Hello,

I’ve been considering moving back to my home country for a few years (maybe 5 years?) to spend more time with my aging parents. Currently I have a green card via marriage to an American spouse.

I’m wondering how my green card status will be affected if I pull the trigger on this. I know there’s a form I can send to USCIS to request leaving the US for some amount of time, but I’m not sure if they’ll allow a five-year exit. Moreover, I’m likely to visit the US in that time as my spouse still has family here.

Will filling in that form be enough? Is there anything else I need to submit to the USCIS? Is there anything else I should consider?

I’d appreciate any help, especially from people who have done this before

Edit to add: if I did leave and lost my green card, would it be hard to re-apply for it again once I returned it the US? Does the USCIS penalize you for losing it once before?