Is it possible to get an I-551 stamped on your passport if you already have your green card?

[brenn15]

Okay, so I'm pretty sure everyone has heard about the tough immigration laws in Alabama. Alabama is the toughest state to be living in if you are hispanic, regardless if your legal or illegal. I live in Birmingham AL and my cousin just moved here from up north and she has been a permanent resident (green card holder) for almost 6 months. She has her Vermont drivers license that she was able to get with her previous work permit (she held a work permit before she got her green card) and SS#, it does not expire for another 2 years.
She has moved to Alabama and is studying at the University of Alabama with a merit scholarship. So, Alabama's DMV's have made a rule where everyone who is not a citizen must go to 1 location to get their Alabama Drivers License. I accompanied her to this DMV and all she needed to do was simply switch over her Vermont Drivers License to an Alabama one. She IS LEGAL!! Words cannot describe how racist the people working at this DMV are. My cousin approached the front desk and told the woman "I need to get an Alabama Drivers License, I just moved here from Vermont and am studying here." She handed the woman her Vermont DL, her SS card and Green Card. The woman proceeded by asking her for her passport so she gave it to her, it is a Peruvian passport. Then, she asked her for all of her USCIS documents (WHY does she need them if she has a green card and a valid drivers license ???), thank goodness she had brought them with her just incase, she gave this rude woman all of her USCIS documents. This woman at the dmv clearly thinks she knows more than Homeland Security because she asked my cousin, "where is your I-94?" And my cousin explained to her that when she had her USCIS immigration meeting and they approved her permanent residency, the USCIS officer took her I-94 away because she would never need it again. So my cousin DOES NOT have her I-94 and WILL NOT EVER see it again, it is in homeland security's hands. Then this woman asked her where her I-551 stamp was on her passport. My cousin told her that when she was approved the officer never mentioned anything about needing any stamp. This woman (who of course knows more than Homeland Security ;) I bet her ghetto self does not even have a high school diploma) told her that it is not possible to have a green card without having the I-551 stamp on her passport. Furthermore, she denied her. My cousin could not get her drivers license. This woman told my cousin that she must be ILLEGAL if she does not have the I-551 stamp. And to "BE CAREFUL, WE ARE HUNTING DOWN ALL THE ILLEGALS...." I would love to sue this woman and take her to court. She said much more to my cousin, but I will not bore you. We asked to speak to her superior and a a police officer who is "head of immigration" also told my cousin that if she does not have an I-551 stamp on her passport she must be ILLEGAL.... are you serious?? Does he know that my cousin CANNOT be deported because she DOES have a status??

My question is, is it possible to get an I-551 stamp on your passport if you already have your green card in your hand? This DMV is obviously making it difficult for non-citizens to get an Alabama drivers license. And if they are saying that she needs an I-551 stamp to get her drivers license, then she needs an I-551 stamp.
I know the I-551 stamp is sometimes used when your green card is taking longer than usual to arrive. The I-551 serves the same purpose as the green card.

Thanks in advance for responding! Also, please only respond if you know whether you can get an I-551 stamped on your passport if you are already a green card holder.

[zadok]

You cannot get the stamp, and you do not need one. This woman was just plain incorrect. Unfortunately, I have had a lot of clients with problems like this at the DMV in other states - I've even had to go with them as their attorney to help sort things out.
She should just try again and make sure she gets someone different to help her. Maybe she should bring a copy of the regulations with her...

[giulio]

I have never been to Alabama, so I don't know how racist DMV employees are there, but I know for a fact that the dumbest people in the world work for the SSA and the DMV folks are not far behind.

What you experienced is a person who had no clue about her job. The Green Card (its code is I-551), is a class A document. What that means that it is an accepted photo ID issued by the government of the United States. It doesn't get any higher. No passport needed, no immigration documents, nada.

What you should have done is read the Alabama DMV's Web page about this, print it out, and show it to the woman. The moment she gave you **** you should have asked for a supervisor or the department manager and ask to file a formal complaint for discrimination as an immigrant. You would have gotten this resolved faster than you could have typed this post.

Here's the info you need in order to apply for an Alabama driver license, and it took me less than 120 seconds to find this stuff:

http://www.dps.state.al.us/Home/wfContent.aspx?ID=80&PLH1=plhDriverLicense-StarIDFAQ

For Non-Citizens:

* Valid, unexpired Permanent Resident Card – I-551 for Lawful Permanent Residents

Both Citizens and Non-Citizens will need to bring:

* Your Social Security Card or proof of your Social Security Number
* Two documents that show your principal residence

And, no, you cannot get an I-551 stamp if you have an I-551 card. The stamp is only temporary in the passport to bridge the time until the actual Green Card arrives in the mail.

[hussein]

you certainy do not need a 1-551 nor can you get one ....

...the stamp is just a temp measure while you wait for the real thing

no mention of the I551 here just green card

http://dps.alabama.gov/Documents/Documents/DriverLicense-HowToObtain.pdf

[webb]

You cannot get I-551 Temporary Permanent Resident stamp on the passport once you get green card. Wait a couple of more days and go back to DMV when all the workers there finally learns more about verifying documents.

[salvadore94]

Sorry you ran into a DMV hassle. The unyielding woman was partly right: you get an I-551 stamp when you first arrive as an immigrant. But even CIS doesn't like to use it because it's so subject to fraud. The best proof of residency is, as you noted, the green card. You could try again at a different DMV office. Or you might try making an appointment for an interview. The appointment would get you past that first screening woman. Not sure what else you can try. You could write a snail-mail letter to DMV and/or the governor, stating the facts as they occurred, and name names if possible. Don't use words like "ghetto" or "ignorant." Denying a legal resident a license for wrong reasons might result in a lawsuit, but I don't think you want to go through all that hassle and expense, especially if the amount you can sue for would be equal to your demonstrated losses. (A couple of hours of your time, max) Good luck !!