If you have legal resident status, you can benefit from talking to a green card lawyer. These legal tips will help you maintain your status.
For those who are trying to immigrate to the United States,
a green card lawyer can be a vital help. Once you have achieved proper status to stay here legally, you need to make sure you can keep it. Here are tips an attorney might give you to help you in keeping your permanent resident status legal.
First, remember that having permanent resident status is not a right; it is a privilege. If you want to retain that status, you need to live and work within the bounds of the United States law. If you stop obeying the laws, you may get deported. You also must maintain respect and loyalty to the country. The United States is not going to offer permanent resident status to someone who does not want to be part of our country.
A green card lawyer will tell you that it does not matter how you received your status. Once you have permanent resident status, whether through employment, family, refugee status, or something else, you have the same status as any other permanent resident. There is no more or less risk because of the way you received your status.
Once you have been issued your status, you need to carry it with you at all times. Law enforcement officials have the right to ask you to prove your right to be in this country. Since we are under heightened security as a result of terrorist attacks in the past couple of decades, you are going to need to keep your status paperwork on your person at all time. Even if you are acing something as simple as a traffic violation, you will need it.
The United States expects to know where you live when you are here on that basis. Your green card lawyer will help you if you move, because you will need to notify the government of your change of address. Keep in mind that you have just 10 days to notify them.
There are some actions you take that could cause you to automatically lose your permanent resident status. For instance, if you move internationally and intend to live in another country on a permanent basis, the government will assume that you have abandoned your US permanent resident status. Similarly, if you leave the US for over one year and do not obtain re-entry permit or a returning resident visa, you could lose your status.
A re-entry permit does not give you the ability to return whenever you want, however. After issuance, the US gives you two years to live outside the country. Before the two years are up, you will need to obtain a returning resident visa.
Your taxes can also get you in trouble with your status. If you fail to file, for instance, even when living outside of the US, you could lose your status. If you ever declare yourself as a "nonresident," you could also lose it. If you ever have a question, contact a green card lawyer to ensure you are doing everything you can to properly maintain your status.
