unless you can prove otherwise. Read the
Permanent Residents are people who
“Document Checklist” in the back of this
have “permanent resident” status in the
Guide to find out what information you
United States as provided for under U.S.
must give to prove you did not break your
immigration laws. Permanent Residents
continuous residence.
are normally given Permanent Resident
Cards, also known as “Green Cards.”
What if I was outside the United States
(NOTE: These cards used to be called
for 1 year or longer? In almost all cases,
Alien Registration Cards.)
if you leave the United States for 1 year or
more, you have disrupted your continuous
In most cases, you must be a Permanent
residence. This is true even if you have a
Resident for a certain number of years
Re-entry Permit.
before you may apply for naturalization.
but, it is not enough to be a Permanent
If you leave the country for 1 year or
Resident for the required number of years;
longer, you may be eligible to re-enter as a
you must also be in “continuous residence” Permanent Resident if you have a Re-entry during that time.
Permit. but none of the time you were in
the United States before you left the country