This article was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, of which Loan Huynh, Fredrikson Immigration Department Chair, is a member.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued guidance on March 5, 2021, for its Carrier Liaison Program on the current policy for boarding of lawful permanent residents (LPRs):
Unexpired Valid Permanent Resident Card
- Passengers with a valid, unexpired Permanent Resident Card (PRC or "green card") may be boarded without any additional documentation.
Re-Entry Permit (I-327): Valid and Unexpired
- Passengers with valid, unexpired re-entry permit are permitted to board without additional documentation.
- The document must be the original re-entry permit. Copies are not accepted.
Expired Permanent Resident Cards: Ten-year validity
- Lawful permanent residents (LPRs) with an expired I-551 may be boarded without penalty, provided the card was issued with a 10-year expiration date.
Expired Permanent Resident Cards: Containing Extension Sticker/Form I-797
- Starting in January 2021, the sticker that is currently issued to LPRs to extend the validity of their PRC (placed on the back of the card) has been discontinued.
- The revised I-797 receipt notice, together with an applicant’s PRC, will serve as temporary evidence of lawful permanent resident status for 12 months from the expiration date on the front of the green card.
- PRCs that contain the extension sticker will remain valid until the expiration date.
- The document must be the original I-797 permit. Copies are not accepted.
Expired Conditional Resident: Two-year validity
- A Conditional Resident with an expired PRC (with a two-year expiration date) may be boarded if also in possession of a Notice of Action (Form I-797).
- The Notice of Action extends the validity of the card for a specified length of time, generally 18 months.
- Do not board the traveler if they are not in possession of Form I-797.
SB-1 Visas: Valid and Unexpired
- Travelers in possession of a valid, unexpired SB-1 visa in their passport may be boarded without additional documentation.
The guidance notes that "[a]irlines should not be determining admissibility of a [traveler] outside the parameters of the document requirements.
