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Greencard info/help

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  • 21-02-2012 12:11pm
    #1
    Smac!
    Registered Users Posts: 33 ✭


    Hows it going, I am in the process of getting my greencard and i have a few questions hopefully someone can clear up for me.

    When i get my greencard do I havto go to america straight away?
    Can my girlfriend ''hop'' on my greencard aswell or what can be done about that for her to come with me?
    When i get my greencard and go get my SSN and return to ireland until decisions are made...will the greencard be alright or does it have rules, i.e. once you get one...you have to live in america?

    any info or advice on anything would be great...
    cheers!


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    #2
    silja
    Registered Users Posts: 2,921 ✭✭✭silja


    Most answers will depend on how you are getting your greencard- through work, family, DV lottery etc. In general:
    - You usually have 6 months to use your visa, and get the greencard in the mail once you have immigrated.
    - No, though if you legally marry she might, depending on the type of visa you have.
    - You have to be resident in the USA (the official name of the greencard is Legal Permanent Resident). You can travel, but to be save spend more time inside the US than outside in a rolling year, and never more than 6 months outside the US in a row. If you absolutely MUST spend longer outside, you can apply for a re-entry permit.


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    #3
    Smac!
    Registered Users Posts: 33 ✭Smac!


    i am getting the green card through family
    ok so if i get my greencard visa...then within the 6months of getting it i go to america to activate it and then after i activate it and get SSN i return to either ireland or australia(going on WHV) to assess my situation/make decisions etc.....probly stay for year or 2 in either ireland or australia.
    will my greencard become expired or be taken off me?
    im sure loads of people are in similar situation...must be ok to do so or forms to fill in etc??


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    #4
    silja
    Registered Users Posts: 2,921 ✭✭✭silja


    No, you cannot just visit for a few weeks and return to Ireland. The greencard is to live in the USA, not "just to have in case I want to move in a few years". Your greencard will definitely be taken off you if you stay outside the USA longer than a year. If it is between 6 months and a year, it is up to the border officer to decide- once you will probably be ok, especially if you have bills and a house in the US to show you normally live there. But the second time you are unlikely to be let in.

    If you cannot move yet, you are better off postponing your interview until you can. Who is petitioning for you (suster, mother etc), and which stage of the process are you at? If you haven't got an interview appointment yet, it is quite easy to delay for up to a year by taking your time sending paperwork back.

    The re-entry permit lasts a maximum of 2 years, and you need a good reason to get it; "assessing the situation" is not good enough. I have seen them approved for a pregnant woman wanting to give birth in her home country, for someone who was 3 years into a 4 year degree in their country and for someone who had a thriving business abroad that took longer to sell than they anticipated and so the 6 months after visa issuance was not enough.


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