Visa Lawyer Blog
A Green Card is not for ever. Once a person obtains Permanent Residency there are rules to follow in order to keep that Green Card. The AILA DC Chapter offers this pointer to provide a brief overview on this topic.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) treatment of lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who leave the United States for long periods of time, yet return once every six months, has been of long-standing concern to many. There is a common misunderstanding that simply returning to the United States once every six months will preclude a finding that one has abandoned his or her lawful permanent residency.
Whether an LPR has abandoned permanent residency, however, is not based solely upon the length of time spent outside of the U.S. In fact, during an October 20, 2011 meeting with the D.C. Chapter’s CBP Liaison Committee, Baltimore (BWI) CBP representatives confirmed that “CBP officers are less focused on the length of time abroad and more on where does the person actually live.”