According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), you may lose your permanent resident status (green card) if you commit an act that makes you legally removable from the United States. If you commit such an act, you may be brought before an immigration court to determine your right to remain a permanent resident.

There are also other situations where you might unintentionally abandon your permanent resident status. Some of those situations may include:

• If you move to another country with the intention of living there permanently.
• If you remain outside the United States for more than 1 year without obtaining a reentry permit or returning resident visa. Be aware that USCIS could consider any length of absence from the United States, even less than 1 year, as abandonment of your permanent resident status.

• If you remain outside of the United States for more than 2 years after being issued a reentry permit without obtaining a returning resident visa. Be aware that USCIS could consider any length of absence from the United States, even less than 1 year, as abandonment of your permanent resident status.

• If, while living outside of the United States for any length of time, you fail to file income tax returns.
• If you declare yourself a “nonimmigrant” on your tax returns.

In the following series of articles we will be discussing some specific circumstances where you may unintentionally abandon your permanent resident status, and how you can avoid those circumstances.