I am a green-card holder and I received a job offer in another country. Can I work and live abroad for 2-3 years with green-card?

Answer: It is doable, but you have two important considerations:

1) Abandonment of Permanent Residency, and
2) Qualification for citizenship.

1. Abandonment

Before departing for such a long time, you would have to apply for a Re-entry Permit. Re-entry Permit allows permanent residents to be absent from US for periods up to 2 years without abandoning their permanent residency in the US. Re-entry Permit will allow you to be out of US for up to 2 years and then return without questions about your lengthy absences still maintaining your permanent residency here. But you will still have to continue maintaining close ties to US and file taxes.

2. Citizenship

One of the requirements for citizenship is “continuous presence” i.e. to be continuously present in the US as a permanent resident (i.e. after receiving her green-card) during the statutory period (3 years or 5 years) before you qualify for citizenship. If you depart the US for any period over 12 months, the clock for continuous presence will restart. Please note though that the last year of absence with a re-entry permit counts towards the continuous presence requirement. So, for example, if you returns to the US after 2-year absence with re-entry permit, then you will only need additional 4 years or 2 years (if marriage-based green-card) of continuous presence to qualify for citizenship.

You can read more about these matters in our article here: https://www.islawfirm.com/maintaining-lpr-status-qualifying-citizenship/

If you have more questions or would like to discuss this further, you can contact us to schedule a consultation with immigration attorney.