Your I-485 approval already makes you a lawful permanent resident as of the approval order date, so your checklist should focus on temporary proof until the card arrives, tax-residency changes, financial-status updates, and careful travel planning.

INA 245(b); 8 U.S.C. 1255(b)

Upon the approval of an application for adjustment made under subsection (a), the Attorney General shall record the alien's lawful admission for permanent residence as of the date the order of the Attorney General approving the application for the adjustment of status is made

After We Grant Your Green Card

We issue a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) to all permanent residents as proof that they are authorized to live and work in the United States. If you are a permanent resident age 18 or older, you are required to have a valid Green Card in your possession at all times.

Volume 11, Part B, Chapter 2, F.2

LPRs who are not in possession of their PRC may need an ADIT stamp as temporary evidence of LPR status and employment authorization. LPRs may obtain an ADIT stamp by calling the USCIS Contact Center to schedule an appointment with a USCIS field office.

USCIS Contact Center

Our toll-free number is 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) and we answer live calls and chats Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Eastern.

How to Track Delivery of Your Notice or Secure Identity Document (or Card)

Sign into your USCIS online account to receive automatic updates, including your U.S. Postal Service (USPS) tracking number when we mail your card or travel document.

How to Change Your Address

Changing your address with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will not change your address with USCIS and USPS will not forward your mail from USCIS.

AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card

If you are a alien in the United States, you must report any change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving.

If You Recently Became a Permanent Resident

It has been more than 30 days since you received your welcome notice but you have not received your new card.

Non-Delivery of Card

Please do not submit an inquiry about a card associated with a recently approved application until at least 90 days after you receive the approval notice.

U.S. tax residency – Green card test

You are a resident, for U.S. federal tax purposes, if you are a lawful permanent resident of the United States at any time during the calendar year. This is known as the 'green card' test.

Residency starting date under the green card test

If you meet the green card test at any time during a calendar year, but do not meet the substantial presence test for that year, your residency starting date is the first day in the calendar year on which you are present in the United States as a lawful permanent resident

Taxation of dual-status individuals

You are a dual status individual when you have been both a U.S. resident alien and a nonresident alien in the same tax year.

Taxation of dual-status individuals

For the part of the year you are a U.S. resident, you are taxed on income from all sources. For the part of the year you are a nonresident, you are taxed on income from U.S. sources only.

Publication 519, Choosing Resident Alien Status

You and your spouse are treated as U.S. residents for the entire year for income tax purposes. You and your spouse are taxed on worldwide income. You and your spouse must file a joint return for the year of the choice.

U.S. citizens and resident aliens abroad

You are subject to tax on worldwide income from all sources and must report all taxable income and pay taxes according to the Internal Revenue Code.

Report Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts

A United States person that has a financial interest in or signature authority over foreign financial accounts must file an FBAR if the aggregate value of the foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year.

When to file

The FBAR is an annual report, due April 15 following the calendar year reported. You’re allowed an automatic extension to October 15 if you fail to meet the FBAR annual due date of April 15. You don’t need to request an extension to file the FBAR.

Instructions for Form 8938, page 4

Unmarried taxpayers. If you are not married, you satisfy the reporting threshold only if the total value of your specified foreign financial assets is more than $50,000 on the last day of the tax year or more than $75,000 at any time during the tax year.

Instructions for Form 8938, page 1

Filing Form 8938 does not relieve you of the requirement to file FinCEN Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), if you are otherwise required to file the FBAR.

Instructions for Form W-8BEN, General Instructions

Do not use Form W-8BEN if you are described below. . . You are a U.S. citizen (even if you reside outside the United States) or other U.S. person (including a resident alien individual). Instead, use Form W-9 to document your status as a U.S. person.

Instructions for Form W-8BEN, Change in circumstances

You must notify the withholding agent, payer, or FFI within 30 days of becoming a U.S. citizen or resident alien. You may be required to provide a Form W-9.

31 CFR 1020.220(a)(2)(i)(A)(4)

For a non-U.S. person, one or more of the following: A taxpayer identification number; passport number and country of issuance; alien identification card number; or number and country of issuance of any other government-issued document evidencing nationality or residence and bearing a photograph or similar safeguard.

What is the FDIC? / FDIC Insurance Coverage Basics

Any person or entity can have FDIC insurance coverage in an insured bank. A person does not have to be a U.S. citizen or resident to have his or her deposits insured by the FDIC. The standard maximum deposit insurance amount is $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category.

Eligible Noncitizen Definition

You are considered an eligible noncitizen if you fall into certain immigration categories, such as the ones listed below: 1. You are a U.S. national or permanent resident. ... U.S. permanent resident with a Form I-551 or I-151 (Permanent Resident Card, Resident Alien Card, or Alien Registration Receipt Card), also known as a 'green card.'

Mortgagee Letter 2025-09, page 3

A Borrower with lawful permanent resident status may be eligible for FHA-insured financing provided the Borrower satisfies the same requirements, terms, and conditions as those for U.S. citizens.

Traditional and Roth IRAs

You can contribute if you (or your spouse if filing jointly) have taxable compensation

Highlights of changes for 2026

The limit on annual contributions to an IRA is increased to $7,500 from $7,000. The IRA catch‑up contribution limit for individuals aged 50 and over was amended under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0) to include an annual cost‑of‑living adjustment is increased to $1,100, up from $1,000 for 2025.

Your Social Security Number and Card, Publication No. 05-10002

If your immigration status changed... you should tell us so we can update your records. To have your immigration status or citizenship updated in our records, you need to show documents that prove your new immigration status... If you aren’t a U.S. citizen, we will ask to see your current immigration documents. There is no charge for an SSN and card.

Your Social Security Number and Card, Publication No. 05-10002

The 1st type of card shows only your name and SSN. People who have this type of card can work without restriction. We issue it to: —U.S. citizens. —People with Lawful Permanent Resident status.

International Travel as a Permanent Resident

In general, you will need to present a passport from your country of citizenship or your refugee travel document to travel to a foreign country. When seeking to enter the United States after temporary travel abroad, you will need to present a valid green card.

International Travel as a Permanent Resident

Permanent residents are free to travel outside the United States, and temporary or brief travel usually does not affect your permanent resident status. Abandonment may be found to occur in trips of less than a year where it is believed you did not intend to make the United States your permanent residence.

What if my trip abroad will last longer than 1 year?

If you plan on being absent from the United States for longer than a year, it is advisable to first apply for a reentry permit on Form I-131.

Form I-131 Instructions, Reentry Permit, A

The alien must be physically present in the United States when they file the Reentry Permit application and complete the biometric services requirement.

Form G-1055, Appendix B, page 38

If filing for a Reentry Permit Select Part 1. , Item Number 1. Not Eligible for Fee Waiver request. Paper Filing: $630

Form I-131 Instructions, Reentry Permit, B(1)

Generally, a Reentry Permit issued to a lawful permanent resident is valid for 2 years from the date of issuance.

Form I-131 Instructions, Reentry Permit, A

Nonetheless, a Reentry Permit does not exempt an alien from compliance with any of the requirements of U.S. immigration laws; only a returning resident visa obtained abroad from a U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate provides exemption from such compliance.

INA 101(a)(13)(C)(ii); 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(13)(C)(ii)

An alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States shall not be regarded as seeking an admission into the United States for purposes of the immigration laws unless the alien—... (ii) has been absent from the United States for a continuous period in excess of 180 days,

8 CFR 211.1(a)(2)

A valid, unexpired Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, if seeking readmission after a temporary absence of less than 1 year

Volume 12, Part D, Chapter 3, C.1

An absence of more than 6 months (more than 180 days) but less than 1 year (less than 365 days) during the period for which continuous residence is required (also called “the statutory period”) is presumed to break the continuity of such residence.

Volume 12, Part D, Chapter 3, C.2

An absence from the United States for a continuous period of 1 year or more (365 days or more) during the period for which continuous residence is required will automatically break the continuity of residence.

Volume 12, Part D, Chapter 4, A

Applicants for naturalization under INA 316(a) are required to demonstrate physical presence in the United States for at least 30 months (at least 913 days) before filing the application.

Continuous Residence and Physical Presence Requirements for Naturalization

Physically present in the U.S. for eighteen months within the three year period before applying in the case of qualified spouses of U.S. citizens.

Removing Conditions on Permanent Residence Based on Marriage

Your permanent resident status is conditional if it is based on marriage and you were married less than 2 years on the day you obtained permanent resident status.

Removing Conditions on Permanent Residence Based on Marriage

If you are filing Form I-751 jointly with your U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, you must file your Form I-751 within the 90-day period immediately before your Green Card expires.

I-829, When to File

you must file Form I-829 during the 90-day period immediately before your conditional residence expires.

I-407

Use this form to let us know you are voluntarily abandoning your status as a lawful permanent resident (LPR) of the United States.

Federal Mandate to Report Currency Exceeding $10,000

Federal law mandates that when entering or leaving the United States you must report amounts exceeding $10,000 to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Global Entry Eligibility

To enroll in the Global Entry Program, you must meet the following eligibility requirements. ... Be a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States. Pay a $120 non-refundable application fee, the only exception is for minors (under 18) with a legal guardian enrolled in the program or in pending status the fee for the minor is waived;

Gifts from foreign person, Reporting requirements

For gifts or bequests from a nonresident alien or foreign estate, you are required to report the receipt of such gifts or bequests only if the aggregate amount received from that nonresident alien or foreign estate, or foreign person that you know or have reason to know are related to the nonresident alien or foreign estate, exceeds $100,000 during the taxable year.

Instructions for Form 8621, Who Must Complete Part I

Regulations section 1.1298-1 generally requires a U.S. person that is at the lowest tier in a chain of ownership (that is, the first U.S. person in the chain of ownership) and that is a shareholder (including an indirect shareholder) of a PFIC to complete Part I for each PFIC owned by that shareholder during the shareholder’s tax year.