# British hubby with green card moving back to UK



## Isabella17 (Aug 12, 2009)

Hubby and I have been married 11 years, all the time living in the US. He is a British citizen with a green card that expires in 2012 and I am a US citizen. We have 5 children, all who are US citizens and registered with the British consulate (so have established British citizenship).

Hubby has convinced his work to allow him to telecommute from Wales so we can move near his family. I had a few questions I hope ya'll could help us with.

1. Hubby has a green card. From what I can tell, if he doesn't return to the US within a year, he will abandon his permanent residency status. Is this correct? Could he just go back to the US for a week and then return to the UK without losing it? While he could apply for citizenship, it isn't necessarily something we *want* to do and we hope to be in the UK by Christmas. We all know the USCIS can not be that quick! LOL

2. All but one of our children have US passports, but not British passports. Can they travel to the UK on their US passports (with the intention of living there) and then get British passports once in the UK? Or should they get a British passport now and travel on that? Our infant daughter doesn't have a passport yet and we would probably just get her a British passport.

3. We have a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan that is in pretty good shape. Since we have 5 kids, we need a large car - which I know is harder to come by in the UK (tho not as hard as it used to be) and obviously more expensive. The Caravan is paid off and the idea of having another car payment isn't appealing. Have any of ya'll transported your car to the UK? Ignoring the cost involved (as I imagine it varies...but feel free to let me know how much it cost!), how easy was it to maintain, drive, etc? I know we have to take it some place in the UK to get it fitted to UK standards.

I know I have other questions but I will start with there for now!

Thanks!
Stacy and the 5 rugrats


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## EldonAve (Aug 12, 2009)

Can't help with the green card

Passports - if your kids travel to the UK on their US passports they will be stamped with probably only 3 mths to stay
The consulate in Washington should be able to advise you on applying for the UK passports

Are you intending to visit the US again? If so you need to get your youngest a US passport. It's illegal for US citizens to enter the US on a foreign passport and immigration might refuse entry if the rest of the family have US passports

Car - sell it and buy here. Having the steering wheel on the wrong side is a major pain and you will have trouble selling it if you want to change car later


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## Punktlich2 (Apr 30, 2009)

Isabella17 said:


> Hubby and I have been married 11 years, all the time living in the US. He is a British citizen with a green card that expires in 2012 and I am a US citizen. We have 5 children, all who are US citizens and registered with the British consulate (so have established British citizenship).
> 
> Hubby has convinced his work to allow him to telecommute from Wales so we can move near his family. I had a few questions I hope ya'll could help us with.
> 
> ...


Husband can get a "Permit to re-enter the United States", a passport-like document (but it is not a passport equivalent) that allows him to stay abroad for two, not one, year.

One problem with staying abroad almost a year (as you are allowed to with the green card) and then making a quick trip to the USA within 365 days is that an officious border policeperson can argue that the green card holder effectively abandoned US residence. It happens rarely, but it happens. And if it does, the resident should not accept that, should sign nothing, and should get an immigration lawyer's help while still at the airport.

An Amcit cannot legally travel to or from the Western Hemisphere on any but a US passport. (There are minor exceptions for infants, especially infants of foreign diplomats.) That said, people depart on foreign passports all the time. 

On the other hand, the UK doesn't care what passport its citizens travel on. You can get a "right of abode" stamp in the US passport (not free and gratis) or you can get an emergency passport quickly, or you can just travel and bring an expired British passport or other proof of British nationality and the UK Border Agency will either admit the child without condition or require that the status be clarified by the Home Office.

A green card holder living abroad whose spouse is a US citizen employed by a US employer (including a foreign subsidiary of one) can get "expedited naturalization". I don't think that applies in your case, but you can Google it.

Few people except diplomats and visiting forces import US cars, but it can be done. Look online for companies that convert such cars to meet minimum UK specifications. And be prepared to pay through the nose for spare parts. Once resident here there is a tax issue as well and you will not be able to drive it legally with foreign or Q plates. People do it, and sometimes they get caught. One way they get caught is by applying for on-street parking permits, as with London boroughs.


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## HavePassportWillTravel (Feb 27, 2009)

*Thanks for your question!*

Thanks for asking your question, Stacey. My hubby, also from Wales, and I are going back to the UK next year to live. We're in Florida now. We didn't know about the "green card" restriction, so we'll put that on our list of things to look into when we make our plans. Where in Wales are you going to?
Jann


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## Isabella17 (Aug 12, 2009)

HavePassportWillTravel said:


> Thanks for asking your question, Stacey. My hubby, also from Wales, and I are going back to the UK next year to live. We're in Florida now. We didn't know about the "green card" restriction, so we'll put that on our list of things to look into when we make our plans. Where in Wales are you going to?
> Jann


We will be headed to Blaenavon in SE Wales. I actually spoke to someone else who has the same issue and he just travels to the US at least once every 6 months. He spoke with an immigration attorney. I am not sure if I trust that tho. I just prefer to be safe.


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## HavePassportWillTravel (Feb 27, 2009)

*Spouse Visa*

I'd rather go the Spouse Visa route as well. Better to be above board and not always "running!" 

It's expensive. Around $1,000US. I'm going to renew my passport in the Fall (even though it expires in 2011 I want a lot of time on it before I start this process) and then I'll do the Spouse Visa.

We're going to Monmouth County.

Jann


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