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IMMIGRATING TO THE USA Dan P. Danilov, Attorney Self-Counsel Press Inc (a subsidiary of) International Self-Counsel Press Ltd USA Canada
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Immigrating to the USA

Nov 15, 2014

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Richard Day

Are you interested in immigrating to the USA? This guide, written by a specialist in immigration matters, explains your options and guides you through the administrative maze of paperwork.
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Page 1: Immigrating to the USA

IMMIGRATING TO THE USA

Dan P. Danilov, Attorney

Self-Counsel Press Inc(a subsidiary of)

International Self-Counsel Press LtdUSA Canada

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PREFACE xi

INTRODUCTION xiii

1 IMMIGRATING TO THE UNITED STATES 11. The Statue of Liberty — New York, USA 12. Who can Immigrate to the United States? 13. Welcome to the USA 5

2 FAMILY-BASED IMMIGRATION 91. Who is an Immediate Relative? 92. Non-Immediate Relatives 9

2.1 First preference 92.2 Second preference 102.3 Third preference 102.4 Fourth preference 10

3. The Immigration Process 103.1 Form I-130 Immigrant petition and supporting documents 103.2 Form I-797 Notice of action 133.3 Form DS-230 Application for immigrant visa and alien registration 133.4 Supporting documents 233.5 Paying fees 353.6 Getting ready for the visa interview 35

4. Spouses 394.1 Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986 394.2 Circumstances under which conditional status is terminated 394.3 Petitioning to remove conditional status 394.4 Documents in support of Form I-751 424.5 The rights of a US citizen and his or her foreign spouse 424.6 Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act (LIFE): V and K Visas 434.7 Suppose you want to marry in the United States 43

3 EMPLOYMENT-BASED IMMIGRATION 471. The Preference Categories 47

1.1 First preference 47

v

CONTENTS

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1.2 Second preference 471.3 Third preference 471.4 Fourth preference 471.5 Fifth preference 47

2. Labor Certification 472.1 Getting labor certification 482.2 When labor certification is denied 48

3. Form I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker 534. Form DS-230 Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration 535. Supporting Documents 576. Schedule A Applicants 577. Information for Employers Planning to Employ Foreign Workers 62

7.1 Agencies involved 627.2 The application for alien employment certification 637.3 Advertising the job 637.4 Employing domestics, farm workers, and entertainers 64

8. Occupations Designated for Special Handling 64

4 OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS OF IMMIGRANTS 651. Special Immigrants 652. Adopted Foreign Children 65

2.1 Non-orphans 662.2 Orphans 66

3. Refugees 664. Diversity Immigrants 67

4.1 Transition program 674.2 Immigration program 67

5. Foreign Medical Graduates 675.1 H-1B nonimmigrant visas 685.2 J-1 exchange visitor visas 685.3 Adjusting status 685.4 Fluency in English 685.5 Special immigrant status for alien physicians 685.6 Nurses 69

5 NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (NAFTA) 701. B-1 Visitor for Business 742. E-1 Treaty Trader 743. E-2 Treaty Investor 754. H-1B Worker 75

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Contents vii

5. H-2 Temporary worker 756. H-3 Trainee 757. L-1 Intracompany Transferee 75

6 IMMIGRANT INVESTORS 771. Requirement of Investment 772. Kind of Enterprise 773. Where Can the Money Come From? 774. How Can the Money Be Invested? 785. The Application Procedure 786. Conditional Status of Investor Immigrants 797. Denying Permanent Residence 828. Overturning a Denial 82

7 STUDENTS AND EXCHANGE VISITORS 831. F-1 Visa for Academic and Language Students 832. M-1 Visa for Vocational and Nonacademic Students 843. J-1 Visa for Exchange Visitors 844. Dependents of Students or Exchange Visitors 845. General Information for Students, Exchange Visitors, and their Families 88

5.1 Arriving in the United States 885.2 Length of stay 885.3 Transferring to another school/program 88

6. Employment in the United States 886.1 Practical training 886.2 On-campus employment 886.3 Off-campus employment 886.4 Exchange visitors 88

7. Who Can Become a Lawful Permanent Resident with a J-1 Visa? 89

8 NONIMMIGRANT VISAS FOR TEMPORARY VISITS TO THE 92UNITED STATES

1. Types of Nonimmigrant Visas 922. Qualifying for a Visitor’s Visa 923. Applying for a Visitor’s Visa 924. Entering the United States with Nonimmigrant Visas 965. Authorized Period of Stay 1046. Visa Waiver Program 1047. Canadians 1058. Nonimmigrant Visas for Employment in the United States 1059. Treaty Traders and Treaty Investors 107

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10. Adjustment of Status in United States to Permanent Resident 10711. Employment of Nonimmigrants 112

9 ARRIVAL AT A US PORT OF ENTRY 1151. The Admission Process 115

1.1 Forms 1151.2 Inspection 1151.3 Physical examinations and background investigations 1151.4 Admission of aliens at US ports of entry 116

2. Expedited Removal Proceedings 116

10 REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS 1271. The Removal Hearing 128

1.1 Your rights 1281.2 The hearing process 128

2. Relief Available 1292.1 Cancellation of removal 1292.2 Record of lawful admission 138

3. Voluntary Departure at Own Expense 1384. Rights of Appeal 146

4.1 Board of Immigration Appeals 1464.2 No judicial review of discretionary decisions 146

11 ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS TO PERMANENT RESIDENCE 154IN THE UNITED STATES

1. Who Can Apply? 1542. Who Cannot Apply? 1543. Why Adjust Your Status in the United States? 1554. How to Apply 155

4.1 One-step filing system for relatives of US citizens or 156permanent residents

4.2 Spouses of citizens or permanent residents 157

12 NATURALIZATION FOR US CITIZENSHIP 1611. Statutory Requirements 1612. Service in US Armed Forces 1613. Oath of Allegiance to the United States 1724. Who Can Apply for a Certificate of US Citizenship? 172

4.1 Legitimate children of US parents 1724.2 Illegitimate children 1774.3 Women who lost their citizenship on marriage 1794.4 Children born to lawful permanent residents 180

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Contents ix

5. The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 1836. Filipino War Veterans 1837. Foreign Spouse of a US Citizen Working Overseas 1838. Military Immigrants Post September 11, 2001 184

APPENDIXES

1 Free Information Sources on US Immigration Laws 1872 Addresses of Immigration and Naturalization Service Offices 1893 Commonly Asked Questions by Examiners for United States 195

Citizenship and Suggested Answers4 Forms 199

SAMPLES

1 Form I-131 Application for Travel Document 72 List of Availability of Immigrant Visas 113 Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative 144 Form DS-230 Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration 165 Form G-28 Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Representative 206 Form EOIR-29 Notice of Appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals 21

of Decision of District Director7 Form I-864 Affidavit of Support 258 Form I-693 Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking Adjustment of Status 339 Form I-601 Application for Waiver of Grounds of Excludability 36

10 Form I-751 Petition to Remove the Conditions on Residence 4011 Form I-129F Petition for Alien Fiance(é) 4512 Form ETA 750 Application for Alien Employment Certification 4913 Form I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker 5414 Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status 5815 Form I-526 Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur 8016 Form I-20 A-B Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student 8617 Form IAP-66 Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status 8718 Form I-612 Application for Waiver of the Foreign Residence Requirement 9019 Form DS-156 Nonimmigrant Visa Application 9720 Form I-94 Arrival-Departure Record 9921 Form I-539 Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status 10022 Notice to Nonimmigrants 104

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23 Form I-129 Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker 10824 Form I-589 Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal 11825 Form EOIR-42A Application for Cancellation of Removal for 130

Certain Permanent Residents26 Form EOIR-42B Application for Cancellation of Removal and 139

Adjustment of Status of Certain Nonpermanent Residents27 Affidavit Testifying to Good Character 14728 Affidavit Testifying to Employment 14829 Form EOIR-26 Notice of Appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals 149

of Decision of Immigration Judge30 Form EOIR-27 Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or 152

Representative before the Board of Immigration Appeals Executive Office for Immigration Review

31 Form G-325 Biographical Information Sheet 15832 Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization 15933 Form N-400 Application for Naturalization 16234 Form N-600 Application for Certificate of Citizenship 173

TABLES

1 Classification for Immigrant Visa Applicants 22 Common Nonimmigrant Visa Classifications for 69

Foreign Medical Graduates3 Schedule of Treaty National Professions (Canada & Mexico) 714 Countries Whose Passports are Valid for Six Months Beyond 85

Expiration Date 5 Types of Nonimmigrant Visas 936 Nonimmigrant Visas for Employment in the United States 1067 Treaty Trader and Treaty Investor Countries 1108 Nonimmigrants Who May Be Legally Employed 1139 Citizenship Requirements for Legitimate Children Born Outside 178

the United States to US Citizens10 Citizenship Requirements for Illegitimate Children Born Outside 181

the United States11 Resumption of Citizenship for Women Who Lost Citizenship 182

on Marriage12 Citizenship Requirements for Children Born to Lawful 185

Permanent Residents

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1. THE STATUE OF LIBERTY — NEW YORK, USA

Immigration is an experience most Ameri-cans have in common, whether recently orin the distant past. Motivation for such anenormous undertaking has varied greatly,for our ancestors came to the United Statesfor all kinds of reasons. Some came to findeconomic and political opportunities notavailable in their homelands, others to es-cape the ravages of war, famine, and perse-cution of minority religious beliefs. Manycame out of pure adventure and some ofthem stayed. Slaves were the one exceptionto this pattern: they were the only immi-grant group that did not come to theUnited States of their own free will.

Since October 28, 1886, the first sight oftheir new home for many immigrants hasbeen the majestic figure of the Statue ofLiberty, the cherished symbol of Americanideals. Leaving behind all they knew, im-migrants by the millions braved the un-known in search of a new life. Fears, hopes,and a host of private anxieties may have ac-companied many, but their first glimpse of“the Lady” must have eased their doubtsand provided the reassurance they needed.Starting a new life would be difficult, per-haps even cruel, but the statue’s imprint re-mained with them and its message urgedthem to endure the hardships ahead.

The Statue of Liberty, created by Frenchsculptor Frederic August Bartholdi, wasgiven by the people of France to the peopleof the United States in recognition of tiesfirst forged during the American Revolu-tion. In her time, she has welcomed morethan 50 million people to the country.

1

2. WHO CAN IMMIGRATE TO THEUNITED STATES?

Anyone can apply to immigrate to theUnited States. The Congress of the UnitedStates has set an annual limit of visas avail-able for any fiscal year. These visas are di-vided into three categories:

(a) Family-sponsored immigration —including immediate family mem-bers of US citizens, a group previ-ously not included in numericalconsiderations

(b) Employment-based immigration(c) Diversity immigrationFurther divisions are made within

these categories to account for more spe-cific criteria within each (see Table 1). Thevisas are given on a “first come, firstserved” basis. The US Department of Statedetermined the family and employmentpreference numerical limits for financialyear (FY) 1998 in accordance with the termsof section 201 of the Immigration and Na-tionality Act (INA). These numerical limita-tions for FY 1998 were as follows:j The worldwide family-sponsored

preference limit is 226,000.

j The worldwide employment-basedpreference limit is 140,000.

j Under INA section 202(a), the per-country limit is fixed at 7 percent ofthe family and employment prefer-ence annual limits. For FY 1998, theper-country limit is 25,620.

1IMMIGRATING TO THE UNITED STATES

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TABLE 1CLASSIFICATION FOR IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANTS

1. Spouse of a US citizen.

2. Parent of a US citizen son or daughter who is over 21 years of age.

3. An unmarried, minor (under the age of 21) son or daughter of a US citizen.

The first three categories represent those people whose entry into the United States isnot restricted by annual numerical limitations.

4. Unmarried son or daughter over the age of 21 of a US citizen. (This benefit appliesequally to sons and daughters who were once married, but whose marriage was dis-solved by death, divorce, or annulment.)

5. Spouse of a lawful permanent resident alien.

6. Unmarried son or daughter of a lawful permanent resident alien.

7. Married son or daughter of a US citizen.

8. Brother or sister of a US citizen who is over 21 years of age.

The above categories represent the four preferences within family-sponsored immigra-tion (the families of legal permanent residents are grouped in the second preference).

9. A priority worker (a person of extraordinary ability, an outstanding professor or re-searcher, or a multinational executive or manager).

10. A professional with an advanced degree or with exceptional ability.

11. A professional without an advanced degree, a skilled worker, or an unskilled worker.

12. A special immigrant who falls into one of the following categories:

(a) a reinstated citizen

(b) a returning immigrant

(c) a religious worker

(d) a former employee of the Panama Canal Zone

(e) a foreigner who has worked for a long time for the US government abroad

(f) a retired officer/employee of an international organization based in the UnitedStates who has fulfilled residence requirements in the United States (spouses andchildren are included)

(g) a child declared dependent on a US Juvenile Court

(h) an employee of the US consulate in Hong Kong for at least three years

(i) a J-1 foreign medical graduate who filed an application for adjustment of status (I-485) with the INS before January 10, 1977, has remained in the United States sincethen, and was granted a waiver of the two-year foreign residence requirement be-fore January 10, 1978

13. An investor who makes a $1-million investment in establishing or expanding a viablebusiness in the United States that will provide jobs for at least ten qualified US workers(excluding family members), or a $500,000 investment in a depressed area.

The above categories represent the five preferences of employment-based immigration.

14. A refugee or applicant for asylum.

15. A person who qualifies in terms of Schedule A to be admitted to work in the UnitedStates without having to obtain clearance from the Department of Labor. This list in-cludes:

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(a) registered, professional nurses and physical therapists

(b) people of exceptional ability in the arts and science

16. A person from an area designated by the attorney general as a low admission regionwho comes from a low admission state. A special formula will be used to determinewho qualifies based on data for the previous five-year period. This person must have ahigh-school diploma or the equivalent, and two years’ work experience or training inthe field in which he or she will be working in the United States.

The above category is part of the diversity program of immigration created by the Im-migration Act of 1990.

TABLE 1 — Continued

The Immigration Act of 1990 provideda new method of calculating how manypeople from each part of the world are al-lowed to immigrate in any year. This calcu-lation distinguishes geographic areas ofhigh immigration and areas of low immi-gration by how many immigrants fromthose places have come to the United Statesduring the past five years. Generally, peo-ple from areas of low immigration aregiven preference. This strategy redressesthe fact that immigrants from some parts ofthe world have received a disproportionatenumber of immigrant visas in the past.

People who live inside the UnitedStates can apply for an immigrant visa ifthey have a relative in the United Stateswho is a US citizen or a lawful permanentresident who can file a Form I-130 Immi-grant Petition for Relative, Fiancé(e) or Or-phan, for them with the Immigration andNaturalization Service (INS). In certaincases, a Form I-130 may be filed with a US

consulate or INS abroad. The approval of arelative visa petition will qualify a personwho intends to immigrate to the UnitedStates for an immigrant visa at a US con-sulate in a foreign country.

Other people who do not have relativesin the United States can apply for immi-grant visas as priority workers (persons ofextraordinary ability, outstanding profes-sors and researchers, or multinational exec-utives or managers), members of the

professions holding advanced degrees,aliens of exceptional ability, professionalswithout advanced degrees, or investors.Foreigners are also eligible to apply for im-migration if they are capable of performingspecified skilled or unskilled labor that isnot of a temporary or seasonal nature andfor which a shortage of employable andwilling persons exists in the United States.

Labor certifications are required for al-most all immigrants whose applicationsare based on employment. The exceptionsare priority workers who intend to enterthe labor market and do not have relativesto file relative visa petitions for them, andthose whose professions or qualificationshave been precertified by the Departmentof Labor and who are therefore eligible fora “Schedule A” Labor Certification Waiver.

The Refugee Act of 1980 distinguishesbetween those who are refugees and thosewho seek asylum. People outside of theUnited States may be admitted as refugees.People physically present in the UnitedStates or at a land border or port of entry tothe United States at the time of seekingrefuge may apply for asylum within oneyear of entry. The term refugee has beenbroadened to fit the definition of theUnited Nations Convention and Protocolrelating to the status of refugees.

People who wish to immigrate to theUnited States from abroad must apply forimmigrant visas at a US consulate in the for-

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eign country of their residence, with someexceptions, and must comply with all thelaws and regulations of the Immigrationand Nationality Act and its amendments.At the discretion of the INS, qualified appli-cants who have been “inspected and ad-mitted” into the United States may applyfor adjustment of status in order to becomepermanent residents.

If you have been living and workinglegally in the United States, it is usuallypossible to file a Form I-485 Application toRegister Permanent Residence or AdjustStatus. You will also be eligible to file thisform if you are an immediate family mem-ber of a US citizen, even if you have beenworking illegally in the country, if you initially entered the United States with inspection.

There are no limits placed on the num-ber of people who come to the UnitedStates as permanent residents if they arethe immediate relatives of US citizens over21 years of age. Immediate relatives includespouses, parents, and unmarried childrenunder 21 years old. Because this number isnow included in the total number of immi-grants who will be admitted in any givenfiscal year, the availability of family visasfor any year will be determined by sub-tracting the number of immediate familyvisas issued in the previous fiscal year fromthe total number of available family visas.But, according to the new law, a minimumof 226,000 family-sponsored immigrantvisas will always be available, even if itmeans reducing the number of visas avail-able in other categories.

Limits are placed on the number ofvisas that can be given out to individuals ineach preference category in a given year.The categories of immigration and thebreakdown of each group into numericallyrestricted preference groups are discussedin chapter 2. Sample 2 in chapter 2 shows avisa availability bulletin.

In general terms, if you intend to immi-grate in one of these categories, you musteither —

(a) have a relative in the United Stateswho will file a visa petition on yourbehalf, or

(b) have made arrangements to be em-ployed and your employment hasbeen approved by the Departmentof Labor, unless you are exemptfrom this requirement, as is the casewith priority workers and thosepeople whose professions or occu-pations are on Schedule A.

Even if you satisfy the above criteria,you may still be ineligible to get an immi-grant visa if you do not qualify in terms ofthe grounds of inadmissibility, or generalrules of admissibility to the United States.These rules deny entry to people who arelikely to have a negative effect on the livesof others in terms of their health, economiccircumstances, or past criminal records.

Grounds of inadmissibility in terms ofhealth are applied to those suffering from acommunicable disease of public health sig-nificance, such as infectious tuberculosis;those suffering from a physical or mentaldisorder that would render them a threat tothe property, safety, or welfare of others;and drug abusers or addicts.

Grounds of inadmissibility in terms ofeconomic criteria include people who arelikely to become public charges; people at-tempting to enter the country to work inskilled or unskilled jobs for which there isno demand and for which the Departmentof Labor has not issued labor certifications;and medical graduates of schools that arenot approved by the Department of Healthand Human Services and who are, there-fore, deemed not competent to work in theUnited States. This restriction does notapply to doctors of international acclaim orto doctors who wish to enter the UnitedStates as investors.

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Criminal and moral grounds for inad-missibility and removal apply to a widerange of people, including members of theNazi or Communist Party or any affiliatedorganizations and those who have commit-ted crimes for which there was a jailpenalty of at least one year. Finally, thereare grounds of inadmissibility that relateprimarily to INS regulations. For example, ifyou attempt to enter the country fraudu-lently, using false or stolen papers, you areconsidered inadmissible.

In some cases, you will be able to obtaina waiver for a ground of inadmissibility ifthe reason you are requesting this waiver isfor family reunification. If, for example,you are suffering from an HIV infection, youmay be allowed to enter provided youshow a means of support and agree to ob-tain immediate treatment in the UnitedStates. See chapter 4 for more information.

The fees payable for a formal immi-grant application and for the issuance of avisa are approximately $350.* The visa isvalid for four months from the date it is is-sued. As there can be no advance determi-nation of when a visa will be issued,applicants are advised not to make anyfinal travel arrangements, not to dispose oftheir property, and not to give up their jobsuntil visas have been issued to them.

Your immigrant visa, once current,does not confer US citizenship on you but itdoes entitle you to enter the United Statesduring its validity period and to live andwork in the United States.

All children need visas except thoseborn after a visa has been issued. The par-ent should then have the child’s birth cer-tificate. Also, the child should have a validpassport or be included on the parent’spassport.

Generally, your personal property andautomobile may be imported duty free intothe United States if intended for your per-sonal use. There is no restriction on theamount of US currency or foreign currency

that you may bring in. You may not, how-ever, import gold rings, bullion, and gold-coin jewelry without a permit from US

Customs. Some countries also restrict howmuch of their currency can be taken out. Besure to check this before you leave and de-clare everything to US Customs at the portof entry, especially cash of more thanUS$10,000. If items are not declared and arethen discovered, you may face criminalcharges and forfeiture.

3. WELCOME TO THE USA

Once you arrive in the United States, youcannot qualify to become a citizen untilyou have resided in the United States forfive years and applied for naturalization.While in the United States, you are subjectto the same laws and legal obligations ascitizens and this means you have to pay taxon your worldwide income. See the “US TaxGuide for Aliens” for details. If you move,you will be required to notify the INS ofyour current address within ten days of ob-taining your new address. Appendix 2 liststhe addresses of the INS offices. Contact theone nearest you for forms and information.

When you are admitted to the UnitedStates on an immigrant visa, you will re-ceive a plastic card. These cards were tradi-tionally green and were called green cards.Unlike recent pink cards, the new greencard actually does have a slightly greentint, and not only has visible security fea-tures that make it easier for employers toverify the new card’s authenticity, but alsohas other less visible security features thatcan be identified by INS personnel, thus re-ducing counterfeiting and tampering. Un-like the previous laminated paper cards,the new permanent resident card is a plas-tic document similar to a credit card. It hasa digital fingerprint and photograph thatare actually part of the card. The new cardalso features a hologram depicting theStatue of Liberty, the letters “USA” in largeprint, an outline of the United States, andthe INS seal. The back of the card, called

*All fees quoted are correct at the time of printing but are subject to change without notice. Please contact your local author-ity to confirm fees before proceeding.

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Form I-551, features an optical memorystripe which contains a laser-engraved ver-sion of the information contained on thefront of the card, including the card-holder’s photograph, name, signature, dateof birth, and alien registration number.This laser-etched information cannot beerased or altered. Much of the same infor-mation, along with the cardholder’s finger-print, is digitally encoded in the stripe andcan only be read by INS officers using ahigh-tech scanner.

This card is important proof of yourlawful residence in the United States. Nosample is shown in this book because it isillegal to reproduce this card without au-thorization. You are required to carry itwith you at all times if you are 18 years orolder. If you have not received your cardwithin six months of being “inspected andadmitted” at a US port of entry, see yournearest INS office.

A reentry permit or travel document issimilar to an I-551 card for the purpose ofshowing your lawful residence in theUnited States. The reentry permit is meantto be used by lawful permanent residentswho have to leave the United States. Thinkof the reentry permit as a “passport” forlawful permanent residents of the UnitedStates. If you are planning on extendedtravel abroad, apply for a reentry permitwhile you are still in the United States (seeSample 1). The fee is $110. A reentry permitis valid for two years only. You can renewyour reentry permit while you are abroad ifyou apply for a renewal at an INS office orcertain US consulates before the expiry date.

You will then be allowed to reenter theUnited States as a lawful permanent resi-dent.

In the Cold War era, you were requiredto get the permission of the INS before trav-eling in communist countries in order foryour reentry permit or I-551 card to bevalid for readmission to the United States.This is no longer the case for most coun-tries, but when you apply for a reentry per-mit, or if you plan to travel abroad tocountries that have no formal ties with theUnited States, it is wise to check with theINS before you leave to find out if any spe-cial procedures are necessary.

Before going overseas for lengthy peri-ods of time, a lawful permanent resident isalso required to obtain a “sailing permit”from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS)stating that all taxes have been paid. Inher-itance taxes for surviving spouses of lawfulpermanent residents are considerablyhigher than those for US citizens. It is sug-gested that permanent residents shouldapply for naturalization (US citizenship) assoon as they qualify in order to minimizethe payment of inheritance taxes.

If you are going to be out of the UnitedStates for a short period of time, either onvacation or business, you will need to showa valid I-551 card in order to be readmittedas a lawful permanent resident. Under the1996 Immigration Act, however, any lawfulpermanent resident leaving the UnitedStates for six months or more is subject toforfeiture of his or her lawful permanentresident status.

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SAMPLE 1FORM I-131 APPLICATION FOR TRAVEL DOCUMENT

AGU Sharon D.

N/A

2303 One Union Square None

Seattle Washington

King 98101

6-12-71 England

822-23-9087 92-867-098

x

N/A

x

x

8-24-02 6 months

SEA 0000 05

WSBA # 170

x

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SAMPLE 1 — Continued

x

x

N/A

I would like to visit an ashram outside of Bombay, India. Then I would like to visit friends in Amsterdam and Barcelona.

India, The Netherlands,Spain

5-11-02 (206) 522-8034

5-11-02

N.A.

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