US green card issue when outside the US for more than 2 yrs.

[Ezy_and_Oghene 10]

Hi,

My mum was issued a 10 year green card for US in 2014. She visited the US for 1 month and left. I adviced her that her visa could have issues if she doesn't return within 1 yr. Well, she went back to Nigeria and never returned to the US. It's 2016 and now she wants to visit the US again. How can we go about reinstating her greencard, because I know it might be suspended? I'm not sure.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

You can petition her all over. She lost her Greencard due to abandonment. A Greencard is for living in the US, not visiting. If she just wants to visit she needs a tourist visa.

[EM_Vandaveer 2,408]

She should fly to the US.

CBP can't take her GC but can refer her to an Immigration Judge who can.

Or she can apply for SB-1 (returning resident) visa. These are rarely granted, and I'm pretty sure if she is denied this visa her GC will become invalid and she won't be able to fly to the US. Somebody will come along and correct me on this point, if I'm wrong.

GCs are NOT visas, they are for living in the US. She will lose it sooner or later if she does not use it accordingly.

[Mollie09 1,543]

Her GC has been considered abandoned and CBP would probably take it and refer her to an IJ. She would probably be paroled in, though.

[Cathi 5,771]

Then she needs a visitor visa. Immigrant visas are for living here, not visting