Hi,

I was selected in the DV-2004 Green Card Lottery and I received my DV visa at a U.S. Consulate. A few days ago, an Immigration Officer stamped a temporary Green Card in my passport.

My temporary Green Card expires on June 28, 2005 and my passport expires on April 21, 2005. Thus, my passport will expire before my temporary Green Card.

Is a temporary Green Card still valid if it is in an expired passport?

When should I receive my plastic Green Card?

Thanks.

Congratulations on winning the lottery and on getting your green card.

The I-551 stamp in your passport is valid for one year, and you should travel with both your old passport (containing the stamp) and your new passport until you receive your actual green card.

Attorney Edward Weiner
http://www.immigration-aux-usa.com/

Hi,

This morning, I went to my country's Consulate because a Consulate's employee had called me to let me know that my new passport was ready. This new passport is a machine-readable passport, valid for ten years.

Before I could get my new passport, I had to give my old passport to the Consulate, the passport with the temporary Green Card stamp in it. A Consulate's employee cut off the upper right hand corner of my old passport's front cover. Then she stamped "CANCELED" the inner side of my passport's front cover, as well as the first five pages, including the two pages with my biographical information. However, she did NOT stamp "CANCELED" the page with my temporary Green Card stamp.

The Consulate's employee who canceled my old passport and another Consulate's employee told me that my temporary Green Card stamp's being in a CANCELED passport would not cause me problems with BCIS, even though the pages with the biographical information were also CANCELED.

Do you agree?

I really feel worried that BCIS will not accept a temporary Green Card stamp which is in a CANCELED passport, whose pages containing the biographical information were also CANCELED.

If you can refer me to laws that will reassure me and make me feel better, I will be more than happy to read them.

I really appreciate your valuable information.

The consulate only canceled your passport, not your LPR status, so you can still travel with the old passport as proof of your LPR status. If you feel uncomfortable, however, you can return to the USCIS office with your new passport and ask that an I-551 stamp be placed in your new passport.

Attorney Edward Weiner
http://www.immigration-aux-usa.com/