本文作者：Yevgeny（Eugene）Samokhleb

A U.S. green card, or lawful permanent resident (LPR) status, is designed for individuals who intend to establish a permanent life in the United States. As in many other countries, maintaining permanent resident status requires ongoing compliance with certain immigration laws. Although this may be straightforward for most people who settle down and continuously live in the United States after obtaining a green card, it is something to think about carefully for those who continue to spend substantial time abroad – for example, in China. Failure to properly maintain LPR status may result in being deemed to have abandoned your green card, which will seriously endanger your ability to continue residing in the United States. These rules apply equally to all green card holders, including those in conditional permanent resident status.

美国的绿卡，也称为合法永久居民（LPR）身份，是专为那些计划在美国永久居住的人设计的。就像其他国家一样，保持永久居民身份需要遵守相关的移民法律。对于那些在获得绿卡后就在美国定居的人而言，这可能相对简单。但是，对于那些经常在美国境外(例如中国)停留的人，这是需要仔细考虑的事情。未能适当维持永久居民身份可能会被视作放弃绿卡，这将对您是否能继续在美国居住产生严重的影响。这些规则适用于所有的绿卡持有者，包括持有条件（临时）绿卡的人。

Contrary to common belief, there is no specific number of days or a mathematical formula that determines if any individual is properly maintaining his or her LPR status. Instead, it is a broad assessment that is based on related two components: ties to the United States and physical presence in the country. It is crucial for green card holders thinking of traveling abroad for a long time to be mindful of these components to avoid abandoning LPR status.

与大多数人普遍认为的不同，没有一个明确的境外停留天数可以确定一个人是否适当地维持了他的永久居民身份。相反，这是一个基于两个关联因素的综合评估：与美国保持的联系和在美国的实际居住时长。对于考虑长时间在美国境外停留的绿卡持有者，关注上述两个因素，以避免失去美国的永久居民身份是至关重要的。

Analyzing one's ties to the U.S. involves examining various connections that an individual has established to the country, including but not limited to the following: owning or leasing a residence, filing federal and state tax returns, being employed by a U.S. company or owning and operating a business, having close family members in the U.S., having a U.S. driver license, being enrolled in a U.S. educational institution, maintaining U.S. professional licenses or affiliations, and other similar items that demonstrate the establishment of close ties to the United States. It is important to understand that no single factor ensures the maintenance of LPR status. For example, merely owning a home or having close family members in the U.S. may not suffice. The significance of maintaining ties and the strength of evidence required to prove these connections is judged in conjunction with the frequency and duration absences from the United States.

一个人与美国的联系可以建立在多种关联之上，包括但不限于以下几点：拥有或租赁住宅；提交联邦和州税务申报；被美国公司雇佣或拥有并经营业务；在美国拥有近亲；持有美国驾驶执照；在美国的教育机构入学；保持美国的职业执照或从属关系，以及其他类似的事项，表明与美国建立了密切联系。重要的是，任何单一的因素都不足以确保维持永久居民身份。例如，仅仅在美国拥有住房或近亲可能就不够。维持联系的重要性和证明这些联系所需的证据强度，需要结合离开美国的频率和持续时间来判断。

图片来源：www.picpedia.org

The longer or more frequent the absences, the higher the likelihood that you may need to demonstrate your ties to the U.S. at some point. Generally, an absence of less than 180 days does not raise concerns. However, merely returning to the U.S. within every 180-day period does not guarantee compliance. For example, if someone re-enters the U.S. every 150 days but only stays briefly in a hotel without maintaining other U.S. ties, they may encounter a problem. An absence between 180 and 365 days could attract attention upon return and result in being pulled aside and questioned by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer about the reason for excessive absences and asked for evidence of ongoing ties to the United States. Although most encounters of such nature result in a simple warning, in rare instances a CBP officer may remain unconvinced, confiscate the green card, and refer the individual to immigration court proceedings on the basis of abandoning LPR status. However, a single absence from the U.S. exceeding one year triggers an automatic presumption that the individual has abandoned his or her U.S. permanent resident status. Such determination of abandonment results in the loss of permanent resident status and can rarely be reversed unless there were extraordinary reasons for the absence that were beyond the individual’s control.

离开美国的时间越长或者频次越高，未来就越有可能需要提供与美国保持联系的证明。通常情况下，如果离开的时间不超过180天，就不会引起关注。但是，仅仅每180天内返回美国也不能保证符合规定。比如，如果有人每150天就重新进入美国，但只是短暂地住在旅馆中，而没有保持其他与美国的联系，他们可能也会遇到问题。其次，如果离开的时间在180天至365天之间，可能会在返回时受到关注。美国海关和边境保护（CBP）官员可能会询问离开的原因，并要求提供保持与美国联系的证据。虽然这种情况大多数时候最终只会收到简单的警告，但在少数情况下，CBP官员可能仍然不信服，从而没收绿卡，并将该个人送至移民法庭，进行“放弃永久居民身份”的审理程序。最后，如果离开美国超过一年，将自动被推定为已放弃美国永久居民身份。这个推定如果最终被确认，会导致失去美国永久居民身份。除非长时间的境外停留是因为特殊原因，而这个原因超出了个人的控制范围（例如疫情），否则这种情况通常很难逆转。

图片来源：www.arabamericannews.com

Permanent residents who are in the U.S. and planning to travel abroad for over a year may apply for a reentry permit before departing. This permit allows a green card holder to remain abroad for an extended period of over one year without abandoning LPR status. However, it is important to remember that although holding a valid reentry permit will waive the rule against departure for over a year, it will not exempt the holder from maintaining ties to the U.S. during the period of absence. Additionally, an absence from the U.S. of more than one year, even with a reentry permit, will reset the 5-year continuous residency requirement that is needed for naturalization and obtaining U.S. citizenship.

美国境内的绿卡持有者，如果计划离开美国超过一年，可以在离开前申请“再入境许可”。这个许可允许绿卡持有者在不放弃其永久居民身份的情况下，在国外停留超过一年的时间。但是，需要注意的是，“再入境许可”虽然允许在境外停留超过一年，但绿卡持有者依然需要在海外停留期间与美国保持联系。此外，即使持有“再入境许可”，如果离开美国超过一年，也会重置获得美国公民身份所需的“五年连续居住”条件。

It is important to note that breaching the aforementioned guidelines does not automatically result in problems. An element of luck is involved as well. These issues typically arise if a CBP officer decides to conduct a background check upon re-entry after traveling abroad. These checks are much less frequent at major airports but are more common at smaller entry points or land crossings because officers at smaller points of entry may have more time and resources to conduct thorough checks.

值得注意的是，违反上述指南不一定会造成问题，运气也是一个影响因素。问题通常是在CBP官员对入境的绿卡持有者进行背景检查时出现的。这些检查在主要的机场不太常见，但在较小的入境口岸或陆路过境口岸更为常见，因为较小口岸的工作人员可能有更多的时间和精力来进行彻底的检查。

In conclusion, it is essential for green card holders to be mindful of not only their physical presence in the U.S. but also their ongoing ties to the country, as both aspects contribute to the overall assessment of their “subjective intent”to settle in the United States. A CBP officer or immigration court will evaluate both the physical presence and the maintenance of ties to the U.S. to determine the individual’s subjective intentions at the time of the most recent departure.

综上所述，对于绿卡持有者而言，不仅要保持他们在美国的实际居住时间，还要保持他们与美国的持续联系。CBP官员或移民法庭将对这两个方面进行综合评估，以确认绿卡持有人在最近一次出境时的主观意图，进而决定是否保留其永久居民身份。

Tips to keep in mind for maintaining permanent resident status:

维持永久居民身份的贴士：

• At a minimum, purchase or lease a U.S. home. Avoid living in hotels.
• 至少购买或租赁美国的房子。避免住在酒店。
• File income tax returns every year, but never file as a non-resident!
• 每年申报所得税，但永远不要以非居民身份申报！
• Carry documentation of all your ties to the U.S. when returning from a lengthy trip abroad.
• 长时间的海外旅行返回时，携带所有与美国的联系的文件。

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BTM Group thanks Bowen Xue for his contributions to this article.

贝特曼集团感谢Bowen Xue对本文的贡献。

更多精彩内容请预约“律师提示：绿卡持有人‘ 跑卡 ’需注意180天原则”主题对谈分享会。