For how long a GC holder can stay out of USA?

[Temu tome 1]

Hello everyone,

Some one I know (65 yrs)is a green card holder and have a plan to go to Ethiopia for 1 year.so for how long can he stay out of USA?  I called USCIS and told me that if he wants to be a USA citizen must return before 6 month and if he doesn’t want he can come back before  1 year . Today someone told me that it’s wrong. What should we do?

 Thanks in advance,

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

14 minutes ago, van tome said:

Hello everyone,

Some one I know (65 yrs)is a green card holder and have a plan to go to Ethiopia for 1 year.so for how long can he stay out of USA?  I called USCIS and told me that if he wants to be a USA citizen must return before 6 month and if he doesn’t want he can come back before  1 year . Today someone told me that it’s wrong. What should we do?

 Thanks in advance,

1 year is maximum, to be safe he should apply for a re-entry permit which will allow him 2 years out. It will take a while to organize (he’ll need to do biometrics) so ideally he should apply a couple of months at least before he goes.  Either that or he should be absolutely certain to be back in less than 12 months, keep filing taxes etc.

 

Being out for longwr than 6 months doesn’t stop you being a citizen by the way, it just means it takes longer.

Edited February 20, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[Temu tome 1]

Thank you very much.

[chuonglinh 5]

There is no where saying how long you can stay out of the country. However, if you stay outside more than 6 months, custom agent can refuse your entry with a valid reason. Recommend to apply for re-entry permit which give you 2 years.

[Temu tome 1]

 Thank you for your recommendation but What if he doesn’t apply for re- entry and come back before 1 year? 

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

12 hours ago, van tome said:

 Thank you for your recommendation but What if he doesn’t apply for re- entry and come back before 1 year? 

Usually fine as long as it’s not happening repeatedly 

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

13 hours ago, chuonglinh said:

There is no where saying how long you can stay out of the country. However, if you stay outside more than 6 months, custom agent can refuse your entry with a valid reason. Recommend to apply for re-entry permit which give you 2 years.

Nope, customs agent can’t refuse you entry as a green card holder. What they can do is refer you to an immigration judge to argue your case if they believe you have abandoned residency.