Immigrant Visas

Returning Resident Alien

A returning resident is someone who was previously a legal permanent resident, but remained outside the U.S. for more than one year due to circumstances beyond their control.

To qualify as a returning legal permanent resident, you must show that:

• you were a lawful permanent resident when you departed the United States,
• when you departed you intended to return to the USA and have maintained this intent,
• you are returning from a temporary visit abroad and if the stay was protracted, it was caused by reasons beyond your control and for which you were not responsible, and
• you are eligible for the immigrant visa in all other respects.

If you have lost your permanent resident status, and you wish to apply for a Returning Resident visa, you must submit evidence to support the above requirements along with the Application to Determine Returning Resident Status and a fee of USD $400.

If the application for returning resident status is approved by the consular officer, the immigrant visa unit will provide information regarding the process of the returning resident (SB-1) visa.

For more information about regaining permanent resident status, please visit the Returning Resident Alien page.

For any visa-related question not answered on the consular section’s website, applicants may refer to the A-Z Subject Index or send a message to the following email address: VisasBucharest@state.gov. In most cases, the message will be answered within 3 business days.

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