Advice on multiple country permanent residency(PR)

[nvcr]

A friend of mine worked for couple of yrs in India and applied for PR in New Zealand. Once he landed in NZ, he applied for Unemployment Doles and completed his MS in Comp Sc., an example of obtaining quality education at no expense.

I am waiting for my I-485 approval. RD and ND are in Dec 01. Once I have my passport stamped, assuming that I get laid off, it is unlikely that I would land up with a decent job in this down trend.

Would it be possible for me to apply for a PR in NZ, migrate there and complete my MS like my friend.

What would be the impact on my US green card, if I am away from the country for two yrs on a PR with another country. Tks in advance for yr advice

 

[gary_mail]

I am sure about that..

but you need to be in US atleast one in every 6 months...to keep your GC Current.

 

[nvcr]

I believe it is possible to get a one-time waiver for two years from the rule that you need to stay in USA for atleast 6 months per year to keep your GC current

 

[Tom B]

many people do not realize that u.s. permanent residency has quite a few requirements for maintaining it. you have to be inside for certain intervals. and you cannot leave the country for a prolonged period. if you need to leave the country for more than a year you need to get paperwork done. ...aah! more paper work!

but this is a good topic. not just because of dual PR status, but also because we all need to understand how high maintenance this green card is.

on second thoughts, this is probably a better topic for 'after green card' forum. i dont mind discussing it here, though.

Preserving Your U.S. Residency (from unh website):

Even short departures from the U.S. can result in loss of permanent residence if you have not taken care to establish and maintain your residency. This may occur if you accept a job abroad, fail to file a U.S. resident income tax return, if you stay outside of the United States for more than one year without a valid Red-entry permit, or if you are otherwise found to have abandoned your residence in the United States.

When you Re-enter the U.S. after a trip abroad, the immigration officer will consider a number of factors in order to determine if you have abandoned your U.S. residency. These factors include such things as: the amount of time you have been outside the United States versus the length of time you have spent living in the U.S.; where you are employed; if your trips abroad are clearly temporary and the reasons for your trip abroad. They may also examine your ties to the United States, such as ownership of property, maintenance of a bank account and permanent mailing address, etc.

Before moving abroad to take up employment, even temporary employment, or to spend extensive time abroad for any reason, you should consult with an immigration attorney. Under certain circumstances, your residence in the United States can be preserved and a competent immigration attorney can provide you with advice as to how to maximize maintaining your residency in the United States.