I am considering moving to Asia for a BB. However, I am a green card holder, is there any immigration complication: say I want to apply for citizenship years later. Or will I lose my green card because I stay abroad for a couple of years? Thank you very much for your inputs. Thanks,
I believe you can’t leave the country for more than 6 mnths… I could be wrong though. Consult the lawyer…
Man!! I am the H1-B/ GC expert here. I am myself trying to find out loopholes to get converted from H1-B to GC asap. Well, to answer your question. Kiss good bye to your Green Card Status. You can’t travel out for big span of 6 months to 1 year. To need to have an re-entry to US every year as a ‘Green Card Holder’ (and not as a visitor) to maintain the validity.
But I am working for a US firm and my come back to US frequently, will that work?
even if u dont stay out of the country for long period continuously, the immigration officials get suspicious if u go back and forth a lot…i.e, your spending less time in the USA makes them question your intention to ‘reside permanently’ in the usa. i have heard of cases where GC has been rescinded by immigration officer when a person stayed out of the country for long time and just came back for few days/weeks to satisfy the technical requirement. maybe try applying for a re-entry permit…or just contact the INS.
The motto of GC (these days 
) is to maintain a legal-status in US so as to no longer worry about H1-B VISAS, rejections, renewals, flying to Canada (for New Yorkers) or Mexico (Silicon valley people) and getting the re-stamping done, those 7th 8th and 9th year extensions. But since you have already crossed that stage, the bigger problem for you would be to maintain the GC-validity. Can you apply for your citizenship and naturalization so that you can get the US ppt and no longer worry about anything else in life? Because, frequent trips and all that is good, if you do all the book-keeping of the dates-in and dates-out from/in US and if you miss the deadline you could be losing the status. Damm risky, looking at the effort needed to get a GC. To make a long story short…. If you are able to fly back to US every 6-months - noone can confiscate your GC. Buy get a lawyer to confirm this and act accordingly!!
If you’re serious about this, I would consult an immigration lawyer - not a CFA forum, regardless of whether people think they know the answers here or not. Many immigration lawyers do a cheap or even free consultation as well. If you currently hold a green card you can also just phone INS and ask them yourself.
I was a GC holder for 10yrs + and spent 75% of the 2 yrs before being Naturalized in South America. Technically, after 1 yr out they can cancel the GC, I flew in to get my passport stamped after 1 yr - 5 days and played dumb… had no problems, but I might have had bias on my side as a LONG time resident and WASP female. All in all- I wouldn’t risk it. I do know for a fact that if you are working for an “American-owned firm or corporation engaged in the development of foreign trade and commerce for the United States” you should have no issues- not even w/ the continuous residence requirement for citizenship as long as you’ve already been in US for 1 continuous year. I just recently researched this subject bc my husband has only had his gc for 1.5 yrs and we are considering moving abroad. I would like to pursue an MBA in Europe, but we don’t want to delay his naturalization. Alas we must stay bc we wouldn’t fulfill the above exception. I got my citizenship and my hubbies gc w/out lawyer, but you should probably take up this w/ them. I would assume this BB would take care of it for you. The below is out of this doc: http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/M-476.pdf READ it! “You may keep your continuous residence if you have had at least 1 year of unbroken continuous residence since becoming a Permanent Resident and you get an approved Form N-470 before you have been out of the United States for 1 year”
To maintain a permanent resident status you need to spend 6+ months of the year in the US. Just entering every six months is not enough. You actually need to reside in the US for more than half the year. While otherwise your status may never be rescinded you will still be at risk every time you re-enter. In addition, you may have problem during the naturalization process. It used to be that if you worked for a US firm abroad it would still count towards permanent residency but the law has changed. If you plan to return and live in the US you should wait for your citizenship first.