divorce

[Transborderwife 4,666]

I don't really know why people here are advocating citizenship so hard. I have a friend who adjusted from graduate student when she got married 20 years ago and never felt a need for citizenship.

If you're from a country that makes it very hard to keep your passport when to take on another nationality and at the same time offers you the best social system should you ever return it seems negligent to throw away your primary citizenship.

Agreed. My 89 year old grandmother has been here since 1980. She nor all of her children that are here feel the need to become citizens. She was asked at her last renewal why not and she told the io that it was none of his business. He just laughed

[Ortolan 381]

No need to get citizenship; some might be wanting to go back and retire in their old country later, and you can't have dual citizenship between some countries, so the citizenship question is purely personal choice.

[NikLR 13,220]

Also it's difficult to give up US citizenship, and quite costly. So should you decide to move back to your country (or another one) you may be stuck filing tax returns to the USA when you don't want to anymore and have no intention of returning here.

[tuckin14 58]

I knew someone who was in the USA for a long time (at least 15 years, maybe much longer) and never bothered with citizenship until an estate lawyer explained that she was not eligible for the marital estate exemption should her affluent, but healthy and only in his 40's, husband died.

They divorced about 3 years later.

[AnotherLostSoul 167]

Ok, I am not going to meddle on why you haven't filed for citizenship. Everybody has different needs. Some people see it as advantage, others don't...none of our business why the OP did not file for citizenship. We are here to answer his question. So, no you do not have to prove anything to USCIS anymore, you are a lawful permanent resident for good, and just have to renew it each time it gets to its expiration. And you can do this until age 99 or beyond....no worries! You are here now like a statue that was built in memory of the civil war.

[Berty 74]

Even the green card renewal isn't as big a deal as some people think; obviously it's the wisest thing to renew the card prior to it expiring, but unlike the two year version the expiration date is solely for the card, not for the status.

[Harmonia 211]

The 10 year green card "expires" in the same way a driver's license "expires" or a passport "expires". You don't lose your permanent residency if you somehow forget to renew, just like you don't lose your right to drive a car and have to start all over again with a permit, driving test, etc if you forget to renew your driver's license and do it late.

The card expires, not the residency.

Only about half of legal permanent residents ever naturalize.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

The 10 year green card "expires" in the same way a driver's license "expires" or a passport "expires". You don't lose your permanent residency if you somehow forget to renew, just like you don't lose your right to drive a car and have to start all over again with a permit, driving test, etc if you forget to renew your driver's license and do it late.

The card expires, not the residency.

Only about half of legal permanent residents ever naturalize.

Depends on where you are with the drivers licence thing...in Ontario with graduated licencing you do have to start all over again sometimes...but otherwise good point.

[Sledge 11]

Ontario is in Canada though. He's talking about US laws. Also not everyone wants the citizenship here. My fiancee doesn't even care if we live in the US. We probably won't. This is just the easiest route for us to get married, and for her to be able to travel easily due to her country. To OP you'll be fine.