use a reentry permit instead of a passport under certain circumstances.
Anyone who is contemplating using a reentry permit in stead of a passport should obtain a consultation with an attorney to determine whether they can do so in their particular circumstances.
can my mother leave before she gets her reentry permit?
My mother has a green card. but she needs to go back to CHina to see the doctors since she has all kinds of health problems and she doesn't have medicare. I applied the reentry permit for her in Oct 2005. But she hasn't received it yet. Can she leave the U.S.A. first without the reentry permit? can I just mail it to her once I get it?
please let me know so that I can book her air tickets asap. She needs to see her doctor badly.
thank you for your advice
Li Li
You can leave U.S. after applying for your Reentry Permit
As a general matter, it is possible to leave the U.S. after the USCIS has received your Reentry Permit application and then arranging to receive the actual Reentry Permit outside of the U.S. In other words, there is currently no requirement that one wait in the U.S. before actually receiving the Reentry Permit. In fact, some people receive their Reentry Permits at a U.S. Consulate in their home country.
Of course, leaving the U.S. after applying for a Reentry Permit is possible for people who only intend to use their Reentry Permit to re-enter the U.S., i.e., as evidence that they always intended to return to the U.S. to reside permanently. On the other hand, if someone needs a Reentry Permit to use in lieu of a passport (e.g., stateless individuals), then leaving the U.S. prior to actually receiving the Reentry Permit poses additional complications.
It should be noted that someone who has applied for a Reentry Permit in October 2005, should probably check to see whether something has gone wrong with the application because currently it has only been taking a few months for Reentry Permits to be issued.
Finally, if someone has to travel outside of the U.S. for medical treatment, and is concerned about maintaining one's green card status, then she should document the reason why she is leaving the U.S. and be prepared to show that documentation upon re-entering the U.S.
However, please note that before making a decision regarding travel based on a legal conclusion, you should obtain a consultation with an Immigration Attorney.
Can I apply for reentry permit while abroad.
I have been a LPR since 1998. In 2003 I had to go back to Russia to look after my ill father who had passed away in Dec. 2004. Since I left I've come back to US two times in 2004, one time in 2005, and once again in 2006. Each absence was less than a year. I had several reasons for staying in Russia such as: taking care of my late father's will, real estate and such. Also while waiting for all paperwork, I found a very good job with Motorola company as a senior software engineer, and recently I've met someone I am planning on marrying and bringing back to US, legally of course. I do maintain current US address, renewed driving license, SS card etc, and my mother lives in New Jersey. If asked at the entry point should I tell this story to CBP officer or otherwise what should my actions be in case they give me a hard time? Also can I apply for the reentry permit now, right before I go back to US? I don't mean to take too much of your time but could you be so kind as to clarify these matters for me a bit.
Thank you in advance for your help.
You must be PHYSICALLY present in US to apply for Reentry Permit
Return to USA before Issue of Re-entry Permit
My family & myself are LPR & shortly after we landed myself & our child returned to UK for work and school respectively. We were away 10 months & on return I was told to apply for a reentry permit which I did. I put my daughter in school in US but I had to leave after one month to return to work and go to Hong Kong for medical check up. I thought permits could be issued quickly & was shocked to learn they take months. I want to return in summer for my daughter's birthday and take some courses to enable me to get licensed in USA but I do not think the permit will be issued in time. Will I be able to return.
It is always up to Immigration Inspector to decide
As of January 17, 2007, the USCIS is processing reentry permit applications for permanent residents which it received on or before September 5, 2006. So, they appear to be taking about 4 months to process reentry applications at present.
It is not possible to say for certain whether you will be able to return in U.S. Permanent Residency status since you have already been warned by the immigration inspector. If you nonetheless decide to take the risk (this is assuming you return in less than one year to use your green card), you should document your reentry permit application at minimum (i.e., such as by showing the original receipt notice), and then explain to the immigration inspector that you applied for a reentry permit, but that the processing time is such that you did not yet receive your reentry permit. You should also provide other proof of your intent to remain a U.S. Permanent Resident. It will then be up to the immigration inspector's discretion to decide whether to permit you to reenter or not as a U.S. Permanent Resident.
Which one should I use when I travel
Well,I just received my Reentry Permit(I-327 Form)last month February 10, 2007 I have a question, however I have a Philippine passport and a Green Card. Should I use Philippine passport when I travel in the Philippines and other parts of the world
And what about when I go back to U.S. Should I use Philippine passport or Reentry Permit or Both.
Reentry Permit should be used with Passport
Thanks a million!
Thank you for the information. I will be heading down to the Philippines next month April 17.
God bless you,
more than 2 years
I have approved reentry permit (good for 2 years only) but decided to stay to finish my college.
What papers do I need to travel back to the US?
Thank you.
Special Immigrant Visa at U.S. Consulate Abroad
What is the purpose of a Re-entry Permit?
Related topics: Asylum Re-entry Permit Reentry Permit Refugee
The general purpose of a Re-entry Permit is to allow green card holders, who have left the U.S. for more than one year, but for less than two years, back into the United States. Permanent residents who leave for less than one year can generally re-enter the U.S. through the use of their "green card" plus their passport. However, permanent residents who remain outside the U.S. for more than one year CANNOT use their "green card" for this purpose. Consequently, they must obtain a Re-entry Permit IN ADVANCE, PRIOR TO LEAVING THE U.S.
Those green card holders who remain outside the U.S. for more than two years must obtain a "special immigrant" visa at a U.S. consulate abroad, in order to re-entry the U.S.
A Re-entry Permit also creates a presumption that the green card holder did not abandon his or her intent to remain permanently in the U.S. because the law states that "A permanent resident or conditional permanent resident in possession of a valid reentry permit who is otherwise admissible shall not be deemed to have abandoned status based solely on the duration of an absence or absences while the permit is valid."
Re-entry Permits are also sometimes used by "stateless" permanent residents in lieu of a passport to enter some countries. This is because some countries view Re-entry Permits as evidence that the U.S. will accept the "stateless" permanent resident back into the U.S. However, if you are in this category, be sure to check with the consulate for the particular foreign country to make sure that they will accept a Re-entry Permit for this purpose.
lost re-entry permit
My wife's reentry permit arrived at our home in the U.S after she had left the country. I mailed it to her and it never arrived. How can we get a replacement?
re-entry permit
i would be leaving to the us on the june 22nd and i am back on july 17th. i would like to apply for a
re-entry permit after goin there for an extension of two yrs to complete my studies. i would like to know tat in case i dont get a re-entry permit sanction,i would like to know whether i would have to go before next june 22st or do i have to go only before july 17th? how would the one-year be counted?is it on the departure basis from here or would the one year be taken into account from the time i leave there from the us.
Extention of reentry permit
Is it possible to extend my valid reentry permit? Or do I have to apply for a new one?
Extending a reentry permit
time
what is the processing time for re-entry permit applications? we are in virginia, where do we need to apply?
Reentry Permit Processing Time
Need re-entry permit soon
I applied for the re-entry permit in August. The USCIS is processing only the ones with receipt date of May 07, 2007. I am a stateless permanent resident and need it to do study abroad this January. What can I do to expedite the process? Please, need your help!
Expediting Reentry Permits
Re-entry permit
Hi,
Our re-entry permit will expire in April next year. We will stay in China longer then that. Does our entire family have to travel to the US in order to apply for a new re-entry permit? Is there any other way to keep our permanent residence status - like buying a property/house etc? If we don't apply for the new re-entry permit, how often do we have to enter the US with our green cards in order to keep our status?
Thank you for your time!
Reentry Permit: who must enter U.S. to apply, etc.
renewal of re-entry permit
i am a permanent resident of the U.S..i am currently residing outside the country...i have a re-entry permit which is going to expire on june 9...do i have to be there in the U.S on june 9 to re apply for a new re-entry permit..or can i come to the U.S in january and reapply for my re-entry permit and then leave
renewal of re-entry permit
You can apply for another reentry permit in January, assuming you are in the U.S. at that time. However, you have to comply with a special procedure regarding returning your prior reentry permit--since it is still valid.
Student in need of an extra year to finish college
I currently have a re-entry permit that is valid till the 2nd week of march.
I would just like to check if the steps i'm about to make are best for me, or if there is a better way of putting it.
1. Go back during December (christmas break) to the US and file a new reentry permit and come back to the Philippines before classes resume. Give or take, this will be a 1 week to 2 week time.
2. Since i have a family abroad, i'll just have my reentry permit be mailed to them so that they can check for any problems and mail the permit to me.
3. I'll graduate at 2009, after filing my reentry permit on 2007 december, i should still be ok when i come back at 2009 somewhere around april.
>> My reentry permit looks just like what you have above, but are there suppose to be some stamps on some pages like what my passport have?
>> Is there a way for me to extend my permit while in the philippines for another year? i know the rule w/c is to file the permit while abroad is really strict but i was just wondering.
>> Am i filing a new reentry permit or is there suppose to be a reentry permit renewal?
>> Are my plans to stay in the US for the holidays only to file my permit feasible? or will the embassy question my status? I also plan to send my school records with my application for a new permit, i just think that it may help.
>> Lastly, if this are all an ok plan, then i should probably get a roundtrip ticket to the US and Back. I'm just scared that i wont be able to fix my permit before school starts so i'm having 2nd thoughts whether to enroll this semester or purchase an expensive one way trip to make sure. (this is only because it's my first time to file another reentry permit)
Re-entry Permit
I got here about a month ago and just got my greencard today. I'm applying for a re-entry permit because I'm pregnant and I want to give birth in my country. I don't have a medical insurance and we cannot afford the cost of giving birth here. Currently I'm 3 months pregnant and I know I can't come back for 1 year, should I put that as the main purpose of the my trip or will that make it harder for the permit to get approve? I'm leaving 1st week of december. Please help. Thank you very much.
Reentry permit
I have just called my Travel Agent, and she was telling me that I need Reentry permit before I can apply for a VIsa.** I plan to go to Japan this Christmas 2007, and since I not a US citizen, they said that I have to apply for a Visa. and I know that Reentry Permit would take up 6 months to a year to apply for one.. Help please.. 'cause i really want to go there this Christmas.. Email me if you can .. Thank YOu
Reentry Permit for Visa
This depends on the particular facts of your case, such as whether you are a refugee, etc.
Question on Re-entry permit
Hi there,
I'm a green card holder with a foreign passport. Do I need to apply for a re-entry permit if I'll be out of the country for 3 weeks to go on a vacation?
Thank you in advance.
Reentry Permit for 3 week vacation
Normally, one would not need a reentry permit for a 3 week vacation, unless there are other complicating factors involved (such as, one has been outside of the U.S. for long periods, and only recently returned prior to the 3 week vacation, etc.).
Re-entry to US
I came to the US on 3rd July 2007. My Green card is valid till 2010. I have applied for the RE-entry Permit(for period of 18 months). But if i want to come back to US before that period (say by March 2007, can I come without my Re-entry permit, cuz it hasn't arrived yet.
I shall be highly Obliged
Re-entry to US
If you are within the one year time period, you can apply for readmission with your green card and valid foreign passport, even if you applied for a reentry permit. In fact, you may wish to show, the Immigration Inspector, the receipt that you applied for a reentry permit as proof of your intent to resident permanently in the U.S.
Re-entry Permit
If I am not sure the expected length of trip, can I indicate up to 2 years? or should I indicate like 20monts?
Re-entry Permit
You should indicate the truth, and the more precisely the better.
Child needs to complete his school for 3 months
Hello we just got our green card my child was in school in India he has 3 months to go. I would like him to complete his school and then return to the US. I am trying to settle in the US having recently arrived trying to take care of my child and settling is difficult. I want him to start school here in the US starting fall of 2008. He will return to the US in April latest do I need to apply for a reentry permit for him, further he is a minor.
STUDENT NEEDING MORE THAN A YEAR
Hi,
I am a permanent resident studying in India. I had filed N-470 before leaving in Sept '05 and thus came back in December '06. I then re-applied before leaving in January '07. That application was denied. I need to stay in India till June '08 to finish my studies. Is there any other provision or any other sort of form that I could fill while staying in India so that I don't have to come to U.S. before January? Thank you very much for your advise.