Korean Job Discussion Forums

charr · Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Location: seoul

has anyone here taught in korea while holding a U.S. green card? if so, were you able to return to USA without having your green card taken away for being out of the country for a year?

i have a green card but i will have been out of USA for just over 12 months. according to all the information i've read online, they'll probably take my green card away. anyone have any ideas or advice as to how i could stop that from happening, without having to bail out on my one-year contract with my hagwon?

Mr Crowley · Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Location: Suwon

Your green card will become invalid, unless you filed and received, a re-entry permit before you left the US.

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

Have you gone to/called the US embassy? Maybe they have an answer?

northway · Joined: 05 Jul 2010

Vacation to Guam?

charr · Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Location: seoul

@ajuma -- i e-mailed the U.S. embassy here and they told me to contact the USCIS. i e-mailed the USCIS and they just quoted the U.S. immigration law: "A U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident can not stay outside of U.S.A. more than one year." and then told me i can only return to the U.S. as a green card holder as long as it's within one year from the date i left USA. i'll have been gone for 13 months, unfortunately.

@northway -- that wouldn't ACTUALLY work... would it?

northway · Joined: 05 Jul 2010

I really don't know, but it is the States, and a relatively inexpensive flight from here. All you need is to return to the States for an unspecified amount of time so that you're not outside of the country for an entire year?

blade · Joined: 30 Jun 2007

"Lawful Permanent Residents who stay outside of the U.S. for 6 months or more at a time are risking losing their I-551 Green Card (Lawful Permanent Residence) to airport immigration officials when they try to re-enter America.

Lawful Permanent Residents who have been outside the U.S. more than one year cannot use their unexpired green card to re-enter unless they first go to the U.S. Consulate and get an SB-1 Returning Resident Visa and convince them that they stay abroad was beyond their control."

http://immigrationworkvisa.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/green-card-holders-who-stay-out-of-u-s-more-than-6-months-at-risk/

Also visajourney.com is a good discussion forum for finding information about american green cards.

northway · Joined: 05 Jul 2010

Sounds like Guam could work.