Guam POE for Immigrant Visa before Green Card

[clearcoated]

We're living in China, and my immigrant spouse completed her medical examination last week, and 3 weeks from now she'll have her interview at the US Consulate in Guangzhou. We're expecting that she'll be granted an Immigrant Visa.

 

So, we have a 6 month window to enter a US Port of Entry with her Immigrant Visa.

 

Within 12 months, we're planning to permanently relocate to our US residence because we currently have job obligations in China to finish up. We're unable to relocate to the US within 6 months.

 

So, we're planning a short trip to Guam within 6 months to fulfill her US POE with Immigrant Visa requirement. Guam is only 5 hours away, and a lot less expensive than flying to San Francisco.

 

Questions:

 

Randy, you mentioned in another thread you initially went to the Guam POE in 2011, but needed to be processed again when you entered San Francisco. What did the USCIS require from you in San Francisco? How big of deal was that 2nd processing?

 

Anyone,

Does anyone know what Form we fill-out to get the Green Card after we've gone through the US POE?

 

Do we fill this Form out online, or do we make an appointment to get biometrics done? If we need to make an appointment, then I should check to see if this appointment can happen in Guam, too.

 

I'm assuming we should have the Green Card mailed to my permanent US address (my parent's home), and then my family can FedEX it to us in China. Then my spouse can enter the US with it next time.

 

[Randy W]

We're living in China, and my immigrant spouse completed her medical examination last week, and 3 weeks from now she'll have her interview at the US Consulate in Guangzhou. We're expecting that she'll be granted an Immigrant Visa.

 

So, we have a 6 month window to enter a US Port of Entry with her Immigrant Visa.

 

Within 12 months, we're planning to permanently relocate to our US residence because we currently have job obligations in China to finish up. We're unable to relocate to the US within 6 months.

 

So, we're planning a short trip to Guam within 6 months to fulfill her US POE with Immigrant Visa requirement. Guam is only 5 hours away, and a lot less expensive than flying to San Francisco.

 

Questions:

 

Randy, you mentioned in another thread you initially went to the Guam POE in 2011, but needed to be processed again when you entered San Francisco. What did the USCIS require from you in San Francisco? How big of deal was that 2nd processing?

 

A passport is all that is required of US citizens at either POE. For your wife, they may or may not do the IR-1 processing which results in a green card in Guam. You will need to make sure that her POE processing will trigger the green card. Perhaps someone can help us out there, as the processing at Guam seems to change from time-to-time, or based on your trip plans.

 

Anyone,

Does anyone know what Form we fill-out to get the Green Card after we've gone through the US POE? The immigration fee may be paid online, either before or after her trip. The green card will not be issued until it is paid. See https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/how-pay-uscis-immigrant-fee

 

Do we fill this Form out online, or do we make an appointment to get biometrics done? If we need to make an appointment, then I should check to see if this appointment can happen in Guam, too. Simply pay the immigration fee, as per the above link.

 

I'm assuming we should have the Green Card mailed to my permanent US address (my parent's home), and then my family can FedEX it to us in China. Then my spouse can enter the US with it next time. Her passport will have an I-551 (green card) stamp, good for one year.

 

[Randy W]

I'm not sure what your wife can expect at the POE in Guam - they DO process immigrant visas for Guam residents, but I wouldn't be surprised if they saw that she was going back to China, and simply issued a visa or waiver to allow her stay in Guam.

 

When I tossed that idea out, I thought it would be easier to find specific information, but I haven't been able to. When they see that she will live in the mainland U.S., they might simply give her a packet to carry to her NEXT POE. Perhaps someone else can help us, or you might see if you can contact the Immigrations department at Guam.

[clearcoated]

I'm not sure what your wife can expect at the POE in Guam - they DO process immigrant visas for Guam residents, but I wouldn't be surprised if they saw that she was going back to China, and simply issued a visa or waiver to allow her stay in Guam.

 

When I tossed that idea out, I thought it would be easier to find specific information, but I haven't been able to. When they see that she will live in the mainland U.S., they might simply give her a packet to carry to her NEXT POE. Perhaps someone else can help us, or you might see if you can contact the Immigrations department at Guam.

To answer the question regarding whether Guam POE can process an IR-1 Visa and trigger a Green Card, I attempted to contact the Guam Immigration office, and began to make an appointment through INFOPASS, but I can't call them, it's only an in-person appointment. So I called USCIS 1-800-375-5283 and went through the menu to speak with a customer service representative. The USCIS rep told me to contact my local US Consulate here to verify whether Guam can handle it.

 

So my spouse will ask about it during her upcoming interview at the US Consulate in Guangzhou in 3 weeks.

 

I'll update the results as we learn more.

 

Thanks for all your help.

[clearcoated]

UPDATE: I called (671) 642-7611 the Guam POE http://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/hagatna-guam

 

Spoke to a Customs and Border Protection officer, and he said Guam can process the IR-1 Visa, and my spouse will be issued a temporary Green Card good for 1 year. He said Guam will submit the paperwork which will result in a Green Card arriving within about 5 months.

Edited April 25, 2016 by clearcoated (see edit history)

[dnoblett]

Note the visa serves as a temp 1 year great card once the POE stamps "endorces" the passport, and processes the immigration packet.

 

 

Note the I-551 notation on the sample visa...