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Subject: Re: Green Card question Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:38:06 -0700

pezzolovezza wrote:

> I won the Green Card Lotery. On March 2 I and my husband entered the
> USA and now we live in friends house. Now we want to go back to our
> country. My questions are: Can we leave US before we get the Green
> cards and how long can we stay outside US without problems to our
> permanent residency status? Do we need to have proof of intention to
> stay in US, like driving licenses, bank acounts, etc., before we leave
> US?

When you enter the US under the Visa Lottery program, you have Permanent
Resident status, even before you have the physical form I-551 card. If
you have the I-551 stamp in your passport, that is the same as being a
permanent resident. If you leave for more than 6 months, you may need
to prove you have continuing ties. If you are gone for over a year, you
should apply for a re-entry permit, and maintain ties to the US, as you
have mentioned.