Green Card Expired while I was abroad
I was awarded permanent residency status 10 years ago while married to a US citizen.
We are divorced by now and Ive spent the last 8 years in Europe.
My GC was valid for 10 years and has now expired. Have I lost my status forever or is there a way of extending/renewing the card.
I am aware that I was supposed to to apply for a re-entry visa before leaving the US, which I didnt.
Thank you for your help!
Outside the US for 8 years? If you spend just 1 year outside the US without a reentry permit, the card is invalidated and you would need a Returning Resident Visa to get back into the US and resume your permanent resident status (even if you still have years left before the expiration date). After 8 years, theyll never grant the Returning Resident Visa, unless you have a ridiculously extreme reason like you were kidnapped in Afghanistan and held by the Taliban for the past 8 years.
The reentry permit wouldnt save you; it is only valid for 2 years.
Youve lost your status forever. Well, not forever ... you could marry another American, have a close relative in the US sponsor you, or get a job with a US company and pursue another green card via that route. But it would be starting all over from scratch, with no advantage given for having a green card before.
Kidnapped by the Taliban, lol.....................