derekg

Hello,

From Scotland. Lived in USA since 1997. Married an American.

Got laid off from job in March. Discovered that my Green Card had expired in 2011. I have applied for a renewal. $600 and up to 90 days to fully process.

I am able to seek new employment?
I am in trouble for working for 2 years with an expired card?

Thank you

Derek

md95065

Yes.

No. The card is just evidence of your status as a permanent resident - the card may have expired but your status has not.

MarylandNed

Any particular reason why you haven't become a US citizen?

civilservant

If he's unemployed, probably not having the $1000 it costs.

S Folinsky

The card is not the same as status.

On the I-9, need not produce the I-551 card itself. A state picture ID and an unrestricted SSN card will do the trick.

MarylandNed

He was laid off in March but he's been eligible to apply for US citizenship for years. And now he has to pay $450 to have the green card renewed.
http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-90instr.pdf

Also, the filing fee for a US citizenship application (N400) is $680 - not $1000.
http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/n-400instr.pdf

discoviking

People have their reasons. I became a permanent resident in 1985, but did not become a USC until 2008, for reasons that were very valid to me and my particular situation.

Michael

My ex was in the US for over 25 years before she naturalized and claimed it was primarily because she didn't want to deal with INS anymore.

MarylandNed

I understand people have their different reasons. That's why I was asking the OP if he would care to share his.

MarylandNed

That was also a primary motivation for me. As a PR, I was once detained at Pearson airport in Toronto by US immigration (long story; my name was on a terror watch list) and told that green card holders had no automatic right to enter the US (unlike USC's). I wanted to stop that from ever happening again and I also wanted to be immune from the threat of deportation for whatever reason e.g. getting into trouble with the law through no fault of my own. I wanted my minor children to automatically acquire US citizenship whenever I naturalized. I also wanted to be able to vote.

derekg

Probably isn't the best reason but I just have not felt the need to do so. For personal reasons I am more open to the idea now!
So what are the pros and cons of doing so?

Hotscot

Pro for me....
Coming and going from the US easily.
Certain employment requires citizenship.
Who knows what the political situation will be in the future and what conditions may apply to non citizens.

Con
Will need to do tax returns even when I move back to Scotland.

Noorah101

We have a Wiki Guide entry just for that!

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Pros_a...US_Citizenship

Rene

JAJ

Both true and false. Green card holders can have their status revoked, unlike U.S. citizens. However, (and this is important), immigration officers cannot revoke the status of a permanent resident. Only an Immigration Judge can do this.

There have been cases where people were told the same thing, and proceeded to voluntarily sign away permanent resident status when they might have been able to keep it if they had asserted their rights.

MarylandNed

I talking about what is known as "inadmissibility". There are various reasons why someone can be deemed inadmissible when they try to enter the US. A US PR can be found inadmissible - a USC cannot. For example, if a PR leaves the US and develops a communicable disease (e.g. TB), they can be deemed inadmissible upon their return to the US. So removing these potential hassles is one benefit of becoming a USC.