Green Card Holder Rights and Responsibilities

Becoming a lawful permanent resident allows you to build a permanent home in the United States. It also brings ongoing responsibilities, including reporting address changes, complying with tax laws, maintaining your residence, and keeping appropriate proof of your immigration status.

Understanding your green card rights and responsibilities can help you avoid problems when traveling, renewing your card, sponsoring family members, or preparing to apply for U.S. citizenship.

What Rights Do Green Card Holders Have?

Living and Working in the United States

Lawful permanent residents generally may live and work anywhere in the United States. You may pursue lawful employment for which you qualify, although some positions are restricted to U.S. citizens.

Permanent residents also receive protection under applicable federal, state, and local laws. Permanent residence remains subject to immigration law, including provisions governing abandonment and removal. USCIS explains these rights and responsibilities of permanent residents.

Petitioning for Eligible Family Members

A permanent resident may file a family-based immigrant petition for:

• A spouse;
• Unmarried children under age 21; and
• Unmarried sons and daughters age 21 or older.

Permanent residents cannot petition for parents, siblings, or married sons and daughters based on their permanent resident status. Those relationships fall within categories available to qualifying U.S. citizens.

Filing or obtaining approval of a petition does not, by itself, give a relative immigration status or permission to work. Visa availability and the requirements for adjustment of status or consular processing must also be considered. See USCIS guidance on family petitions by permanent residents.

Learn more about Family Preference Categories.

Accessing Benefits When Eligible

A green card does not automatically qualify its holder for every public benefit. Eligibility depends on the program and may involve income limits, state rules, waiting periods, or other requirements.

For example, some permanent residents face a five-year waiting period for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, while exceptions apply to certain individuals. Review the requirements of the particular program before assuming that permanent residents and U.S. citizens qualify on the same terms.

What Responsibilities Must Permanent Residents Meet?

Follow Federal, State, and Local Laws

Permanent residents must comply with applicable laws. Certain criminal conduct and other immigration violations can affect the ability to remain in the United States or qualify for citizenship.

If you face a criminal charge, obtain advice about its immigration consequences before entering a plea or accepting a resolution. The immigration effect requires a separate assessment from the criminal penalty.

Meet Tax Filing and Reporting Requirements

Permanent residents generally are treated as U.S. residents for federal income-tax purposes. This ordinarily means reporting worldwide income when a return is required, including income earned outside the United States.

Living abroad does not automatically end U.S. tax obligations. Filing requirements, exclusions, credits, and treaty provisions depend on individual circumstances. Consult a qualified tax professional about your obligations, particularly before claiming nonresident tax treatment.

Carry Required Proof of Your Status

Permanent residents age 18 or older must carry their green card as evidence of registration. Keep secure copies of your immigration documents for your records, and address a lost, stolen, damaged, or expired card promptly. Depending on your circumstances, you may need temporary evidence of permanent residence while awaiting a replacement.

Comply With Selective Service Requirements

Male permanent residents generally must register with the Selective Service System if they are ages 18 through 25. Check your registration status and the current instructions through the Selective Service System.

Understand Voting and Citizenship Restrictions

Permanent residence does not make you a U.S. citizen or give you the right to vote in federal elections. In Florida, only U.S. citizens may register or vote.

Read citizenship questions carefully on employment, benefit, and voter-registration forms. Unlawful voting and false claims to U.S. citizenship can have serious immigration consequences. If you believe an incorrect registration or citizenship claim occurred, seek legal advice promptly.

Report Address Changes to USCIS Within 10 Days

Lawful permanent residents must notify USCIS within 10 days of moving, even when they have no pending immigration application or petition. Receiving a green card does not end this obligation.

Most permanent residents can report a move through the change-of-address tool in their USCIS online account. A properly submitted online change satisfies the reporting requirement without a separate paper Form AR-11.

When reporting your move:

1. Follow the USCIS change-of-address instructions.
2. Provide the required information about your new address.
3. Include the receipt number for each pending application or petition that needs updating.
4. Save the confirmation for your records.

USCIS also accepts paper Form AR-11, but mailing the form does not produce an immediate update in its case systems.

Changing your address with the U.S. Postal Service does not update your address with USCIS. Update both separately. Notify your attorney as well so your legal file and communications remain current.

Special procedures apply to certain protected cases, including VAWA, T and U cases and some Form I-751 abuse-waiver cases. Follow the applicable USCIS instructions before submitting an address change.

Additional Requirement for Certain Financial Sponsors

If you signed Form I-864 as a financial sponsor and your sponsorship obligations remain in effect, you generally must also submit Form I-865 within 30 days of moving.

For a permanent resident sponsor, this is a separate obligation. It does not replace the requirement to report your own address change within 10 days.

How Can International Travel Affect Permanent Residence?

Permanent residents may take temporary trips abroad, but travel plans should account for the required documents, the length of the absence, and whether the United States remains their permanent home.

You generally need a passport or other appropriate travel document for the destination country and acceptable evidence of permanent residence for your return. A green card does not eliminate another country’s visa requirements.

Long or repeated absences can raise questions about abandonment of permanent residence. Immigration officers may consider your home, employment, family ties, tax filings, and the purpose and circumstances of your travel. An absence shorter than one year can still raise abandonment concerns. See USCIS guidance on international travel as a permanent resident.

When Should You Consider a Reentry Permit?

USCIS advises permanent and conditional residents planning to remain abroad for one year or more to apply for a reentry permit. The application must be filed while you are physically in the United States, and any required biometrics must be addressed.

A reentry permit can help document the temporary nature of an absence and permit you to seek admission during its validity. It does not guarantee admission or resolve every question about maintaining permanent residence.

Travel Can Also Affect Citizenship Eligibility

Maintaining permanent resident status and satisfying the continuous-residence requirement for naturalization are separate issues.

For most naturalization applicants:

Repeated shorter trips can also require review. A reentry permit does not, by itself, preserve continuous residence for naturalization. Certain applicants with qualifying employment abroad may be eligible for separate protections.

Before an extended trip, have both your residence and future citizenship eligibility reviewed. Learn more about Naturalization and Travel Requirements.

What Happens When Your Green Card Expires?

Ten-Year Green Cards

Expiration of a 10-year green card does not, by itself, end lawful permanent resident status. The card is evidence of that status, and keeping appropriate documentation current remains important.

Form I-90 is generally used to renew or replace a 10-year card. Depending on your circumstances, a receipt notice extending the card’s validity or temporary evidence of permanent residence may help document your status while an application is pending. Review the documents you hold before relying on them for travel or another purpose.

Learn more about Green Card Renewal and Replacement.

Two-Year Conditional Green Cards

Conditional residents have additional requirements to remove the conditions on their residence:

• Form I-751 generally applies to conditional residence obtained through marriage.
• Form I-829 applies to conditional residence obtained through the immigrant investor program.

Form I-90 does not remove those conditions or renew an expiring conditional status. Filing deadlines and available exceptions depend on the type of case. Missing the applicable requirements can jeopardize your status.

Learn more about Conditional Permanent Residence.

When Can a Permanent Resident Apply for Citizenship?

Many permanent residents may qualify for naturalization under the general five-year rule. Certain spouses of U.S. citizens may qualify under a three-year rule.

The ordinary three-year marriage route involves additional requirements. These generally include living in marital union with the same U.S. citizen spouse during the three years immediately before filing, with the spouse having been a citizen throughout that period. The qualifying marriage and the spouse’s citizenship must continue through naturalization.

Eligibility also depends on continuous residence, physical presence, good moral character, and other applicable requirements. Simply holding a green card for three or five years does not establish eligibility. Limited early-filing provisions and special eligibility rules may apply.

Our U.S. Citizenship Through Naturalization page explains these requirements in greater detail.

Speak With an Immigration Attorney in Ocala

The Law Offices of Osas Iyamu, LLC helps permanent residents evaluate travel concerns, address documentation issues, prepare eligible family petitions, remove conditions on residence, and assess eligibility for naturalization.

For your consultation, gather your green card, relevant USCIS notices, travel history, and any records connected to your questions.

Schedule an immigration consultation.

Call 352-237-2403 or 1-800-974-6480.

This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Immigration requirements may change, and the appropriate course depends on individual circumstances. Reading this page or contacting our office does not create an attorney-client relationship. Representation begins after a written engagement agreement is signed.