Can we apply for a Re entry permit

G

gswil

Registered Users (C)
Hello,
could you please help me with the following as we are leaving for the US next week.

We are legal permanent residents and obtained our green cards through the green card lottery.After moving to the US in Feb 2007 we stayed for about 6 months before my wife became ill. We then returned to our home country for family support for my wife to get over her illness. At the time we were unsure if we would ever return to the US, and did not apply for a re entry permit I131 due to the urgency of the situation.

After being home for 6 months or so we decided that a second go at living in the US is what we wanted to do and began planning to re enter. We have been away from the US for 10 1/2 months to date. Next week (april 19) we are returning to LA and have a few concerns about re entering. We will be staying for a week basically to reset our green cards and returning home. It will be a year or so before we can return permanently due to our current situations.

As we have already been away from the states for the best part of a year can we apply for a re entry permit giving us a further 2 years away?
Also we are concerned about immigration when we enter next week what they may ask us.

Please help
 
Hello,

Can anyone please provide me with some advise on this matter? we want to know if we are going about this process in the correct manner.

We have recently completed our US tax returns for 2007, and do not want to lose our GC status. If we do not enter the US before June 1 we would have broken the 1 year absents period.
Our plan to enter will at least retain our GC status.
But can we apply for a re entry permit? as we could be absent from the US for a further year.

Is this the best way of retaining our GC?

Any help will be greatly appreciated
 
Gswill-

You must be in the U.S. to apply for re-entry permit because of the new biometric requirements, see the link below for more info.
http://www.cilawgroup.com/news/2008/03/07/new-biometric-requirements-for-re-entry-permits/

Once you apply for re-entry permit, you will be given a biometric appointment by the USCIS - you have to show up and have your photo/fingerprints taken. After this, you can leave the country, and you have even have USCIS mail the re-entry permit to a consulate abroad.

While filing of US taxes is very helpful, it does not, by itself, help you prove that you did not abandon your green card. If asked, you have to show a very good reason why you were outside of the US for extended period of time without getting a re-entry permit.

If you plan on being outside the US for more than a year, I strongly urge you to get a re-entry permit.

Good luck-
 
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