Crg14624 and Joe, thank you both for your interesting and useful
information.
Quotes from crg14624: "Nothing in the law says the temp
green card must be placed in an unexpired passport," and "You can travel
back to the US with the green card in the expired document."
Even
though I have an unexpired temporary Green Card stamp, am I not required
by law to always carry a valid (unexpired) passport?
Quote from
crg14624: "Are you sure your country's consulate won't give you the old
passport back once they stamp it canceled or punch some holes in it? As
long as they don't stamp or punch the page with the temp I-551 you would
be fine."
Will the temporary Green Card stamp still be accepted by BCIS
if the passport's pages with my biographical information are punched or
canceled?
The Immigration Officer who stamped a temporary Green Card in
my passport on June 29 told me that I would receive my plastic Green
Card six to twelve months later. My passport will have expired by then
and my temporary Green Card stamp might have expired by then.
it is important for me to know that a temporary Green Card can be stamped
in an I-94. I will print the document whose link you posted so that I
have something to show to BCIS.
I saw messages with DV I-551 being delivered whithin weeks of entry.
Why don't you start worrying about it closer to the passport
expiration date?
Green Card stamp still be accepted by BCIS if the passport's pages with
my biographical information are punched or canceled?
If you want
a new passport, your old one will be returned with the corners cut off
from the photo ID page only (eg, in my case, the photo ID page was
inside the back cover, and so the back cover had the corners cut off,
but all internal pages remained intact). The expired passport will also
be stamped 'cancelled' on the very first page. Basically, your
temporary proof of legal status should remain untouched.
Suiram, the passport in which my temporary Green Card stamp is is
an emergency passport valid for one year only (from April 21, 2004 to
April 21, 2005). I had to obtain this emergency passport because it
takes many months to obtain the regular passport, valid ten years. The
regular passport would never have been ready by the time I had my
appointment at a U.S. Consulate to obtain my DV visa.
This regular
passport is now waiting for me at my country's Consulate, which is
demanding that I return the emergency passport in order to get the
regular passport. In my previous message in this thread, I explained all
the problems a CANCELED passport might cause. This is why I am not
willing to return the emergency passport.
I most certainly hope I will
be as lucky as those DV lottery winners whose messages you read and I
most certainly hope I will get my plastic Green Card winthin weeks of my
entry into the U.S. However, the Immigration Officer told me it takes
six to twelve months to receive the plastic Green Card.
Syllk, the
biographical information is on the first four pages of my passport, not
on the passport's cover. My country's Consulate would cut off the upper
right hand corner of these pages, as well as stamp ALL the passport's
pages CANCELED.
in every case that I have seen, the expired (ore replaced) passport will
be made invalid (CANCELED) on every page EXCEPT the page with your stamp
or visa.
I had my passport expire, which had my L1 visa a few years ago, so the
belgian consulate got my new passport and I had to give the old one,
they invalidated every page EXCEPT the page with my L1 visa, and
returned it to me together with the new assport, at the POE provide your
current passport and also provide the expired one which has the page
that's still ok.
just make VERY sure and make it very clear that you have that intent.
other folks from other countries have done the same I don't see why this
would be different in your case. it's common practise.
