Living temporarily outside of US on GC

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mutti_wilson

Registered Users (C)
My wife received her GC in July and she is wondering if it is possible for us to live temporarily outside of the US (in Norway), because of good job offerings. Is this possible or not?
 
No.

She can not take up employment outside of the US.
She can not reside in another country.

She can visit other countries for up to 1 year, without the need of a reentry permit. Anything more than that is risky of losing her GC. But even during those visits she can not take employment, or fail to file US taxes.

google "maintain permanent residency"
 
If a US based company transfers you, you have a better chance of proving that you are "returning to an unrelinquished lawful permanent residence in the United States after a temporary absence abroad" but apparently there are many contributing factors such as the length of overseas assignment etc. that need to be looked at in combination.
 
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noincident said:
What if a US based company transfers you to a different country?
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Under those circumstances, you would want to apply for an I-131 reentry permit, and the N-470 application to preserve residence for naturalization purposes. Depending on exact circumstances and you travel history (req. 1yr uninterrupted presence in the US), the N-470 may or may not be approved.
 
mutti_wilson said:
My wife received her GC in July and she is wondering if it is possible for us to live temporarily outside of the US (in Norway), because of good job offerings. Is this possible or not?
Click to expand...

It might be possible on a short term basis, providing you obtain a reentry permit before taking up the position, however the longer term implications are quite significant and need to be understood beforehand. e.g. foreign employment almost always causes a break in residence for naturalization purposes unless you have a valid N-470.

A bigger concern is also the potential to lose your LPR status by inadvertently demonstrating intent to abandon your US residence. While this can be catastrophic, it is much more difficult for USCIS to prove, especially on short-term absences of 1-2 years.
 
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