Getting a green card takes a lot of work. Once you have it, you want to do all you can to protect it.
While most people never lose their green cards, it can happen. Here are some of the reasons why it might:
You are not resident in the United States
A green card gives you the right to residency. But unlike citizenship, you need to exercise that right. If the immigration authorities determine that you have been living elsewhere for too long or paying your taxes elsewhere they might decide that you have not met the expectations of someone who is a resident, and take your card away from you.
You are allowed out of the country, but you need to take care of how long you stay out and avoid doing anything that could lead the authorities to question whether the U.S. is really where you live.
You manipulated your application
If your authorities conclude that your application was dishonest they could retract your green card. It could happen if the marriage that got you the card only lasts a short time and they think you married for the card, not love. It could happen if you wrote down things that were incorrect or untrue on your application.
You are convicted of a particularly heinous crime
Getting a criminal conviction for most offenses would not affect your right to stay here. Yet some crimes are severe enough for the border authorities to consider asking a judge to have you removed. A series of lesser crimes could also have the same result.
If you fear your green card is in jeopardy, don’t hesitate to find out more about what you can do to protect it.
