Lawful Permanent Resident

Lawful permanent resident (LPR) status gives you the right to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis. You can also petition for family members to become LPRs. A green card is a common term for this immigration status. It is important to understand the rights and responsibilities of being an LPR to stay in the country as long as possible and make a successful life for yourself and your family. Officers must deny the application if a naturalization applicant’s LPR status was not obtained in compliance with the law.

People who obtain a Green Card through the lottery or one of the other application processes are called Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs). They have received the right to live and work in the United States indefinitely. They may also apply for citizenship after living in the U.S. for several years. However, they still retain their citizenship in their home country.

The Green Card is sometimes called an immigrant visa or a Permanent Resident Card. In reality, the term Green Card applies only to the physical card issued by USCIS. The USCIS is the agency responsible for the administration of immigration laws in the United States. It is a common misconception that only persons with Green Card are considered Lawful Permanent Residents.

How to Obtain LPR Status?

LPR status can be obtained through several ways, including family-based petitions, the Diversity Lottery, refugee or asylum cases, or special acts of Congress. The Immigration and Nationality Act provides several broad classes of admission, each with annual limits on the number of LPRs that can be granted in that category.

A USCIS office must grant you the status to become a Lawful Permanent Resident. The USCIS issues a Permanent Residence Card (PRC) to every noncitizen accorded Lawful Permanent Residence status. You are required to carry your PRC with you as evidence of your LPR status. It is important to note that you can lose your status if you fail to meet the requirements of INA 246(a) and (b). To regain your lawful permanent resident status, you must file an application with USCIS within one year from the date of a decision by the Board of Immigration Appeals affirming an order of removal or the period in which you were allowed to seek review of such an order by the BIA has expired, whichever is earlier.

Once an individual becomes a lawful permanent resident, he or she will receive a plastic card, known informally as a green card. It is also called an alien registration card and bears the holder’s photo, name, fingerprints, and expiration date. The card is used to prove citizenship when applying for a social security number or a job, and it must be presented to U.S. Customs and Border Protection when re-entering the country.

A lawful permanent resident can maintain his or her status provided he or she does not spend more than 1 year outside the United States. Certain applicants may apply to preserve their residence for naturalization, but approval of such an application does not guarantee that the applicant will not be found to have abandoned his or her residency if the naturalization process is completed and the applicant leaves the country for more than one year. An individual who abandons his or her residence for naturalization can be subject to deportation and removal proceedings.

How to Lose Your Legal LPR Status?

You can lose your legal status as an LPR in several ways. These include:

• Staying outside the United States for too long
• Committing certain crimes or violating other laws that impact your immigration status.
• You can also lose your legal status as an LPR if you fail to file the required forms in time or provide inaccurate information on those forms. This could include failing to register to vote, not updating your address when moving, or providing a false statement on a visa application. Even a small mistake like this can cause serious consequences.
• If you are subject to a removal order from an immigration judge, this is considered another reason for you to lose your legal LPR Status. Removal orders usually result from criminal convictions or a threat to national security. Finally, if you have ever been convicted of fraud or misrepresentation for any legal benefit, you may receive a lifetime bar to obtaining LPR status.