school situation

[magazine]

We are a canadian family who moved to the US about 10 years ago. We are US permanent residents; all have green cards. My husband lost his job in the US last month and we are currently staying with family in Canada until my husband gets another job. But this other job may be in Canada or in the US again. Until he gets an answer and we relocate, we would like to put our children in school so they don't fall behind by the time we get to our next destination - which could be about another month or so. If we place our children in canadian schools until then, will this jeopordize our green card or status?

[raysaikat]

In general, if a green card holds stays outside US without any US ties for a long time, s/he technically abandons permanent residence. In practice, doing so may not trigger any activity from USCIS as such and the person may be able to enter US again. However, later on if s/he applies for US citizenship, s/he will likely be in trouble.

Usually people try to come back once every 6 months to maintain permanent residence. However, technically doing so is not sufficient; the key is maintaining ties in US in addition to not remain outside for too long.

You may be able to obtain advance permission from USCIS to remain outside US for a certain period of time without the risk of losing permanent residence. You may want to consult with an immigration attorney to know the options you have for your specific case.

[magazine]

This question is implying that the stay for the children to go to school in canada would only be a month or so, not more than six months - so does anyone know if there's a risk in messing up the green cards while the family waits a month in canada while waiting for the next destination.
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