I’ve debated writing this article for months, or maybe even a year now, and yet… and yet… when it comes to the truth, and by truth I mean ultimate Truth, there is nothing written here that is not true with a capital T and so with that said, let me begin to tell you of my tales of working with, or trying to work cooperatively with INS - that is the immigration & naturalization service and USCIS - United States Customs & Immigration Services, now under the aegis of The Department of Homeland Security.
As a Green Card holder, I came to America with my mother and stepfather to attend university, my primary reason for coming to the states. It seemed to my grandmother, with whom I had been living and who had raised me, that in the U.S. there would be more opportunity for what I wanted to do, and more, I could make a clean break from our blue collar background because there was less of a class system in America ~ and overall, I’ve found this to be largely true. Not to say that one does not exist, only that it exists in a less defined form. One is able to travel more fluidly and seamlessly between the porous borders of class from poor to mid to upper.
I arrived in New York City and though I hardly remember this, went with my mother to INS and was given a Green Card and had my photo taken – a ¾ profile picture at the time, and my mother I suppose, filled out the forms because I was not yet quite of age (a few months shy, as it turns out). That leaves me not knowing with any exactness, the process of how it is that I obtained my Green Card, only that:
1. Mother had married an American (later in my life, so not my father in any real way) while still in the UK and so planned, naturally, to make her home with him in the United States.
2. My grandmother would be sure that I would go with her, because opportunity was rich and perhaps she balked, perhaps not. I don’t really remember. I just remember the push to go, so it wasn’t really my choice.
3. The Green Card I got was legal and had an expiration date that said NA and stated specifically that it did not expire.
Now, at some point, the law changed such that for every immigrant, no matter that your Green Card may say it does not expire, you must still renew said card every ten years. I certainly didn’t get a press release and I tell you, it would be some comfort to know that the INS actually tracked immigrants enough that a letter would or could be sent to the current home address.
Article comments
1 - D. Hassan
A delightful blog. I think I am in an unhappy situation similar to yours. Be a good Samaritan and tell me if Form I-551 issued in 1981 without expiration date needs to be renewed. I have no idea how to get this question answered. Thank you.
2 - sadi ranson-polizzotti
dear D. Hassan;
the best thing to do is to go to www.uscis.gov, which is the main portal. The informationt thereis pretty straight-forward ... immigraion is now handled by the department of home land so it's hard to do and scary sometimes and frustrating.
Funnily, i took a lot of flack online for this piece; people flaming me because i did not know that i had to renew my green card and had to jump throug hoops etc... that those people didn't factor in my epilespy, the seizures i had in line at immigration and in airports out of sheer panic (which just builds and builds) it seemed and seems unbelievable to me. They read this article as a "poor me" thing, which it is unequivocally not... it is just my own experience and two years of hell and being a deportee and told i could be sent back to Europe - which i almost was - but my lawyr intervened. IT cost me a lot of money to get it sorted out and really, thru no fault of my own. My only fault, and i accept this, was that i did not know the ten year rule of renewing the card but how could i? My card said N/A (not expiring) and i never received any mailing from USCIS.
I suppose it was up to me to be psychic. The best part, they seeemed to think i was born iwth a silver spoon in my mouth when i come from what is among the worst parts of London then and now, Tottenham, so no silver spoon trust fund baby I.
Try www.uscis.com
IF that doesn't help you, write back here and i'll offer up any help i can. I know exactly what you're going through.
I hope this was helpful, and i'm glad you found the article...
where are you from?
s.
3 - D. Hassan
Thanks for your response. I trust things will change in such a way that no genuine permanent resident would have to face the kind of ordeal you did.
I am feeling much relieved about my situation now. The problem with the USCIS website and the information provided for pre-1989 cardholders is that it is extremely ambiguous. I somehow stumbled on a site which gave me the e-mail address of the USCIS ombudsman. I wrote to that person and explained my situation.
I was pleasantly surprised to get a telephone call within three days of writing the note. The person responding noted my complaints/problems and listened to everything I had to say. He told me that at this time there is no need to renew cards that have no expiration date. I did tell him that I was happy with the professionalism shown by him in light of the countless complaints about the way some LPRs are treated. [Personal contact info deleted]
I hope the peace you are enjoying now will lead to several more interesting blog entries.
I am from India.
Keep up the good work.
4 - sadi ranson-polizzotti
you need to go to www.uscis.gov and all of the forms are online there... that's where i did it and it's the best place to go. If you can't find help there, there have phone numbers, etc.
Good luck!
5 - Katia
I am so sorry you had to go through this ordeal! I was so chocked when I found your information, I did not know the law had changed, I seem to have missed it too. I do agree, when the law changed, they should have it being announced on the evening news for at least a month. If it was , I've missed all of it.
I went to my local immigration office after reading your post, only to be told, that my GC is OK, but they could detain me. I was told I could apply for naturalization or another GC. It could take awhile, there is a huge wait before you can acquire either one. I still don't know what to do.
I haven't been home in 14 years and finally got the money to go and this GC problem arises. Thanks for publishing this in the web, there are many Green Card holders, who have not been out of the US since the law changed, and I am one of those! Thanks again.
I am from Brazil,
Blessings to you!