Can I go back every two years with a green card and a US re-entry permit? Do immigration officials ask questions when entering the country?

The immigration law does not stipulate that permanent residents cannot leave the United States for more than half a year. It stipulates that if you leave the United States for more than half a year, your continuous residence time will be interrupted, and the five-year time required for naturalization will be recalculated. Unless you can prove something very important, you must leave the United States for more than half a year. So if you don't have to be naturalized on the day when you get a green card for five years, you don't mind recalculating the starting time of holding a green card for five years. You can leave the United States for more than half a year without worrying about the invalidation of your green card.

Take an example around me: a relative of mine immigrated to the United States for the first time during the summer vacation from junior year to senior year. After getting a green card in August, she returned to China to continue her studies. She hasn't been back to the United States for almost a whole year, and she hasn't got the certificate from the United States. She returned to the United States in July after graduating from senior three in the second year, explaining to the customs that she needed to go back to China to get a university degree. Immigration did not make things difficult for her, and her green card did not expire, so she entered the country directly and smoothly.

If you need to leave the United States for more than one year, you must apply for the re-entry permit I mentioned above. Re-entry permit is proof that you intend to return to the United States for long-term residence. It is valid for two years from the date of issuance. In other words, you can leave the United States for more than one year but not more than two years with a re-entry permit, and you must return to the United States at least once in two years. If you intend to apply for a re-entry permit to the United States, you should leave the United States after your application is approved, because the immigration department may need you to fingerprint it. If you have left the country and can't provide your fingerprints, the immigration department can refuse your application for re-entry permit in the United States. In addition to the re-entry permit, you should also prepare as much evidence as possible about your intention to stay in the United States when you re-enter, such as you bought a house or car in the United States, you have an American driver's license, you have a savings account in the United States, and your children or parents still live in the United States for a long time. However, it should be noted that the re-entry permit does not guarantee your smooth return to the United States, and the final decision is in the hands of the customs officers of the Immigration Bureau. If they think you don't intend to stay in the United States for a long time, they have the right to cancel your green card status at any time.

Or my example: my mother applied for a re-entry permit and left the United States for about 1 year and 8 months. When she entered the country, she explained that she needed to go back to China for medical treatment and recuperation, because there was no medical insurance in the United States (my uncle was a personal doctor in Hong Kong and wrote an English letter to my mother), and my mother successfully entered the customs with a re-entry permit and a green card. Of course, the fact is that my mother has not retired in China and will go back to work.

Finally, many people say that as long as they return to the United States once every six months, they will no longer have to worry about the invalidation of their green cards. Is that so? Of course not! As I said above when I mentioned the re-entry permit in the United States, the decision whether you can enter the country or cancel your green card is in the hands of immigration officials. Once they think you don't intend to stay in the United States permanently, they can revoke your green card at any time. If someone travels to and from China and the United States once every six months, but stays in China for much longer than in the United States, if you are an immigration officer, you will wonder whether this person really wants to stay in the United States and whether he really needs an American green card.

Let me give another example around me: the relatives of F4 immigrants, the couple, are well-paid and well-paid. After bringing the children to the United States, they will return to China to continue their work. They do not apply for re-entry permits to the United States, but fly to the United States once every six months, and stay in the United States for half a month to one month at a time, that is,10-1month in China and 1-2 months in the United States. More than three years later, they were warned by immigration officials when they entered the country last year. If they go on like this, their green cards will be confiscated. It happened that my wife was going to retire, so she stayed in America to accompany her children. However, my husband retired early and didn't understand English. He really doesn't want to give up his good job at home and stay in America to make a living. He decided to go back and fly again every six months. To be sure, their situation has been recorded in the immigration system. As for whether or not to cancel the green card, when to cancel it depends on the decision of the immigration bureau. Of course, their children are also preparing to apply for naturalization. Even if dad's green card is invalid, it is not difficult to apply again.