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Hi,
Thank you for all your help.
On August 20, 2013 I got my green card. I have a plan to go to S. Korea on Sept 30, 2013 for a MAXIMUM OF TWO MONTHS.
All the forums I visited state that I don’t need a re-entry permit since my stay out of the US is for less than a year (few say, if it were more than six months, there may be a cause for concern). Even the letter I received along my green-card states the same (i.e. I can use the green card ALONE to leave the US and return back as long as my stay out of the US is less than a year). It adds the caveat though. It instructs to consult i-131 form instructions. This is where things start to be interesting.
While my i-485 was pending, I actually applied for “Advance Parlole” for the same trip since I was afraid my i-485 may not be approved in time. My “Advance Parole” was approved until August 4, 2014, which is more than enough for me. However, since my i-485 is approved, the “advance parole” is useless.
So, I went and looked at the i-131 form instructions I used when I was filling my “Advance Parole” (since both advance parole and reentry permit use the same i-131 form) and got the following message
"If you stay outside the United States for less than 1 year, you are not required to apply for a Reentry Permit. You may reenter the United States on your Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)"
Again, very nice!!! No-need of re-entry form.
Today, I went to the uscis website and read the latest i-131 form instructions. To my shock, the above paragraph is removed. What is going on???
Does it mean I need a “reentry permit” because everybody with a greencard now needs a reentry permit regardless of the duration of stay outside the US? Does somebody with a green card who just wants to spend a weekend vacationing in Mexico now needs reentry permit???
Any help is appreciated. I really don't know what to do since my plan is to leave the US in three weeks.
Thanks.
Thank you for all your help.
On August 20, 2013 I got my green card. I have a plan to go to S. Korea on Sept 30, 2013 for a MAXIMUM OF TWO MONTHS.
All the forums I visited state that I don’t need a re-entry permit since my stay out of the US is for less than a year (few say, if it were more than six months, there may be a cause for concern). Even the letter I received along my green-card states the same (i.e. I can use the green card ALONE to leave the US and return back as long as my stay out of the US is less than a year). It adds the caveat though. It instructs to consult i-131 form instructions. This is where things start to be interesting.
While my i-485 was pending, I actually applied for “Advance Parlole” for the same trip since I was afraid my i-485 may not be approved in time. My “Advance Parole” was approved until August 4, 2014, which is more than enough for me. However, since my i-485 is approved, the “advance parole” is useless.
So, I went and looked at the i-131 form instructions I used when I was filling my “Advance Parole” (since both advance parole and reentry permit use the same i-131 form) and got the following message
"If you stay outside the United States for less than 1 year, you are not required to apply for a Reentry Permit. You may reenter the United States on your Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)"
Again, very nice!!! No-need of re-entry form.
Today, I went to the uscis website and read the latest i-131 form instructions. To my shock, the above paragraph is removed. What is going on???
Does it mean I need a “reentry permit” because everybody with a greencard now needs a reentry permit regardless of the duration of stay outside the US? Does somebody with a green card who just wants to spend a weekend vacationing in Mexico now needs reentry permit???
Any help is appreciated. I really don't know what to do since my plan is to leave the US in three weeks.
Thanks.
