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VISA Received! Time to Order Green Card?


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Thank you folks for all the info and supports!!! My wife finally received her VISA last week. In her passport, there are two VISA stickers, one is CR1 which was stamped with "Cancelled Without Prejudice", another is IR1 which is valid.

 

My question is that is it the time to order green card now? I remember I have seen that the green card could be ordered and issued before entering the US. How could we do this?

 

Thank you!!! :happydance:

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You can pay for it now, it will then be issued sometime within 120 days after arrival in the states.

 

Go to the ELIS website here create an account and pay the fee. https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/log-online-filing

 

Note upon entry to the USA the VISA will serve as a green-card, so yes you can travel, work, get SSN etc using the visa.

 

Wait 10 days or so after arrival to apply for a SSN.

 

My MIL just went through all of this over the summer.

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You can pay for it now, it will then be issued sometime within 120 days after arrival in the states.

 

Go to the ELIS website here create an account and pay the fee. https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/log-online-filing

 

Note upon entry to the USA the VISA will serve as a green-card, so yes you can travel, work, get SSN etc using the visa.

 

Wait 10 days or so after arrival to apply for a SSN.

 

My MIL just went through all of this over the summer.

 

Thank you so much for the info. Even answered the question that I'm about to ask. :)

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Thank you folks for all the info and supports!!! My wife finally received her VISA last week. In her passport, there are two VISA stickers, one is CR1 which was stamped with "Cancelled Without Prejudice", another is IR1 which is valid.

 

My question is that is it the time to order green card now? I remember I have seen that the green card could be ordered and issued before entering the US. How could we do this?

 

Thank you!!! :happydance:

 

 

 

No - the green card is ordered only when the applicant enters the U.S., provided the green card fee has been paid. PAYING for it is a separate operation that may be done at any time after the visa is awarded, like Dan said.

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  • 2 months later...

> Note upon entry to the USA the VISA will serve as a green-card, so yes you can travel, work, get SSN etc using the visa.

 

Does that include travel outside the US? My wife and daughter will be entering the US on IR-1 and IR-2 visas, and they don't want to be "locked up" in the US while waiting for green cards to arrive.

 

 

 

Never mind ... I think I found the answer. Looks like traveling outside the US is OK.

 

This site has an interesting discussion.

 

Some poor guy traveling back to US was denied boarding by incompetent gate agents because he "only" had a I-551 stamp in his passport (but no green card).

 

The key point, I guess is that the stamp in your passport and the green card are both I-551 documents -- they are essentially equivalent.

Edited by ciao (see edit history)
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> Note upon entry to the USA the VISA will serve as a green-card, so yes you can travel, work, get SSN etc using the visa.

 

Does that include travel outside the US? My wife and daughter will be entering the US on IR-1 and IR-2 visas, and they don't want to be "locked up" in the US while waiting for green cards to arrive.

 

 

 

Never mind ... I think I found the answer. Looks like traveling outside the US is OK..

 

This site has an interesting discussion.

 

Some poor guy traveling back to US was denied boarding by incompetent gate agents because he "only" had a I-551 stamp [/size]in his passport (but no green card).

 

The key point, I guess is that the stamp in your passport and the green card are both I-551 documents -- they are essentially equivalent.

Yes it includes travel, my MIL entered the US in an IR-5 visa last July, and we then went over to Canada to attend a Scottish festival, the Canadian and American guards had no issues with the I-551 notation at the land crossings.

 

See: http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/48712-visiting-canada-with-just-visa-with-i-551-notation

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