Reentry Permit

What a reentry permit is, and when it is needed

What a reentry permit is. A reentry permit is a travel document issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to a lawful permanent resident or conditional permanent resident who intends to depart the United States temporarily. It allows the holder to apply for admission on return, during the period of the permit's validity, without first obtaining a returning resident visa from a consular post abroad (which would otherwise be required for absences of one year or more).

The short answer. No. A reentry permit protects permanent resident status against a finding that the status was abandoned because of the length of an absence, and the statute confines its effect to showing a return from a temporary visit abroad, INA 223(e), 8 USC 1203(e). It does nothing about the residence requirements for naturalization. Keeping the status and keeping the naturalization clock running are separate problems with separate solutions.

The short answer. No. A reentry permit does not cure a ground of inadmissibility. The regulation extends its protection only to a permanent resident or conditional permanent resident “who is otherwise admissible,” and the statute states that a permit “shall have no effect under the immigration laws except to show that the alien to whom it was issued is returning from a temporary visit abroad,” INA 223(e). The permit answers a question about abandonment of residence. It says nothing about admissibility.

The short answer. No. A reentry permit cannot be applied for from abroad. The application must be filed while the applicant is in the United States and in status as a lawful permanent resident or conditional permanent resident. The law assumes the same sequence, describing a resident “who intends to depart temporarily from the United States” as the person who may apply for a permit to reenter, INA 223(a).