Maintaining residency requirements as a permanent resident

[kimk408 0]

Hello

I am a US Permanent Resident but living in philippines for last 13 months doing my studies & have valid re-entry permit. I think this stay has made my overall residency period to zero. So now after coming back to US, I have rebuild it from scratch so that I can apply for citizenship after 5 yrs.

I need one additional info for one of my freind who is also a US Permanent Resident and right now in philipines for last 4 months. She too will be coming back to US before her '6 month period' expires. But she still has 5 months of her studies left. Is it ok if she goes to US, stays there for like 7-10 days and then come back to India again. Can she again stay in India for 6 months. I mean is this brief stay in US is enough to preserve the permanent resident status. Rules say that "You can only be outside US for 6 months if you are PR but doesn't say about reqd. time in US btw 2 trips of 6 months"

Thanking You

Krish

[MrsOyetunji 9]

I have read it before that a permanent resident can be away for 6 months maximum, but once you enter back into the states and you passed through the POE, and even after some hours or days and you travel back, your 6 months will start to read again and I have friends who are LPR and who used to do like this because they study here in Russia. you should wait and see other comments and then you can decide what to do

[Krikit 1,165]

Yes, it is fine as long as the permanent residence is still in the US. There are quite a number of greencard holders who maintain residency in the US but attend school outside the US. The time outside the US is up to one year. Here is the official Customs & Border Protection (CBP) response on this:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/820/kw/permanent%20resident/sno/1

[Penguin_ie 5,996]

If she is only doing this once she should be fine. If she has been doing this for a couple of years she may run into trouble.

[Krikit 1,165]

Agree with Penguin. Attending school outside the US while maintaining residence and intending to return to the US is one thing. But if your friend is just doing this to keep the PR card while living elsewhere then she runs the risk of being refused entry and having the card revoked.