Once the residence is granted, there are still factors that can cause the loss of the Green Card.

Two common causes of loss the residence are abandonment and criminal convictions. A resident who spends more than 180 days of a year out of the country, runs the risk of being accused of having abandoned the residence.

Otherwise, criminal convictions can also result in the revocation of the Green Card. Even some civil offenses or admissions that do not lead to a conviction can endanger the resident status of a foreigner.

There are many different ways to obtain permanent residence. Here are some procedures and generalized procedures to help you obtain the Green Card, whether you are already in the United States (known as a “Adjustment of Status”) or outside the United States (known as “Consular Processing”).

• Eligibility for the Green Card: Determine if you are eligible for Permanent Residence.
• Adjustment of Status: It is the process used by immigrants to obtain a Green Card while they are in the United States.
• Consular Processing: This is the method that immigrants use to obtain permanent residence when they are outside the United States or when they are not eligible to adjust their status in the United States.
• Joint Procedure: If you are applying for permanent residency through employment, kinship, or as a special immigrant, you will need someone to process a petition requesting you.
• Availability of Visas and Priority Dates: Generally, a visa must be available before you can apply for permanent residence.
• Travel Document: you should know if you can and when you can travel outside of the United States after you have applied for the Green Card, or once you have it.
• Employment Authorization: Find out if you are eligible for an Employment Authorization in the United States and how to apply for an Employment Authorization Document.
• Medical Examination: Most of the applications for permanent residence require you to have a medical examination.
• Designated Civil Doctors Currently: Medical examinations for immigration purposes practiced in the United States must be carried out by a physician designated by USCIS.
• Affidavit of Economic Sponsorship: A Sworn Statement of Economic Sponsorship is a form that a sponsor presents on your behalf when is applying for a Green Card or an immigrant visa.
• Public Charge: It is when a person depends on money from the US government for maintenance. Most immigrants must prove that they will not become a public charge in order to obtain permanent residency.
• Child Status Protection Act: The age can determine if you are eligible to obtain permanent residency as a “minor.”

It is very important to hire an immigration lawyer who can advise the resident with everything concerning to their rights and obligations.

Data: uscis.gov