Key Risks Organized From an Immigration Practice Perspective

A U.S. green card is not simply a status to stay in the country.
Under U.S. immigration law, a green card is a legal status granted on the premise that the holder intends to reside permanently in the U.S. and that the center of their actual life is in the U.S.

The problem is that many applicants let their guard down on status management just because "the green card is coming soon" or "I already got my green card."

Looking at cases that become problematic in practice, most don't begin with crime or deliberate illegality, but with a complacent assumption that "this much should be fine," along with a misunderstanding of the legal nature of a green card.

Below is an expert-organized list of 7 things immigration attorneys and consultants repeatedly encounter in the field that must be avoided before and after obtaining a green card.

1. Working or Earning Income in Ways That Conflict With Your Current Status Before Green Card Approval

The fact that a green card application is in progress does not nullify the restrictions of your current nonimmigrant status.

In principle, student visa (F-1), tourist visa (B-2), and ESTA status do not permit employment, business, or ongoing income-generating activity.
Nevertheless, if unauthorized work, freelance activity, or de facto business activity occurs, it's treated as unlawful employment or a status violation under immigration law.

A particularly important point is that even if such a violation happened in the past, if it surfaces during the I-485 review stage or the interview process, it can be more than enough to serve as a ground for ineligibility or a discretionary denial.

The logic that "it's fine because I already applied for a green card" doesn't hold up in immigration practice.

2. Traveling Abroad Without Advance Parole While AOS Is Pending

Adjustment of status (AOS) within the U.S. is a process that proceeds on the premise that the applicant remains continuously present in the United States.

If you depart before your Advance Parole (AP) is approved, the AOS application is considered **automatically abandoned** under immigration law.
There are no exceptions, regardless of the reason for travel or how short the trip is.

In practice, explanations like "I thought a day or two would be fine" or "it was a family emergency" are not accepted at all.

It's far from rare in the field to see a single departure invalidate a case that had been in progress for months or years.

3. Failing to Report or Delaying Reporting of an Address Change

Under USCIS regulations, every foreign national is required to file Form AR-11 within 10 days of any address change.

Even if you fail to receive an interview notice, an RFE, or an approval notice because you didn't report your address change, this is treated as the applicant's own responsibility, not USCIS's.

If an unreported address issue arises particularly right before green card approval or around the interview, it can cause case delays and, in the worst case, even lead to termination.

Reporting an address change isn't a minor administrative task — it's one of the most basic fundamentals of managing your green card status.

4. Extended or Repeated Time Abroad Right After Green Card Approval

Getting a green card doesn't mean you're free to spend long periods abroad.

Since a green card is a status premised on "intent to reside permanently in the U.S.," problems can arise if the following situations repeat starting right after approval.

- Repeated trips abroad of 6 months or more
- A single trip abroad of 1 year or more
- Having almost no record of U.S. residence, employment, taxes, or daily life

In this case, abandonment of residence can become an issue at reentry.

A Reentry Permit helps maintain your green card, but it isn't a blanket pardon that legalizes long-term residence abroad.

5. Living as if the Green Card Were Just a "Stay Visa"

A green card holder's residence is judged based on the actual center of their life, not a formal address.

A living arrangement where your primary home, job, and business remain in Korea while you keep only a nominal address in the U.S. carries significant risk of problems at entry inspection or in a future citizenship review.

You must clearly understand that a green card isn't "a long-term visa that lets you come and go from the U.S. anytime," but a legal status premised on actually residing in the U.S.

6. Failing to File Taxes or Report Foreign Assets

Under U.S. tax law, green card holders are required to report worldwide income.

The issues that come up particularly often in practice include the following.

- Failing to file an FBAR for foreign financial accounts
- Failing to report foreign assets under FATCA
- Not reporting Korean income to the U.S.

What matters isn't the tax amount itself, but whether the failure to report was willful or repeated.

This kind of record can directly affect the Good Moral Character (GMC) determination in a future citizenship review.

7. Actions Right After Employment-Based Approval That Can Be Interpreted as Denying Intent to Work

EB-2 and EB-3 employment-based immigration are approved on the premise of bona fide intent to work for the sponsoring employer.

Refusing to show up for work without a reasonable reason right after approval, resigning immediately, or otherwise effectively denying the employment relationship can lead to issues of false intent or misrepresentation.

There are legitimate ways to change jobs, such as under AC21 rules, but these require clear timing, justification, and documentation, and they don't automatically apply to every case.

Most Green Card Risks Come Not From "Breaking the Law" but From "Failing to Manage Your Status"

Looking at green card cases that become problematic in practice, most don't start with serious crime or clear illegality, but with actions taken without a proper understanding of the legal nature of the green card.

Getting your green card isn't the end — it's a status that must be continuously managed from that point on.

Making decisions based on accurate information, being aware of risks at each stage, and reviewing your overall living arrangement are the surest ways to maintain your green card status stably.