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Travel Formalities #@&##@ ! Paperwork, paperwork ! Help me out !

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Old 01-06-2005, 07:37 PM   #1
anhoi
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Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if there is anyone out there in a similar situation to mines - that is, a permanent resident of the US, who doesn't have a passport because he is not a citizen of the US and can't get a passport from the country he was born in. According to USCIS, since I have no passport I need to get something called a Reentry Permit in order to travel outside of the country for any duration. To return I need to show said Permit and my Green Card. The problem is I want to go to school abroad and it starts in a month, processing a Reentry permit takes anywhere from 6 months to over a year...does anyone know if I can enter Grenada or Dominica without a passport or any suggestions on avenues to follow? ....i'm from Vietnam, came here when I was 1.5 years old and don't have any documentation that i was born in Vietnam, therefore i can't get a Vietnamese passport. and not being able to come back to the US is something i'm afraid of as well as not being able to enter other countries.

thanks!

anh
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Old 01-06-2005, 10:27 PM   #2
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ahn, I am not sure if this is true, but I thought that after you lived in the united states for 7 or so years you could apply for citizenship in the united states. You might have a problem getting all this cleared up in a month thought. Sorry to hear about your situation. it sounds hairy.

Derek
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Old 01-07-2005, 12:33 AM   #3
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Tho I have no specific knowledge of your situation, I rememeber hearing about something that finkle was talking about. It's like a "common law" thingy, that because you spent "X" amount of years here, you are essentially a citizen
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Old 01-07-2005, 12:34 AM   #4
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Anh, I was in your situation a number of years ago. I was able to go into Canada and back on simply a green card with no problem... Same with Mexico. Of course, both times, I drove, so it wasn't a problem. You might want to check at a site like http://travel.state.gov - you may be able to go to US territories (i.e. PR, Virgin Islands, Guam) without any issue as long as it's a direct trip. As for going to other countries, while being a permanent resident will grant you re-entry to the US, you may not be let into others w/o an actual passport.

Do you have proof of entry into the US from Vietnam? All my Vietnamese friends were granted US citizenship almsot instantly due to refugee status, well after the war. You might want to look into that before relations thaw up to the point that you're in limbo! If that's not an option, look into charitable organizations that have citizenship services. I applied through Catholic Charities, and since they put so many applicants through en masse, I had the whole process done in less than a year.

Good luck!
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Old 01-07-2005, 12:05 PM   #5
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Hi anhoi, I understand your situation. Unfortunately one month won't be enough time as I've gone through similar problems and they take a lot of time. The first thing you have to do is contact the Vietnamese Consulate and see with them how you can get a passport. Even though you might not have your documents now they might be able to work with docs from your parents, relatives, school records, baptism cert. etc. usually Consulates are very good at helping people that way. The US re-entry permit is only valid when you have a passport from a different country and NO green card. Upon arrival in the US they WILL ask your for a passport (unless you're traveling by car or bus to/from Mexico or Canada)
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Old 01-07-2005, 01:09 PM   #6
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so i've learned more regarding the situation...i can't get a vietnamese passport because my family left vietnam as refugees (ie without permission from the vietnamese goverment)...reentry permit takes too long to process...so it looks like i can't travel period until i get my american citizenship or reentry permit, which serves as my passport since i can't get one from vietnam...or i'd have to contact each goverment for special permission to enter without a passport. this blows.
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Old 01-11-2005, 09:14 PM   #7
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I would go for the American Citizenship. I know its a pain but it will be worth it! Jump through the hoops and start traveling! DO NOT get discouraged! I am sure all of the T-punkers here will do what we can to help! Get started on the paperwork and dont by shy to ask a lawyer if you need too. You've got nothing to lose at this point.

Good luck!

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