Many people are confused with regard to when they actually become permanent residents of the United States when their cases are processed at US consulates outside the United States.
When you go to an interview at a US consulate for a green card and the officer tells you that your application has been approved, the officer will take from you your passport and the passports of your family members. Then the officer will put a stamp in the passport which looks like the stamp below.
That stamp indicates that your application has been approved and you are now entitled to enter the US on an immigrant visa as a permanent resident; however, this does not make you a permanent resident of the United States. You normally have six months from the date that the stamp is put in your passport in which to enter the US (with the exception of those cases where the medical exam expires before the 6th month period).
You do not actually become a permanent resident until you present yourself at a border and give to the officer the packet that you have been given at the consulate to take with you to the US. When you are finally admitted into the US after the officer at the border performs a final screen of you and your application then you officially become a permanent resident of the United States and the actual processing of your plastic permanent resident card will be completed and within approximately 30-60 days, the card will be mailed to the address you identified during your interview at the US consulate.
If you fail to enter the US within that 6 month period of time you will need to return to the US consulate and convince them that you had a legitimate reason for not coming to the US by the date required and if you are able to do so you may get the stamp extended. It’s extremely important that you make every effort possible to come to the US within that 6 month period of time.
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