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How a Reentry Permit Lawyer Can Help?

How a Reentry Permit Lawyer Can Help?

By Julie Sparks in Immigration | on 2023-03-13 11:48:31

A reentry permit lawyer can help you if you are facing problems. If you are being denied reentry because of the limitations of green card status. You should not wait to call an immigration attorney for help. 

New York summer travel tourist woman enjoying Manhattan view from Brooklyn park, living happy lifestyle walking during vacation in United States

What does a Reentry Permit do?

A reentry permit is designed to address and prevent two types of problems: 

  • Your green card becomes technically invalid for reentry into the United States if you have been outside the United States for one year or more. 
  • Your green card may be considered as abandoned for absences from the United States. Shorter than one year if you take up residence in another country. 

Applying for a reentry permit before you travel on a trip that will have you absent from the United States for a prolonged period will establish that you did not intend to abandon your lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. The reentry permit also allows you to apply for admission to the United States at a port of entry after traveling abroad for up to two years without being required to obtain a returning resident visa. 

You can also get a reentry permit if you intend to travel outside the U.S. and do not have a passport from your native country. Some countries may allow you to use a reentry permit as a travel document just as you would use a passport. In that case, the inspecting officer will place the necessary visas or entry and exit stamps on the permit. However, make sure to check the reentry permit will suffice instead of a passport.

Reentry Permit Lawyer Help With Your Form I-131

To apply for a reentry permit, you will need to submit and file a Form I-131, Application for Travel Document. It is important to file this application well in advance of your intended trip. It is important to file this application well in advance of your intended trip. Note some parts of the application do not apply to reentry. Refugees use the same form to apply for a Travel Document.

You will also need to attach the following to your Form I-131.

  • proof of your LPR such as a copy of your green card (both sides) or a copy of your passport showing your admission as a permanent resident
  • Form G-1145, which asks USCIS to notify you when it receives your application
  • the correct USCIS application fee for Form I-131

It is important to wait for your biometrics to be done before traveling, as doing otherwise may result in your application being denied.

Learn More from an Austin Reentry Permit Attorney

A common question we get at the J. Sparks Law, PLLC is what happens if a green card holder planning to stay outside for a long time leaves before applying for a reentry permit. This presents the visa holder with a problem when they finally return to the U.S. The prolonged absence from the U.S. will be deemed to have been an abandonment of the person’s green card status.

If you are planning on traveling outside the United States and being absent for more than a year, contact our office today for a consultation on what you need to do.

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