Expired green card

[Ruchi1000]

Hi, my parents' green card was scheduled to expire Dec 2020. We applied for renewal in June 2020, biometrics in Dec 2020 where they extended both green cards till Dec 2021. My dad received his new GC in Jan 2021, however, my mom's never came. Follow up in June 2021 indicated that the biometrics could not be read and needed to be repeated. Repeated biometrics for my mom in August 2021. They went to India in October 2021 with intention to return in January 2022. The extension on the GC expires in Dec 2021. USCIS Delhi says they do not need an infopass appointment and can travel on an expired green card in January. The receipt for renewal application is dated June 2020. What should they do to be able to safely travel back in January 2022?

[newacct]

I'm assuming your mother did not get an I-551 stamp before she left the US?

It is true that as far as the US government is concerned, airlines are allowed to board her for travel to the US with an expired 10-year green card. The question is whether the airline is willing to board her with that. If not, she will still have to file I-131A to get a transportation letter. See CBP carrier information guide, page 28:

Cards with expired I-551s may be boarded without penalty if the card was issued with a 10-year expiration date.

And I-131A page, under Special Instructions:

If you have an expired Green Card, you may not need to file Form I-131A. Although regulations generally require an LPR to travel with a valid Green Card, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) policy allows a transportation carrier bound for the United States to let you to board without carrier documentation if you are:

• An LPR with an expired Green Card that was issued with a 10-year expiration date (and you have been outside of the U.S. for less than a year);
• [...]

Check with your airline or transportation carrier before you file Form I-131A because, in some situations, they may still refuse to let you board even if you are in one of the categories above. In that case, you will need to file a Form I-131A.

[Ruchi1000]

Thank you for your response. They got stamped in Dec 2020, but still expires in Dec 2021. They did not stamp it again in 2021, saying the green card should be back. Would be still expired before they came back in January 2022..