i have greencard. i plan to stay for long period abroad. is there any minimum stay period required  in usa?
95670
Yes, there is a 12 months limit.  \nIf you stay outside of the US for 12 months, your Permanent Resident card could be terminated.  Make sure before you travel to get a Travel Permit from immigration.  This is extremely important; if you don't, you will have problems coming back into the country.\nIgnore the negative comments from Tragic_Hero; with your current passport, your Permanent Resident card and your travel permit from INS, you should have no problems whatsoever.
55325
"A Permanent Resident of the United States can travel freely outside of the US. A passport from the country of citizenship is normally all that is needed. To reenter the US a Permanent Resident normally needs to present the green card (Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551) for readmission. A reentry permit is needed for reentry for trips greater than one year but less than two years in duration."
1184024
If you are a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), you can leave the U.S. and come back without any problem -- you do not need a visa. If you plan on being out of the country for one year or more, you must apply for special permission from USCIS (a re-entry permit) or you will be deemed as having abandoned your residency.\n\nYou cannot obtain a U.S. passport until you become a U.S. citizen.\n\nGood luck
348180
If you have permanent residency, and there are no conditions on your card, you can travel freely.  JUST MAKE SURE TO BRING THE PERMANENT RESIDENT CARD WITH YOU WHEN YOU GO!!!!\n\nIf there are conditions on the card, make sure it will not expire while you are out of the country.\n\nAlso, if you leave and take up residency in another country, you are in danger of losing your US residency.  Leaving for a year is enough to get you investigated.
459157
You would want a Long Stay Business Visa (457). The application process is laid out in the site below.
336859
YOU CAN STAY FOR 1 YEAR IF YOU HAVE GREEN CARD YOU CAN ALSO FILE FOR A 2 YEAR PERMISSION TO STAY OUT OF USA WITH USCIS. YOU CAN CHECK OUT USCIS.GOV SITE FOR MORE INFO ON FORMS & APPLICATIONS
1105609
I'm not sure if I understand your question, but if you are a US citizen with Canadian permanent residency, you can keep your Canadian residence status as long as you remain in Canada at least 6 months out of 12.  My American parents have Canadian permanent residence status and they own homes in both countries and spend 6 months per year in each home.
182074
Please add more details:\n\nWhat country are you a citizen of?\nWhere are you going from?\nHow long are you planning on staying there?\nWhere was your child born?\n\nIf you are a U.S. citizen you can stay for up to 3 months without a visa.\n\nYou may find this website useful:\n\nhttp://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1148.html
85356
A green card will give you the status of permanent resident in the US. Which means you can permanently stay in the US.\nOther kinds of visa are temporary and after they expire you either have to leave the country or re-apply for a new visa.\n\nYou DO NOT have to carry it with you all the time. Only if you travel abroad. You will need to present it when you re-enter the US.\n\nA green card is valid for 10 years and will need to be renewed..pretty much like a passport. The renewal is just a matter of sending a single form..you don't have to go through the whole process again.\n\nHaving a green card is a mandatory step if you want to become a US citizen.\n\n\nRestrictions:\nYou are still an immigrant (actually a resident alien). So\nyou are subject to deportation if you mess up with the law.\n\nYou cannot and should not vote.
964718
No, as long as you have your citizenship.  The One Year Policy only applies to green card holders.  Just make sure that, if you are working abroad, you file your American taxes or you could be in trouble with the IRS when you come back.
1080394
The State Department will have a battery of forms to be completed, even if you are a U.S. citizen desiring reentry (I was American born but overseas too).    They will also have the forms to apply for resident visas and the like.
481773
That is going to depend on whether or not you have any domicile in the US and whether or not your assets are here or where you are now. There are certain residence requirements for the district you would be filing in. If you are in the military that's different. If you are merely visiting or studying abroad, it is perceived differently than a permanent residence away from the U.S.\n\nCheck with an attorney in the district where you are from.
360661
In my case I married a girl while stationed overseas.\nformor Marine as it were.\nAll we had to do was take the Lic to the embasy and they handed her both redisend visa and green card.\nhowever the new law requires to stay together for 7 years.\nI hear they do check with out warning
696636
As Lalit B says, yes, you may apply for extension.  Please go to the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov and find a form I-539.  It has the instruction and you can just fill out the info as much as you can, and file before your I-94 expires. \n\nYou'll see a question on the form how you may support yourself while you stay in the US. So make sure to get bank statements etc. to show that you don't need to work while you stay in the US.   Also, make sure to explain why you would like to stay in the US for an additional 2 months (such as "Oh, I stayed in LA for 6 months for sightseeing but forgot to stop by and see New York!!)  \n\nGood luck!
604910
Do NOT leave the U.S. for more than a year or you will be deemed as abandoning your residency. If you must go, you need to apply for a re-entry permit from USCIS.
1071458
Most "green cards" expires in ten years.. but here is the catch.. in order to apply for citizenship you need to prove you have been here for five years straight..you cant be out of the U.S for a period no longer than six months......
163314
Im afraid that for INS nothing is considered to be important when it comes to Visa abuse. Most likely your Visa is not yet cancelled but on leaving the USA when you have to present your I94 or I95 it will be obvious that you failed to leave the US when should have done at the latest. Most cases its is 6 months. You should have contacted the local INS office in the state where u stayed before your permit has expired and requested extension based on the important issue that you had. Most likely they will cancell your Visa on leaving the states and you may also face some other penalties.You may find professional and more satisfying answers on your question at the following INS links... Good luck.