Our daughter is in Europe. We are still UK citizens and not taken out citizenship papers here yet. She has a green card, but has not been over here in USA for over a year. There is about 8 1/2 years on the green card. How will she get back in at Christmas and what difficulties will she face? Is there any thing we can do before that? Or what forms will we or her need to fill in?
Jo; I would be very interested in any replies you get to this too!
For some reason I thought that one needed to otain "advanced parole" (it may be called a different name now) to live outside the US for more than one year? Did your daughter obtain this? I think I read somewhere that otherwise one is deemed to have abandoned PR status. I hope your daughter will be ok in her case.
We're contemplating going for Green Cards (L1A & L2 visas). Our daughter (nearly 19) went to boarding school in England for "A" levels and is currently on a Gap Year. We can't afford to send her to uni in the US as she would be charged the international student fees which are astronomical, so she'll be going to uni in the UK this Autumn.
I have no idea whether or not she will be allowed to have a Green Card; the US Embassy in London website is rather vague, it just says that for nonimmigrant visas, children in the UK for school or college are still deemed part of the immediate family for visa purposes. I don't know about GC applications but I hate to think that we could be PR's here and our daughter would have to remain in the UK unless she could qualify in a few years' time for a work visa. cry
You might be able to find some info or could send an e-mail to the US Embassy in London
http//www.usembassy.org.uk
Jo; it looks like bad news for your daughter. I've just looked at that US Embassy website "FAQ's for immigrant visas". It has a section near the bottom of the page for "Lawful Permanent Residents" and there is a question and answer on the same query that you posted.
Has she definitely been outside the US for more than one year? If it's not quite one year yet, can she just come across to spend a long weekend in the US? sad
I hope it can be sorted out. ???
Dawn is right. You have one year outside of the US, no questions asked. If you are planning on staying outside for longer, you have to get a re-entry permit (I-131) before you leave. This is good for another year.
If your daughter wants to come for a visit at Christmas, she can do so on the Visa Waiver Pilot Program (ie tourist visa), but she would be well advised to carry proof that she will be returning to the place she came from. If she wants to settle in the US permanently, she will need to go through the immigration process or come in as a student or temporary worker.