How to re-enter USA, My "Green card" has no expiration date?‏

[Peace maker 0]

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. My green card was issued in 1978, at the point when there was no expiration date placed on them. I came back to my home country in 1980's and now after nearly 32 years, I want to come back to USA . Kindly tell me how to enter in USA and how to apply for my new permanent resident card. I have few questions. Kindly answer them.

1) Can I enter to USA with my existing green card and then apply for a new permanent resident card by filing Form I-90, along with the filing and biometric fees.?

2) If not, Should I have to come on Visit visa first and then apply for my new permanent resident card ?

3) Would I be able to e-file (online)?How to re-enter USA, My "Green card" has no expiration date?‏

4) What is the correct and complete procedure to re-enter USA in my situation ?

Waiting for your reply.

Thank you.

[kzielu 1,149]

I'm afraid you can't just re-enter. You obviously abandoned your permanent resident status and now without qualifying for a new green card (through family, employment or diversity visa) you can't just re-enter. Fact that you had a green card 32 years ago unfortunately would not matter here much.

[Harsh_77 718]

I agree with previous poster you abandoned your GC 32 years is long gap.

You cannot just enter with that old card, you will need to apply again based on whatever category you fall in (family, employment etc.)

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Unless you have maintained a US presence for 32 years, an address, bank accounts and filed income taxes all those years you gave up your residence here.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

1) Can I enter to USA with my existing green card and then apply for a new permanent resident card by filing Form I-90, along with the filing and biometric fees.?

2) If not, Should I have to come on Visit visa first and then apply for my new permanent resident card ?

3) Would I be able to e-file (online)?

4) What is the correct and complete procedure to re-enter USA in my situation ?

1. Nope. You are no longer a US resident. You have a pretty decorative card, nothing more.

2. Under what basis?

3. Under what basis?

4. Depends on your personal circumstances. You are like anyone else who never had a greencard. You'll need to be married to a USC in a bonafide relationship, or a work visa, investor visa, student visa etc etc.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Duplicate topics have been merged and duplicate post removed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moderator hat off now . .

If I understand you correctly, you have been living outside of the US for 32 years? If this is so, I am afraid your green card, even without an expiration date, was cancelled a long, long time ago.

In order to keep a green card valid, one needs to be living in the US. The green card is proof of permanent residency - but if you take up residency in another country, then that is one of the grounds for USCIS (formerly INS) to cancel your permanent resident status. If you expect to be out of the US for more than a year, then you are supposed to apply for a re-entry visa, and if you are out of the country for more than 2 years even with the re-entry visa, when you wish to return you would be challenged to prove you have maintained the necessary residential ties to show you had no intentions of taking up residence outside of the US and that your absence was always meant to be temporary. Living outside of the US for 32 years means you failed to satisfy the requirements to keep your permanent resident status in the US and thus, it would have been revoked.

Also, all Permanent Residents who had the old style green cards that had no expiry date were required to have those replaced a number of years ago. USCIS staggered the replacement schedules so I believe people received notices advising them whento come in and update their green card. If you were out of the country any notice sent to you by USCIS would have been returned to them as undeliverable. Without a valid address for you - another requirement for keeping your permanent resident status - USCIS would definitely have placed some sort of hold on your file at that time. Since a number of years have passed and you have not contacted USCIS to replace your undated card because you were no longer living in the US, they probably took action on cancelling your card at that time.

Unfortunately, you are not able to 'renew' or get a new permanent resident card based upon your original permanent resident status. You will need to go through the whole immigration process all over again from the beginning. That means fitting into a qualifying category and having an eligible family member or employer who will sponsor you to become a permanent resident once again.

In your situation, the correct way to re-enter the US would be to apply for a visitor's visa if one is required for citizens of your country, or if you are eligible for the Visa Waiver process, you can try that. If you try to use your green card to enter, it will be confiscated at the US border, you will be denied entry and you may run into some further difficulties if USCIS believes you may be trying to commit immigration fraud - using invalid documents to gain an immigration benefit.

You should probably make an appointment at the US Consulate closest to you in your country. They will be able to confirm the status of your permanent residency in the US and advise you best on how to 'visit' the US.

Good luck.

Edited September 1, 2012 by Kathryn41

[Anh map 2,098]

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. My green card was issued in 1978, at the point when there was no expiration date placed on them. I came back to my home country in 1980's and now after nearly 32 years, I want to come back to USA . Kindly tell me how to enter in USA and how to apply for my new permanent resident card. I have few questions. Kindly answer them.

1) Can I enter to USA with my existing green card and then apply for a new permanent resident card by filing Form I-90, along with the filing and biometric fees.?

2) If not, Should I have to come on Visit visa first and then apply for my new permanent resident card ?

3) Would I be able to e-file (online)?

4) What is the correct and complete procedure to re-enter USA in my situation ?

Waiting for your reply.

Thank you.

Contact the US embassy in your country and ask there.

[Shiobhan 235]

Contact your local consulate Re: permission to re-apply.......this dont necessarily have to be approved

and you have to have strong reasons and evidence to be gone for so many yrs, they'll want to make sure U were not in prison elsewhere

[Peace maker 0]

I lived in the US for like 10 years, I Worked in the US, and I did paid taxes in the US.

I think there still a change for me to renew this green card and get my status back.

@ ALL

if anyone have a better solution to get my green card back, Kindly guide me. Thank you.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

I lived in the US for like 10 years, I Worked in the US, and I did paid taxes in the US.

I think there still a change for me to renew this green card and get my status back.

@ ALL

if anyone have a better solution to get my green card back, Kindly guide me. Thank you.

There really is no solution for you to "get it back". The only way to get an SB-1 (returning resident visa) is to prove staying out of the US wasn't on purposes. For 32 years that's hard to prove, I'd bank on "impossible".

Have you paid taxes in the US these 32 years?

The only way to get a NEW GC would be to start all over again like everyone else does. GC lottery, investor visa, work visa etc

[kzielu 1,149]

I lived in the US for like 10 years, I Worked in the US, and I did paid taxes in the US.

I think there still a change for me to renew this green card and get my status back.

@ ALL

if anyone have a better solution to get my green card back, Kindly guide me. Thank you.

No one really had any interest in misguiding you here. You can loose green card after as little as 1 year of being out of US and we're talking about 32 years here. Do some research yourself, you'll find out that maintaining residency is fundamental to keep resident status.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Here is the information from USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) directly about how you abandon Permanent Resident status in the US: http://www.uscis.gov...000082ca60aRCRD

I have highlighted 4 areas that appear to be relevant to your situation. As many of us have found, USCIS is a "stickler" for the rules.

Abandoning Permanent Resident Status

You may be found to have abandoned your permanent resident status if you:

• Move to another country intending to live there permanently
• Remain outside of the United States for more than 1 year without obtaining a reentry permit or returning resident visa. However, in determining whether your status has been abandoned, any length of absence from the United States may be considered, even if less than 1 year
• Remain outside of the United States for more than 2 years after issuance of a reentry permit without obtaining a returning resident visa. However, in determining whether your status has been abandoned any length of absence from the United States may be considered, even if less than 1 year
• Fail to file income tax returns while living outside of the United States for any period
• Declare yourself a "nonimmigrant" on your tax returns

Edited September 2, 2012 by Kathryn41

[Anh map 2,098]

I lived in the US for like 10 years, I Worked in the US, and I did paid taxes in the US.

I think there still a change for me to renew this green card and get my status back.

@ ALL

if anyone have a better solution to get my green card back, Kindly guide me. Thank you.

Are you not able to find the contact information for the nearest US Embassy? Are you expecting someone to do the work for you?

[ceadsearc 516]

Diversity lottery? Are you quite skilled and can get a job and an employment visa? Have a large sum of money to invest? An American girlfriend?

Otherwise, there are no other options unless you can prove you couldn't return for 32 years because of circumstances beyond your control. Like being kidnapped and held hostage or in a coma.