The road to establishing permanent residency in the United States is not always an easy or smooth one. Part of the process involves securing a green card, which is a necessary step on the path to citizenship through naturalization.
While obtaining a green card is an important part of the immigration process, there are certain actions and errors that may put your green card in jeopardy. Any of the following has the potential to threaten the status of your green card.
Receiving a drug charge
Certain offenses, such as drinking and driving or possessing or selling illegal substances, have the potential to cost you your green card. It may surprise you how many immigrants undergo deportation each year for relatively minor drug offenses.
Failing to declare income on your taxes
As a green card holder, you have an obligation to pay federal and state taxes based on your earnings in the United States. Failing to do so may call unwanted attention to you and may threaten the status of your green card.
Leaving the country for too long
You may be able to leave the United States here and there for short periods without jeopardizing your green card. However, if you move to another nation or travel to one and stay longer than a year, doing so leads to the automatic cancellation of your green card.
While these are three common reasons immigrants lose their green cards, this is not a comprehensive list of all circumstances that may result in green card loss or forfeiture.
