Once my permanent residency is granted, can it be taken away?

There are two conditions that you are required to meet in order to keep a green card once it is received.

First you must not become removable or prohibited (being convicted of a crime is the most common way of failing to meet this requirement).

Secondly, you may not abandon the United States as your Permanent Residence. As long as you do not make your home outside of the United States, then you are still legally a resident of the US.

Problems with the USCIS arise when they will judge your intention by the way you act, leaving the country for more than a year may present difficulty when you want to re-enter the country. The USCIS considers extended absences from the US possible abandonment which is why any absence from the US should not exceed six months in order to avoid a full-scale investigation.

It is often thought that all you need to do in order to keep your green card is re-enter the United States at least once a year, this is not the case. If you ever leave with the intention of making another country your home you automatically give up your US residency when you leave. However, remaining outside the US for more than one year does not mean you will automatically give up the granted residency. If the absence was intended and made known from the start, you may still be able to keep your permanent resident status. Though it may be required to us a special immigrant visa for re-entry to the US, rather than your green card.