Travel document for refugees

[Duane]

There has been some interest in what it would take for former refugees
now living in the US to be able to go for a visit back to the camps in
Thailand or do other international travel. So I’ve done a little home
work to see what would be involved. It seems that the first
requirement is permanent residence status, or a “green card”. Then
the traveler must apply for a travel document/re-entry permit (USCIS
Form I-131). Here are links to both the form and the instructions:

Here is a link to the instructions. http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-131instr.pdf
It seems the most relevant part is on page 2 & 3. Also, the fees to
apply are on page 8. Fees total $385 so it is expensive!

Here is a link to the form I-131: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-131.pdf.

What I still don’t know is how long the process takes to receive the
form once the application has been sent in. I also don’t know if any
kind of visa is required from Thailand or if it is the same as
arriving with a US passport where we get 30 days upon arrival at the
airport. I would appreciate it if someone could answer these
questions or point me to the right source of information.

[jon...@cpinternet.com]

In the cases that I am aware of, the wait time has ranged anywhere
from three months to over a year. An expedited request is possible,
but I don't know what circumstances would qualify for such a request.
Once the travel document has been received, it is quite similar to a
passport. No visa is required for a visit to Thailand of under 30
days. There are a few differences, the most notable being the color
of the cover. Another difference is that it is only valid for 2
years, whereas a passport is valid for 10.

Refugees can become naturalized US citizens 5 years after arrival in
the US. With that comes all the rights and responsibilities of a
native born citizen, including the opportunity to apply for a standard
passport, which is considerably cheaper, easier to obtain, and is
valid for 10 years.

This will also become a larger issue as US-Canada border crossings are
tightening. Only certain documents will be accepted at the border.
Many refugees in the Northern states have crossed the border regularly
in the past to visit their friends and relatives in Canada. In the
future, this will not be possible without proper travel documents.