4 ms·

I won the green card diversity lottery and will finalize the process in about a month when I land in the USA. After that I'll be a permanent resident. I'll stay

by gcdvl 9y ago

I won the green card diversity lottery and will finalize the process in about a month when I land in the USA. After that I'll be a permanent resident. I'll stay for a few months to set things up, leave for a few more months to sell some property and then move there permanently. If things don't go very well and I decide to relinquish the green card and return, will I be subject to any kind of exit tax? Also, I'm having a lot of trouble setting up an address to receive the physical card. A PO Box or mail aggregator is not acceptable and I can only change the address up to the point of entry. This is a major concern for me because I don't have anyone in the USA that could receive it on my behalf. Is it possible to use "General delivery" near my arrival airport to get the card? I ask because up to 2 weeks ago I didn't even know about that concept so I'm still exploring that possibility. Thank you for your time.

proberts 9y ago
Regarding your first question, you should consult a tax accountant but the short answer is that the penalty provision doesn't apply unless and until you have been a permanent resident for at least 8 years. Regarding your second question, this can be a real issue and one option is to hire an attorney for the sole purpose of having your green card delivered to him or her. Whoever this is should charge you next to nothing so this might make sense.
- gcdvl 9y ago
  Thank you for your answer. I had read about the 8 year rule but was afraid that there might be any other condition (like making more than ~ 100K in one year) Regarding the address, I didn't know hiring an attorney was possible for that because I keep reading that the address must be a residential address. It's ridiculous that this can't be updated after one lands, but such is life and bureaucracy. I still have a few weeks and will try to hire someone in my arrival city remotely. I take it from your answer, the "General Delivery" is not an option? I find that strange because that would imply me having to identify myself to get the mail, so in a way it's actually more reliable than using a friend's address. Thank you for generously letting us use your time.
  - proberts 9y ago
    The mis-delivery of green cards and work cards isn't uncommon and can really mess up the process so it's better to be conservative.
    - gcdvl 9y ago
      I'll start looking for an immigration lawyer right away since this is the only loose end. If things go really wrong my passport stamp is good for one year and from what I understand I'll still be a permanent resident, it'll just be more difficult for me to demonstrate that.
      - proberts 9y ago
        That's right.

by gcdvl 9y ago

proberts 9y ago

Regarding your first question, you should consult a tax accountant but the short answer is that the penalty provision doesn't apply unless and until you have been a permanent resident for at least 8 years. Regarding your second question, this can be a real issue and one option is to hire an attorney for the sole purpose of having your green card delivered to him or her. Whoever this is should charge you next to nothing so this might make sense.

gcdvl 9y ago
Thank you for your answer. I had read about the 8 year rule but was afraid that there might be any other condition (like making more than ~ 100K in one year) Regarding the address, I didn't know hiring an attorney was possible for that because I keep reading that the address must be a residential address. It's ridiculous that this can't be updated after one lands, but such is life and bureaucracy. I still have a few weeks and will try to hire someone in my arrival city remotely. I take it from your answer, the "General Delivery" is not an option? I find that strange because that would imply me having to identify myself to get the mail, so in a way it's actually more reliable than using a friend's address. Thank you for generously letting us use your time.
- proberts 9y ago
  The mis-delivery of green cards and work cards isn't uncommon and can really mess up the process so it's better to be conservative.
  - gcdvl 9y ago
    I'll start looking for an immigration lawyer right away since this is the only loose end. If things go really wrong my passport stamp is good for one year and from what I understand I'll still be a permanent resident, it'll just be more difficult for me to demonstrate that.
    - proberts 9y ago
      That's right.