Do I need to carry my platic Green card on me at all times?

[BurningFire72]

Do I need to carry my platic Green card on me at all times just like my driver license?

Any thoughts?

[gcforbera]

No need to carry!

You will need to carry your GC only when you carry your passport, i.e. to handle immigration related issues. Otherwise, no need.

[JoeF]

Re: No need to carry

Wrong! The law (INA section 264, online at USCIS website ) says:
(e) Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him pursuant to subsection (d). Any alien who fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction for each offense be fined not to exceed $100 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.

[BurningFire72]

...

Thats what I thought.
Thanks guys!

[ceo]

Not according to the INS site

If you read here.....

https://www.immihelp.com/retain-greencard-useful-tips/


It states this.....


Permanent Resident Card
The Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551, is issued to all Permanent Residents as evidence of alien registration and their permanent status in the US. The card must be in your possession at all times. While that does not require that you have on your person at all times, it does require that you have a currently valid card and that you know where it is and can show it to an immigration officer, if requested. The Permanent Resident Card currently is issued with a 10-year validity. You status as a Permanent Resident does not expire with the 10-year validity. Only the card expires. The card is only valid up to the expiration date and must be renewed before it expires.

CEO

[JoeF]

According to CIS, you have to carry the card

While the CIS page (INS does not exist anymore) says one thing, the law says something else.
And it is the law that counts...
And as it happens, the law is also online at the CIS website:
uscis.gov/lpBin/lpext.dll...slb-act264
"Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him pursuant to subsection (d)."

[ceo]

Interesting

I guess if the only proof of residence you had while waiting for a Green Card was a stamp in your Passport, I'm sure I wouldn't be carrying that around as proof.
It sounds like the CIS is trying to be 'sensible' and 'realistic'. Anybody just looking at you or in the normal course of daily events would even suspect or care to know that you are a resident and not a citizen. Only on 'official' business with the CIS or international travel would you require proof of residency.

[ceo]

Interesting

....and for employment purposes

[JoeF]

Re: Interesting

It actually is required to carry your passport/I-94 with you when you on H1, for example.
If you remember the infamous Texas raid, people where arrested for not having their passport with them.

And I wouldn't trust that "nobody knows you are not a citizen", in particular after 9/11. Ever heard of racial profiling? Of course, if you are white, you are probably right (no wonder the second-largest group of illegals are Canadians...)

[andre]

Carrying Green Card on your person

I wonder if it is sensible to carry such an important document like the Green Card on your person all the time. I am sure the authorities only expect you to be in possession of a valid document which they can verify. - a document you can produce within a reasonable amount of time after the request, unlike a driving license which has to be produced on demand.

[razors_edge]

Yes. The law requires that you carry many types of official immigration papers with you at all times. This includes your green card, I-94, Employment Authorization Card, Border Crossing Card and/or other required INS papers that prove that you have registered with the INS.

If you do not have these papers with you, you could be charged with a misdemeanor crime. The government does not always enforce this law, but it could at any time.