Reclaiming Old Status

“MY sister is getting married in Ireland in the summer. She received a Morrison visa in 1993 and kept it up for almost seven years, but then returned home for good. She hasn’t been back here since. After the marriage they are thinking of coming to the U.S. to work for an indefinite period. Is her old visa of any use? If not is there any way she can reclaim it, seeing as she was here for so long.”

YOUR sister’s Morrison visa status is well and truly expired at this stage – in fact, the actual green card itself is out of date too if she received it in 1993, as the cards expire and need to be renewed every 10 years (see question below.)

Your sister definitely was here for a long time – so long, in fact, that she could have easily become a U.S. citizen, which would have spared her all the issues she’s confronting now. Once a permanent resident clocks up five continuous years here, eligibility for naturalization kicks in.

U.S. citizens, either born or naturalized, can reside abroad for however long they choose, and still have full rights to return here at any time. This is not a privilege granted to green card holders, who must maintain a permanent residence in the U.S. in order to preserve their legal status here.

It seems as if your sister returned home in 2000. That’s four long years ago, so she has no basis on which to possibly “reclaim” her green card. 

If she and her husband want to work in the U.S., they’ll have to find an American employer willing to act as a sponsor. This is an extremely involved, lengthy and costly process, so they shouldn’t expect instant results. 

Hate to sound like a broken record again, but green card holders should, when the appropriate time comes, start the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. And Irish natives, please be assured that your Irish citizenship is in no way affected by pledging allegiance to the U.S., a common fear which seems to prevent many Irish folks from naturalizing. 

There are so many good reasons to become a U.S. citizen; this week’s question being but one example. And this is an election year, though bear in mind that many naturalization cases filed now, especially in busy cities like New York and Los Angeles, wouldn’t be processed in time to vote. But go for it anyway!