How to Keep My U.S. Green Card While Living in Canada

Green card holders are immigrants to the United States and must legally reside in the U.S. to maintain their status or apply for temporary leave.

Permanent residents, or green card holders, must meet a variety of residency requirements to maintain their status. A permanent resident absent from the United States for one year or more is considered to have abandoned residence and is stripped of her green card. However, if a green card holder applies for a re-entry permit prior to leaving the U.S., he can legally stay outside of the country for up to two years. Re-entry permits are granted to those who obtain international posts from the U.S. government, temporary job transfers, school admittance and leave for family emergency. You cannot permanently live in Canada and maintain your green card.

Instructions

1. Obtain a re-entry permit. It's the only way you can spend between one and two years outside of the U.S. and still maintain your green card. Download and print form I-131 Application for Travel Document at uscis.gov, the website of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

2. Complete the form by legibly filing in each category with black ink. Put a check mark next to box "a" in Part 2 to indicate that you are applying for a re-entry permit. Complete the rest of the document by filling in your personal information.

3. Attach a legible photocopy of the front and back of your green card. If you are not in possession of your green card, attach instead a photo copy of the information pages of your passport and the visa page that indicates your entry as a permanent resident.

4. Send the application form along with the photocopy and $385 made payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to the appropriate USCIS filing center. Filing centers depend on your state of residency. Those in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colarado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Guam or the Mariana Islands, send their applications to the Phoenix filing center at:

   USCIS
   PO Box 21281
   Phoenix, AZ 85036

   Residents of all other states must send applications to the Dallas filing center at:

   USCIS
   PO Box 660867
   Dallas, TX 75266

5. Wait for the acceptance receipt of I-131 to reach you via mail. The letter that accompanies the receipt will instruct you where and when to go to your local USCS center to take electronic biometric finger prints. You must get the fingerprint scan or your permit will be denied. Once issued, re-entry permits are valid for up to two years.

6. Submit form N-470 Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes if you indend to naturalize as a U.S. citizen in the future. If you stay in Canada for one year or more even with a reentry permit (I-131), your five-year residency "streak" will be broken, thus making you ineligible for citizenship for five more years. If you do not indend to apply for citizenship in the near future, N-470 is not necessary. The application form can be found at the USCIS website and must be submitted with the additional $305 application fee.

References

• USCIS: Form I-131 Application for Travel Document Instructions
• USCIS: N-470 Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes