living abroad as a temporary permanent resident

[benmariela 0]

In response to someone else's post about living abroad, I find that I have a similar question. Are there any exceptions for why you could stay out of the country for longer? My wife, for example, wants to finish her last 3 semesters of her degree. So we were thinking we could travel to her home country for about a year and a half for her to finish and then we'd come back. Would it be possible to do that? How often would we need to come back? We were thinking that we might come back between semesters, but I wonder if that would even make a difference. Her coming back for a week or two every 6 months doesn't really equal residence either.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

No, it doesn't. Google "maintaining permanent resident status". Happy reading

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

I don't understand why people going through hell and often pay lots of money in order to gain the status of a legal permanent resident of the United States of America but then, sometimes before the ink is even dry, try to get "home" again.

If one wouldn't want to reside in the USA permanently, but in another country, why going through the whole ordeal in the first place? And if one has to complete a year or two or three of studies in their home country, why not waiting to file after that's all said and done?

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I don't understand why people going through hell and often pay lots of money in order to gain the status of a legal permanent resident of the United States of America but then, sometimes before the ink is even dry, try to get "home" again.

If one wouldn't want to reside in the USA permanently, but in another country, why going through the whole ordeal in the first place? And if one has to complete a year or two or three of studies in their home country, why not waiting to file after that's all said and done?

It's because they want to have their cake and eat it too... plus a second helping of pie to top it off!

Seriously, I think sometimes you have to take whatever hand life deals you and play it as best as you can. A friend of mine got married about ten years ago. He and his wife both travel in their work, so they barely get to spend any time together. I asked him why he didn't just wait until they settled down before they got married, since they didn't really have much chance to live like a married couple. He said that he had no idea when they would settle down, and if they didn't take advantage of the brief (3 month) opportunity when they did, they might never get a chance to marry. As it is, they at least share the same home in the US, and get to spend about 2 or 3 months total with each other each year. BTW, both of them are immigrants, but they had become US citizens long before they got married, so there were no family visas involved in their marriage.

I can understand why two people in love wouldn't want to postpone their marriage for a couple of years. Love isn't known for it's patience. I can also understand why someone wouldn't want to wait 3 years to get their US citizenship before finishing their university degree. Sometimes you just have to compromise between what you want and what you can have. In their case, I'd recommend finishing a semester, and then waiting out a semester in the US. It'll take 3 years instead of 1.5 years to complete the degree, but she won't abandon her residency, and she'll get to spend more time with her husband. If she had more than 3 semesters to complete, I think I'd be looking at the possibility of having the credits transferred to a university in the US.

[Sc0tt28 26]

In response to someone else's post about living abroad, I find that I have a similar question. Are there any exceptions for why you could stay out of the country for longer? My wife, for example, wants to finish her last 3 semesters of her degree. So we were thinking we could travel to her home country for about a year and a half for her to finish and then we'd come back. Would it be possible to do that? How often would we need to come back? We were thinking that we might come back between semesters, but I wonder if that would even make a difference. Her coming back for a week or two every 6 months doesn't really equal residence either.

Don't ask me where you can find it but you can remain outside the US as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) for longer than a year if you are attending school. You would need to prove that you are attending school and have some sort of ties to the US if I'm not mistaken.