Immigrant Visas or Green Cards grant Legal Permanent Residence in the U.S.  The Green Card holder may work in the United States, but also has obligations.  If the Green Card holder remains outside of the United States for extended periods of time and/or departs the U.S. for a period of more than one year without applying for and receiving a Re-Entry permit, he or she will be deemed to have abandoned their Legal Permanent Residence in the U.S.  

Reinstating Legal Permanent Residence (Green Card) may be possible under certain circumstances.  You should consult an Immigration Attorney if you think that your Green Card may no longer be valid or if you have been questioned on a previous visit to the United States and you believe that you may be denied entry on a future visit.

In some cases, Legal Permanent Residency may be granted conditionally as in the case of spouses of U.S. Citizens who have been married for less than two years at the time that they became permanent residents or in the case of Entrepreneur Investment Visas.

All Green Card holders are presumed to be Permanent Residents of the U.S., however this presumption is rebuttable and if the Permanent Resident does not take steps to show his or her intent to reside permanently in the United States, he or she may be deemed to have abandoned the Legal Permanent Resident (Green Card) status, and they may be asked to surrender their Green Card.  You should consult an Immigration Attorney if you think that you may have a problem reentering the United States.

 

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See also Frequently Asked Questions