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Entering and leaving dates for new Green card holders

mareek

New Member
Hi there!

If I was to be chosen for a green card and go through all the processing and get issued a green card are there any standard dates which you need to enter the US?

I was recently on a J1 student visa and had to enter the US on a specific date (1 year from the day of my graduation).

If I was to received a green card would I have to leave my current country of residence (not US) immediately, within a month, or a year? Is there a time frame? Are there any restrictions on leaving and re-entering?

Would I need to travel to the US to 'activate' the visa and then I could come home for an extended period of time? Say 1 year?

Hopefully I've posted this in the right place, thanks for the help in advance :)
 
You'll typically be issued with a visa valid for six months - you can enter the US any day you like as long as it's done within the validity period of the visa.

The GC is intended for living permanently in the US. However you may travel briefly in and out as needed.

Anyway this is a lottery, so you need to get selected first following which your specific case/issues/situation could be further addressed.
 
First - terminology: you wouldn't get a green card, you'd get an immigrant visa. And yes you would need to enter theUS to activate that. This would be before the visa expires, which is a maximum of 6 months after issue but because it also has to be before the medical expires (6 months after the medical) in practice it is usually a shorter expiry. Once you enter the US on your immigrant visa you become a permanent resident. Then yes you can go back home to sort things out, the maximum you can stay out without a re-entry permit is one year. Recommended you only do that once- or you risk being found to have abandoned your green card and lose residency. Also bear in mind there are residency requirements to naturalize for citizenship- one of these is that if you are out of the US for longer than 6 months the 5-year clock resets to start at your next entry.
 
Ah okay thank you for all this information :)

I was just curious in terms of finishing my degree if I was to be chosen and accepted.
 
Ah okay thank you for all this information :)

I was just curious in terms of finishing my degree if I was to be chosen and accepted.

Common question, partly depends how long you have left of your degree - and when in the FY you would get your interview, bearing in mind that there is almost a year between the first and last visas being issued. For some people it's better to get a re-entry permit (allows you up to 2 years out) while others find the timing is such that they don't have to juggle too much.

But yes: get selected first ;)
 
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