10 yr Green Card & Traveling

[SweetSugahDumplin 0]

Good morning. My friends boyfriend has one of the green cards that have no expiration. He wants to come back here. 1. Doesnt he need to get that changed over to the 10 year kind? he has had it since a child 2. He has been in Jamaica, i want to say since end of 2005. What does he need to do to get back to the USA? I was reading about the re-entry permit, I-131 however that one appears to be only for if you apply in advance to stay out of the country before you leave the country. So at this point, what are his next options if any. He attempted to go to the airport to come here and they said no sir. Any advice? What agency should she call to find out more info if any. I have been looking on the net trying to find something that advises what to do if you have been out of the country more than one year.

[Completely 3]

with a 10yr GC.immigration want to see u returning to ur home country..this is still a visitors visa and staying in the country for more than the allowed time doesn't look good in their eyes..why don't u guys file paper work for him to become a permanent resident and him staying in JA for 1yr looks better than him possibly overstaying. 10yr GC means he can travel onthe visa for 10yrs..not that he can stay in the country for yrs at a time. BTW does ur stepson live with u here in the states and only goes to JA in the summer?

I'm confused. I thought when you have a 10 year green card you are a permanent resident....???

EDIT: I see this was cleared up. Guess I should have read further....

Im confused either.

When you have a greencard, meaning you are a permanent resident/immigrant of the UNITED STATES. Meaning you can travel back and forth in the US, showing your greencard.. But having a greencard or being a permanent resident should need to comply with the rules and regulation like meeting the physical presence requirement.. If you are leaving the US, and going to other countries, you are still considered a Foreign national not a US person.. Greencard works only in the US., you still have to get a visa and such to visit other countries..

Now back to the OP question, if the travel does not last for 10 months, she will not have problem going back to the US.. sHE does not need to file anything.. BUT if the GREENCARD HOLDER (whether conditional or with 10 years validity greencard) stays outside the US for more than a year, then it will have a problem.. She will have to file a re entry permit, or what you called AUTHORIZATION FOR TRAVEL, this will allow her to be outside the US for more than 1 year..(the validity of this is 2 years) Please see prior instruction from the USCIS website, regarding Authorization for Travel.