# Perminent Resident card about to expire



## trudla (Mar 28, 2011)

I thought that I had let my last perminent resident card expire in 2001 but found out that I had renewed it before leaving the usa. I have a perminent resident card which is about to expire in October 2011. Because I thought that my perminent resident card had expired I have not been to the USA for many years. How can I retain my perminent resident status. Everywhere I read say I have abandoned perminent residence and cannot get this back. Any ideas as I would so would like to go back to the USA, if I had known that my card was still valid I would have returned many years ago.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

trudla said:


> I thought that I had let my last perminent resident card expire in 2001 but found out that I had renewed it before leaving the usa. I have a perminent resident card which is about to expire in October 2011. Because I thought that my perminent resident card had expired I have not been to the USA for many years. How can I retain my perminent resident status. Everywhere I read say I have abandoned perminent residence and cannot get this back. Any ideas as I would so would like to go back to the USA, if I had known that my card was still valid I would have returned many years ago.


Hindsight is 20/20. You may be able to enter the US in this Green Card. Personally I do doubt it as enforcement of abandonment has been handled stricter in the last few years. Worst case scenario - you get sent back. Once you renew it your lack of US residence will be an issue. It is one of the requirements for Green Card holders. I assume you have not filed US tax returns either.


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## trudla (Mar 28, 2011)

*Perminent residency card*



twostep said:


> Hindsight is 20/20. You may be able to enter the US in this Green Card. Personally I do doubt it as enforcement of abandonment has been handled stricter in the last few years. Worst case scenario - you get sent back. Once you renew it your lack of US residence will be an issue. It is one of the requirements for Green Card holders. I assume you have not filed US tax returns either.


No, I did not submit a tax return as I did not earn any money in the USA. I have made enquires however with a tax consultant and they said that they could submit backdated tax returns. Would that help my case. How do they know whether I am in the country or not. They usually scan my card on the way in but not on the way out if I remember correctly.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

trudla said:


> No, I did not submit a tax return as I did not earn any money in the USA. I have made enquires however with a tax consultant and they said that they could submit backdated tax returns. Would that help my case. How do they know whether I am in the country or not. They usually scan my card on the way in but not on the way out if I remember correctly.


As a US green card holder, you are supposed to file tax returns, declaring worldwide income (not just income from the US). If you were remaining overseas, there's no real problem with back filing so long as you are taking the overseas earned income exclusion - for which you have to have been resident outside the US for at least 12 months. Which is kind of admitting that you haven't been living in the US, which is the crux of your problem. If you don't take the exclusion, then you owe back taxes plus interest and penalties from the date the original filings were due.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Macon2004 (Apr 9, 2011)

The USA doesnt care where you earn it! If you are a US citizen or Green Card holder (or other cases too) you must file a US Income tax return on your WORLDWIDE income if above the thresholds.


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