Traveling UK to USA Tomorrow ( left Greencard in USA)

Traveling UK to USA Tomorrow ( left Greencard in USA) - Bridge over River in City

I'm a British citizen who resides in the USA, packing now and realize I've come here without my Greencard. I did this once before and the airline was quite relaxed ( I'm Executive Platinum and first class check in desks are very different) and entry into the US was easy as I'm global entry, I didn't have to show it to anyone. Am due to travel tomorrow, wondered if

  1. Things are very different in the Covid era
  2. Is there anything I can bring to help,I have a photo of the card.
  3. If I'm denied boarding due to this, will it be easy enough to get them to put me on a flight on Monday, by which time I could perhaps courtier the card to me
  4. Are there any other options for getting the GC here before, I/e getting a friend to persuade someone at the US airport to bring it to London


Best Answer

Officially, you should not be allow board your flight to the US without either your original I-551 (Green Card), or without an approved form I-131A which will require a trip to a US Consulate.

In "normal times" it may be possible to travel without the physical documentation if your airline already has the card on file, as you state occurred to your previously. This would generally only be possible if you were doing on-line check-in, and if the airline had sighted/scanned your card within a certain time period (every airline is different, but on at least some it's within the past 6 months).

However, times are indeed different at the moment. Before boarding, the airline will want to confirm that you are allowed fly to the US (most non-US citizens are barred from travelling there, with permanent residents being one of the exceptions that are allowed), and that you have a negative COVID-19 test result. This means that they are going to want to physically interact with each passenger, and check their relevant documents - and that's going to include your Green Card.

The odds of being allowed board a flight at the moment without being able to prove that you have the required documents to travel to the US (one of US passport, Green Card, visa or ESTA approval), AND without having the relevant documents that you are an exception under the COVID regulations (US Passport, Green Card, US citizen spouse, etc), is pretty much zero.

Attempting to have an unknown party transport your Green Card across country lines is likely asking for trouble. Almost certainly your best option is going to be to get it sent via courier (Fedex, UPS, DHL, USPS Global Express Guaranteed, etc).




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How long can you leave outside US with green card?

If you are a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), you may leave the United States multiple times and reenter, if you do not intend to stay outside the United States for 1 year or more.

Can I travel to USA with green card now?

Passport for USA travel ESTA travelers, for example, need a biometric passport, while for a US visa, a temporary passport is also sufficient. Convenient: Holders of a Green Card ("Permanent Residents") can travel to the USA without a passport, as the Green Card is considered a "secure document" by the US authorities.

Can I keep my green card if I leave the US?

Even if you have a green card, you cannot maintain your permanent resident status if you live outside the United States indefinitely and return only for visits. Extended absences will eventually lead port-of-entry staff to question whether you have abandoned your permanent residence.

How long can a green card holder stay out of the country 2021?

The law states that if a Green Card holder remains outside of the United States for one year and one day during any one trip, they are considered to have abandoned their residency and lose their Green Card and permanent resident status.



Can US Green Card Holders Travel To UK?




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