A lawful permanent resident’s rights and responsibilities begin the day the Green Card is issued: you can live and work in the United States indefinitely, sponsor certain family members, and travel abroad, but you also owe the government U.S. taxes on your worldwide income, timely notice of address changes, and conduct that keeps you eligible to remain. The status is durable, not unconditional. What follows is what you can do, what you must do, and what can cost you the card.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Rights and Responsibilities of a Green Card Holder
What You Can Do
Federal law defines lawful permanent residence as the privilege of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant, so long as that status has not changed.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1101 – Definitions In practical terms, you can accept almost any job you qualify for. A narrow set of federal positions tied to national security or high-level clearances are reserved for citizens, but the vast majority of private-sector and government jobs are open to Green Card holders.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Rights and Responsibilities of a Green Card Holder
You can own property, receive in-state tuition at public colleges and universities, and join the U.S. Armed Forces.3Office of Homeland Security Statistics. Lawful Permanent Residents You can also petition for certain family to immigrate: your spouse, unmarried children under 21, and unmarried sons or daughters of any age.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Family of Green Card Holders (Permanent Residents) Citizens have a broader range of sponsorship options, so this is one area where the gap between residence and citizenship matters.
What You Cannot Do
The most consequential restriction is voting. Non-citizens are prohibited from voting in federal, state, and most local elections.5USAGov. Who Can and Cannot Vote Voting as a non-citizen in a federal election is a criminal offense punishable by a fine, up to one year in prison, or both.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 611 – Voting by Aliens It can also trigger removal and permanently disqualify you from citizenship. Registering to vote by mistake, even without casting a ballot, has derailed immigration cases. You also cannot serve on federal juries, which are limited to citizens.
Tax and Financial Filing
The IRS treats permanent residents the same as citizens. You must file federal income tax returns each year and report your worldwide income, including earnings from foreign sources.7Internal Revenue Service. U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad File under the same rules and deadlines that apply to citizens.8Internal Revenue Service. U.S. Citizens and Residents Abroad – Filing Requirements Claiming non-resident status on a return while holding a Green Card can create serious problems during naturalization or removal proceedings.
Wages from U.S. employment are subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes under the same rules that apply to citizens.9Internal Revenue Service. Aliens Employed in the U.S. – Social Security Taxes Those payroll contributions count toward the 40 work credits (roughly ten years of employment) needed to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits.
Reporting Foreign Bank Accounts
If you keep bank or financial accounts in another country and their combined value exceeds $10,000 at any point during the year, you must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (an FBAR) with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.10FinCEN.gov. Report Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts The threshold is measured across all foreign accounts combined, not per account.
Penalties are steep. A non-willful violation can cost up to $10,000 per form. A willful failure carries a penalty of up to $100,000 or 50% of the account balance, whichever is greater, plus potential criminal prosecution. Residents who still hold savings or retirement accounts back home commonly miss this filing.
Everyday Legal Obligations
Reporting Address Changes
You must notify USCIS within 10 days of any move.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Change Your Address The fastest method is the USCIS online change-of-address system, which generates an instant electronic confirmation at no cost. You can also submit a paper Form AR-11 by mail; if you do, send it certified and keep the receipt.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card
The penalty for skipping this step is a fine of up to $200, up to 30 days in jail, or both, and the government can initiate removal proceedings unless the failure was not willful or was reasonably excusable.13GovInfo. 8 USC 1306 – Penalties It is one of the easier obligations to forget during a move and one of the easiest to satisfy.
Carrying Your Green Card
Federal law requires every permanent resident 18 or older to carry their Green Card at all times. Failing to have it on your person is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $100, up to 30 days in jail, or both.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1304 – Forms for Registration and Fingerprinting Enforcement is uncommon in day-to-day life, but the rule tends to surface at the worst moment, such as during an encounter with immigration authorities.
Selective Service
Male residents between 18 and 25 must register with the Selective Service System.15Selective Service System. Who Needs to Register As of 2026 this requirement applies only to men.16Selective Service System. Selective Service System New immigrants must register within 30 days of turning 18 or, if already in that age range on arrival, within 30 days of entering the country. Skipping registration can disqualify you from naturalization and from federal benefits like student aid.
Travel and Time Outside the Country
Your Green Card lets you leave and return. For trips shorter than one year, the card alone is sufficient documentation at the port of entry.17U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. International Travel as a Permanent Resident18USAGov. Travel Documents for Foreign Citizens Returning to the U.S.
For a planned absence of more than a year, apply for a reentry permit by filing Form I-131 before you leave.19U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records A reentry permit is generally valid for two years from issuance.20U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Can a U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident Leave the United States The permit does not guarantee reentry, but it documents your intent to return and lets you avoid the returning resident visa process at a consulate. If you have already stayed abroad past a year without a permit, or past a permit’s expiration, you will need a new immigrant visa — the SB-1 returning resident visa is one narrow option, and consular officers are not required to grant it.
How Absences Affect Naturalization
Even trips that do not endanger your status can damage a citizenship application. For naturalization purposes, any single trip abroad of more than six months creates a legal presumption that your continuous residence has been broken.21U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part D Chapter 3 – Continuous Residence You can rebut the presumption with evidence, but it adds risk. An absence of a year or more is treated more severely and generally restarts the continuous residence clock.
If your work requires long stretches abroad, you may be able to preserve residence for naturalization by filing Form N-470 before you have been outside the country continuously for one year. It is limited to people working for the U.S. government, qualifying American employers, certain international organizations, or religious denominations, and you must have already lived in the U.S. as a permanent resident for at least one uninterrupted year before the employment begins.22U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-470, Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes
How You Can Lose Your Status
Permanent residency is not irrevocable. Three categories cover most losses.
Criminal Convictions
Criminal activity is the fastest way to lose your status. A conviction for a crime involving moral turpitude within five years of admission, where the possible sentence is a year or more, makes you deportable. Two or more convictions for crimes of moral turpitude at any time after admission have the same effect, even from separate episodes.23Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1227 – Deportable Aliens A conviction for any aggravated felony after admission is a deportation ground with almost no exceptions.
Separate provisions cover drugs, firearms, and domestic violence. A single drug conviction (other than simple possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana) triggers deportability. Any firearms conviction under federal or state law does the same. If you face criminal charges of any kind, talk to an immigration attorney before entering a plea. A deal that looks reasonable from a criminal defense angle can carry permanent immigration consequences a criminal lawyer may not spot.
Abandonment
You can lose status by abandoning your U.S. residence, even without a formal decision by an immigration judge. Moving to another country with the intent to live there permanently, taking permanent employment abroad, or failing to maintain a home in the United States can all signal abandonment. Once a legal finding of abandonment is made, the rights tied to permanent residence are gone. The line between a long trip and abandonment is not always obvious, which is why reentry permits and documented U.S. ties matter.
Fraud
If officials discover that the original Green Card application contained fraudulent information or material misrepresentations, status can be revoked no matter how much time has passed. This covers sham marriages, falsified documents, and concealed criminal history.23Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1227 – Deportable Aliens
Keeping Your Card Current
Your legal status does not expire when the physical card does, but the card itself needs to be current. USCIS recommends filing Form I-90 to renew if your card has expired or will expire within six months.24U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Replace Your Green Card File the same form if your card is lost, stolen, or damaged. Once USCIS receives the application, the receipt notice (Form I-797C) extends the validity of your expired card for 36 months and serves as proof of status alongside the old card during processing. If you need proof of status before the receipt arrives, USCIS can place a temporary stamp in your passport at a local office. Check the USCIS fee schedule for current filing fees.
Conditional Residence Through Marriage
If you received your Green Card through a marriage less than two years old at the time of approval, your card is valid for only two years. You must file Form I-751 during the 90-day window before it expires to remove the conditions. Filing too early gets your form rejected; filing too late risks your status entirely. After acceptance, the receipt notice extends your status for 48 months beyond the card’s expiration date. If the marriage has ended, you can request a waiver of the joint filing requirement by showing the marriage was entered in good faith or that removal would cause extreme hardship.
Public Benefits
Permanent residents are classified as “qualified immigrants” under federal law, which makes them eligible for major benefit programs like SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, and Supplemental Security Income. Most of these programs impose a five-year waiting period after you receive your Green Card before you can apply. Refugees, asylees, and certain other humanitarian entrants are exempt from the wait.
Rules in this area have been unstable. Federal legislation in 2025 expanded the definition of “federal public benefits” and added restrictions. Federal courts temporarily blocked portions of those changes in late 2025, and litigation was still ongoing as of early 2026. Before applying, check with a legal aid organization or your state benefit agency for the current eligibility rules.
Moving Toward Citizenship
For most permanent residents, the next step is naturalization. The standard track requires five years of continuous residence, with at least 30 months of physical presence during that period. If you are married to a U.S. citizen, the timeline shortens to three years of continuous residence and 18 months of physical presence.25U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Continuous Residence and Physical Presence Requirements for Naturalization You can file Form N-400 up to 90 days before you meet the continuous residence requirement.
Beyond the residency clock, you must show good moral character during the statutory period, pass an English language test, and pass a civics exam. USCIS reviews criminal history, tax compliance, child support obligations, and the honesty of your prior immigration filings. Age- and disability-based exceptions to the English and civics requirements exist, including accommodations documented on Form N-648 by a licensed physician or psychologist.26U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Exceptions and Accommodations Fee waivers are available for low-income applicants, and active-duty military members may qualify for no fee at all.