How can a Green Card holder prove their length of absence when exiting and entering through a Mexican land crossing?

How can a Green Card holder prove their length of absence when exiting and entering through a Mexican land crossing? - Spectacular scenery of dam near azure water in mountains covered with green grass and trees in daytime

Me and a friend of mine who is a Green Card holder are planning a road trip from Seattle to Tijuana by car. To avoid a long queue we are planning to cross the Mexican border on foot and go back after a few hours, hence no FMM would be required from either of us and neither would Mexican immigration stamp our passports.

Here comes the catch - as a Green Card holder, my friend cannot stay out of the US for more than a few months at time. But given that the US land border doesn't have exit immigration and neither does Mexico have entry immigration at Tijuana, there would be absolutely no record of our absence from the country. And therefore my friend won't be able to prove how long he's been out of the country when crossing back to the US through the land bridge.

What documents does the US recommend having in this scenario to prove you haven't actually stayed abroad for a few years? Or is my friend unnecessarily concerned and no one would care about his absence at the land border crossing?

Note that this issue doesn't concern me as a regular visa holder as my I-94 would still be valid at re-entry and the US doesn't care about anything else at this point.






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How can a Green Card holder prove their length of absence when exiting and entering through a Mexican land crossing? - Through glass view of high mountains covered with snow near green woods under blue cloudless sky in nature
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How long can a green card holder stay out of the country?

The law states that if a Green Card holder remains outside of the United States for one year and one day during any one trip, they are considered to have abandoned their residency and lose their Green Card and permanent resident status.

Can I stay more than 6 months outside US with green card?

Final Thoughts. Now you know the answer to \u201ccan I stay more than 6 months outside the U.S. with a green card?\u201d. Yes, you can, as long as you only travel for a temporary purpose. Otherwise, you might be regarded as having abandoned your LPR status.

Can green card holder be denied entry?

There are many reasons why green card holder or visa holders may be denied entry to the U.S. Most typically, they have violated the terms of their green card/visa in some way such as by: Not returning to the U.S. within the specified time period. Committing crimes. Being found \u201cinadmissible\u201d for a green card.

Can green card holders use step?

Can Non-Citizens Enroll in STEP? Legal permanent residents (green card holders) may not enroll in STEP, but may participate in similar programs offered by the embassies and consulates of their countries of citizenship.



Re-entering the United States with Green Card




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Kieren Ridley, Rachel Claire, Skyler Ewing, Almighty Shilref