furrydice79

hi everybody. so i just got my stuff back from the embassy this morning.
I am going over to the US in january for 5 weeks so will get my green card then, and apply for ss and all that. but my question is, my US wife and I are not yet ready to move permanantly to america (economic recovery etc), what are my options, i mean i know people who live over here (UK) and retain green card as they go to the US every year for holiday., i dont want to lose it as soon as ive got it just because we arent quite ready to move yet

any info would be great!!

BritishGuy36

a) If you're going to be moving permanently to the US within 6 months of departing after your trip over there, you'll be ok. Any longer than that and you risk 'abandonment of status' issues. If you already know you'll be longer than 6 months, you should enter the country and apply for a re-entry certificate straight away. You'd need to wait for a biometrics appointment (fingerprinting) and attend that appointment. You can then either leave right away (and have someone forward the certificate to you) or wait for the certificate to arrive in the mail. The certificate is good for up to two years and eases your entry back into the US.

b) Such persons have materially abandoned their status, and are risking a border control agent pulling them into secondary and formalising such a suspicion. You should not employ such a risky technique if you are serious about retaining your status.

Rete

Congratulations. The people you know of who have PR status in the US but live outside of it and only visit once a year to "maintain" the residency stand a very good chance of being told upon entry one day that they appear to have abandoned residency and will be sent before an immigration judge to prove that they have not. Visiting once a year is not maintaining residency. They still need to meet the other requirements as proof of that residency. BTW they still need to file annual tax returns with the US government.

katnap8

Congratulations on getting the visa.

lansbury

You don't say if you wife is traveling with you. One of the conditions is the US sponsor must be in the USA when you arrive or travel with you.

Ginblossom

Same typeof deal as for me really but I am going out in April time, just before the visa expires. Have to head back to the UK to take masters exams etc and then go back permanently. I wonder how long the reentry cert takes to obtain. I am hopefully not going to need but good to know nonetheless.

Furry, I would, as others have said be way of folks who say they go back once in a while and keep their green card. The reason - as you know - you get the GC is the entitlement to reside, if your friends dont, then they run a huge risk of losing it. And after all the trouble of getting it - we would someone do that! Your friends dare I say are liars or just very lucky, but they will get caught up with, and I haven't mentioned taxes yet....

good luck to you though, Im sure you will work it out.

furrydice79

thank you everyone for all your help, especially bitishguy36, i think we will go with the re entry thingy