3 mistakes that could cost you your green card

Becoming a U.S. citizen takes considerable time and effort, but once you do so, you should be able to enjoy the same rights and freedoms as natural-born citizens. If you wish to become a citizen through naturalization, you must first obtain a green card. Once you have that green card, you need to do everything in your power to protect it, and part of this involves recognizing acts and situations that could potentially place it in jeopardy. Even if you do any of the following things accidentally, rather than intentionally, you still run the risk of losing your green card and threatening your path to citizenship. So, once you are in possession of a green card, take care to avoid the following. Failing to declare your income Once you have a green card, you need to pay taxes at the state and federal levels. Failing to do so is a great way to call attention to yourself and potentially endanger your status in the United States. Moving to another nation Your green card gives you a place to start to become a permanent resident of the United States. Therefore, if you move to another country with plans to stay there, this, too, could potentially cost you your green card. Staying overseas longer than a year Staying overseas for a prolonged period may also lead to green card issues unless you are able to prove that your stay is brief in nature. If you stay longer than a year, though, your green card is going to become invalid. Any of these actions could potentially constitute permanent resident status abandonment. Thus, any of these actions could potentially hinder your chances of becoming a permanent U.S. citizen.