My Advise on Green Card Abandonment Issues

Many green card holders do not wish to reside in the United States. Oftentimes they still maintain a business abroad or have not yet completed their education, and therefore are unable to relocate to the United States at the time the green card is issued to them. They often wonder how they can keep their green card because of the substantial efforts it took to apply and receive the green card. I recommend those to clients first to at least make one entry with the immigrant visa because doing so would trigger the issuance of the actual green card itself. If there are unfinished business abroad, the green card holder should apply for a re-entry permit. Re-entry permit nowadays requires biometrics, which may take about a month to receive an appointment date. USCIS allows applicants to obtain next-day biometrics appointments through infopass, which helps the green card holder if he or she is leaving the United States soon after making entry for the first time on the immigrant visa. I recommend all green card holders to open a US bank account, file tax return every year, apply for a driver’s license and other documents that would show connections with the United States. Ties with the United States are required to convince DHS officer that the green card holder intends to live in the United States.

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One comment

  1. A year after being a permanent resident you have an option to maintain residence by filing Form N-470. Beginning in February 2013, customers filing Form N-470, Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes, will mail them to the Dallas Lockbox facility.

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