Permanent Residents

Students who have received permission to reside in the United States permanently and are in possession of their "green card" (Resident Alien Card) have the following privileges:

- They are eligible to apply for federal financial aid through the University.

- They may work full or part-time.

- They may apply for U.S. citizenship after a period of five years residence in the U.S. (three years if they are married to a U.S. citizen), but they are not required to do so.

- They may remain in the U.S. indefinitely as long as they retain a residence here and are not convicted of certain crimes, which would make them subject to deportation.

- If permanent residents travel outside the U.S. and return within one year, and do not abandon their U.S. residence, they may be readmitted to the U.S. by simply presenting their "green card" to the immigration inspector at the port of entry provided they are also in possession of a valid passport from the country of their citizenship. If permanent residents plan to be outside of the U.S. for more than one year, they should contact Krittika Onsanit for information on the procedure of reentry into the U.S.

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