I recently obtained L1A status and am preparing to move to the US. This move came about due to a combination of work and personal circumstances. I work for an amazing company in a terrible industry, and its my goal to be out of this industry in 3 years max. All of our management (including me) are long time coworkers and friends, so there are no secrets between us.
The quid pro quo I have with my company is that I'm going to help our US operations manage through a very difficult 1-2 year period. In return, they have made a fantastic move happen for me and are prepared to sponsor me to stay in the US.
I'm having a hard time deciding whether to apply for a green card or not.
On the one hand, I am in such a fortunate position to hold L1A status, with a green card in relatively easy reach. Am I right to assume I could apply for a green card immediately after moving to the US, and expect to have it in hand approx 1 year later for somewhere in the range of $5-$10k in legal and application fees?
I am completely undecided on where I want to live in the long term. I hold citizenships of three commonwealth countries, any of which I would consider moving back to. In addition, there are so many US cities I love, and would consider living and working in.
It also seems that being a Permanent Resident in the US isn't as permanent as the name implies. Am I also right to assume that the only pathway to being able to return to the US in future is to become a US citizen, which basically means a 5 year commitment from the day I land (in addition to a lifetime of tax issues)?
If I get my green card, and then choose to give it up because I move somewhere else in future, is there any prejudice in terms of visiting the US in future, re-applying for a work visa, applying for another green card in future, etc... I'm basically trying to make sure I make the correct immigration decisions given very uncertain circumstances about where I might be living in future.
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/immigration/comments/i0z1v0/to_get_a_green_card_or_not/