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Greencard holder traveling in and out of USA

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  • 12-10-2016 1:03am
    #1
    Wexford96
    Registered Users Posts: 247 ✭✭


    Hello.
    I was wondering if anyone might help me here. I'm a greencard holder living in NYC. Can I return to my old job and do 3 month stints in Middle East and enter USA for approx. 7-10 days during my time off? I would not actually be working in USA at all, just coming back in during holidays. I heard this can cause problems. Can anyone offer any more info?
    Thank you.


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    #2
    ProudDUB
    Registered Users Posts: 11,569 ✭✭✭✭ProudDUB


    In order to keep your green card, you must maintain your Permanent Residency status in the US. Permanent Residency is defined as spending a mimimum of 6 months/180 days in the US, per calender year. If you need to spend more than 6 months out of the US, you can apply for a waiver (I forget the precise name of it) that lets you do so, without compromising your Permanent Residency status for that year, but it's usually only a once off thing. You can't do it, year in and year out.

    So if you plan on spending more than 6 months/180 days out of the US, on a full time basis, you'll run into trouble hanging onto your Green Card, as you aren't a Permanent Resident any more. Whether you are away for 3 month blocks of time, or some other block of time, isn't really really relevant. What matters is how many days in total, you were out of the US. Whether or not you'll be working in the US, when you come back on holiday, is irrelevant also. What matters are the stamps in your passport, showing when you are physically present in the US.


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    #3
    Dave1442397
    Registered Users Posts: 303 ✭✭Dave1442397


    If you've been in the US long enough to apply for citizenship, that would be your best option. As stated above, being out of the country too long on a Green Card can definitely cause problems.


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    #4
    Crapjob Sean
    Registered Users Posts: 150 ✭✭Crapjob Sean


    Wexford96 wrote: »
    Hello.
    I was wondering if anyone might help me here. I'm a greencard holder living in NYC. Can I return to my old job and do 3 month stints in Middle East and enter USA for approx. 7-10 days during my time off? I would not actually be working in USA at all, just coming back in during holidays. I heard this can cause problems. Can anyone offer any more info?
    Thank you.
    3 months should be fine. I did something similar to this and I had some very difficult re-entries.

    But like everyone said here, get your citizenship sorted as soon as you can.
    The Irish Immigration Center will give you access to an immigration attorney free of charge.

    Good luck.


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    #5
    Wexford96
    Registered Users Posts: 247 ✭✭Wexford96


    Thanks you 3 for answering. Do you know which is the bigger/better immigration center? The one in Woodside or the one in Bronx?
    Cheers


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    #6
    Dave1442397
    Registered Users Posts: 303 ✭✭Dave1442397


    I have no idea which of those is better. By the time I applied for citizenship, the Philadelphia offices were closest to me. They were easy to deal with back in 2008. I remember having to go somewhere to get fingerprinted, and then just had to go to the local NJ office to do the interview/test and attend the ceremony the same day.
    Back when I did the test, there were 100 possible questions, and they were all pretty easy. They only asked four or five questions at the interview, so it was no big deal. Here's a link to the latest questions: https://my.uscis.gov/prep/test/civics


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