Basically, a green card is something that permits people to live and work in the United States of America. It makes the residents of the country yet your immigrant status is still valid. Having a green card means you will have an American passport; you can buy land in the US and stay there for as long as you want.

With that being said, there are several special cases in which a green card can be revoked. So even though it is a lifetime thing but still if you are not careful enough or break any US law, there is a huge chance that your green card will be taken away from you.

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)

According to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), when an outsider is given US nationality, even though he becomes a part of the country but still he doesn’t lose his status as an immigrant.
So in case he does something against the law, his green card will be under question. Keep in mind that a green card is something that needs to be renewed after regular intervals, just like a driver’s license. So once a specific time frame has passed, the person will have to apply for the green card again.

In that case, all the records of that person will be checked properly. If INA doesn’t find anything wrong, the green card will be renewed without any objections but in case there is something questionable, then the green card will be revoked.

When your Green Card Can Be Revoked

Getting your green card denied is a very troublesome experience. Mentioned below are some of the main reasons why your green card can be revoked. These include:

Commitment of a crime:

If a green card holder commits a crime, his card will be revoked immediately. In most of the cases, he will be sent back to his own country once his punishment is completed.

Moving to the US with the wrong intention:

Some people marry a US National so that they can apply for a green card. When those people get caught, their green cards are immediately denied by the authorities.

Not registering the new address:

A green card holder must be informed in case their residence address is changed. The inability to do so will result in denying his green card.

Involvement in a fraudulent activity:

Other activities that result in denying a green card include, being dishonest, lying, or doing any other sort of fraud. In case it is found once the green card has been issued, then it is revoked within no time.

Unable to maintain residency:

Any person who is granted a green card is supposed to stay within the United States of America. He must keep his residency within the country otherwise there are chances that his green card might be revoked. Denying a green card can happen if the holder stays outside the US for more than 180 days. So, in case a US resident and a green card holder need to go out of the country for more than allowed days, then he should take a special approval from the official authorities.

Deserting his residency:

Other than this, if a green card holder moves to another country and starts living there, his card will be immediately revoked.

Things to Take Care If You Own a Green Card

In case you are a green card holder or a US resident, you need to take care of a few things in order to maintain this status throughout your life.

Comply with the laws of the United States:

You need to make sure that you are abiding by the rules and laws implemented by the US government.

Submit all of your official documents to relevant authorities:

Record annual government forms and report salary to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and state burdening specialists.

Register your business:

In case you are doing a business of your own, you need to get it registered in order to make it legal and official.

Conclusion

Apply for a green card only if you are sure that you can abide by these rules and regulations, otherwise, your card and residency will be revoked and there won’t be anything that you would be able to do in order to get it back.

Author's Bio: 

Hey! My name is Kadir TUNCEL. I graduated from SAU (University of Sakarya) with a specialization in International Relations 5 years ago. Now I live in Istanbul and practice skills received there. I love to share my experiences. Also, I`m interested in traveling. My dream is to get 8 hours of sleep every day.