Lost permanent resident status from being out of country. Had planned to travel to the states this Christmas. What can I do?
As the title says, I have a green card but I'd been out of the country for over 2 years now. Resulting in my resident status being revoked. Although it is not expired date-wise.
Me not knowing this, had planned a trip to the states this Christmas. My wife and son are there already (both citizens).
I called the embassy in a panic and somehow managed to get the ds-117 returning resident petition approved. However the following steps for ds-260 immigration visa are going to cost me A LOT of money and also will not even finish in time for my flight, which means even more money.
Is there any other option I can take?
My dad tells me that a friend of his would re-enter the country by showing the customs officer that he'd been filing my taxes, and that was enough to let him in.
- Is this even viable?
- Would they know that I had already started the visa process?
I'm worried that if anything goes south, this will affect any future attempts to get into the country.
Any advice is welcome and appreciated. Thank you!