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Immigration

Can a legal permanent resident (with a green card) travel outside of the US for a long period of time?

I reached out to an immigration lawyer at a national immigration legal organization called ASISTA to get some information about whether or not there might be any immigration complications if a person with green card left the US for an extended period of time. What the attorney explained to me is as follows: “In general, a legal permanent resident (“LPR”) is basically saying to Immigration that is it his/her intent to live and work permanently in the United States. Of course a legal permanent resident can travel, but if s/he travels for an extensive period of time, it could jeopardize his/her naturalization to a US citizen or the maintenance of his/her LPR status. This US Immigration (USCIS) website explains a bit more about the travel restrictions for legal permanent residents: https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/after-green-card-granted/international-… To get specific advice on your situation and on how your travel plans may or may not affect your status, you would need to talk to an immigration lawyer who is knowledgeable about the issue. You can find lawyers on our website here :LINK TO FINDING A LAWYER AND NATIONAL ORG/IMMIG SECTION

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