What you can do as a permanent resident

• Live and work anywhere in the United States permanently. You may take any lawful job except certain positions restricted to citizens, such as many federal government jobs and some jobs requiring a security clearance.
• Travel abroad and return with your green card and passport, subject to the residence rules described below.
• Own property, open bank accounts, obtain a driver’s license, and attend public schools and universities, usually at in-state tuition rates once you meet state residency rules.
• Sponsor certain relatives. A permanent resident can petition for a spouse and unmarried children (Form I-130), although wait times are longer than for relatives of citizens, and cannot petition for parents, married children, or siblings until becoming a citizen.
• Be protected by U.S. laws, including the Constitution’s protections in criminal cases and employment and housing anti-discrimination laws.
• Apply for naturalization after 5 years (or 3 years if married to and living with a U.S. citizen).
• Receive Social Security, Medicare, and other benefits you have earned, subject to program rules.

What you cannot do

Permanent residents cannot vote in federal elections (and in almost all state and local elections), cannot serve on federal juries, cannot hold a U.S. passport, cannot run for federal office, and cannot pass U.S. citizenship to children born abroad. Registering to vote or voting in an election restricted to citizens, even by mistake, can make you deportable and permanently ineligible for citizenship, so decline any voter registration offer at the DMV or elsewhere until you are a citizen.

Your legal responsibilities

• Obey all federal, state, and local laws.
• File federal, state, and local income tax returns every year as a U.S. resident and report worldwide income. Filing as a nonresident can be treated as abandoning your status.
• Register with the Selective Service if you are a male between 18 and 25.
• Carry your green card at all times; the law requires permanent residents 18 and older to have it with them.
• Report every change of address to USCIS within 10 days using Form AR-11 (this can be done online in minutes).
• Renew your card before it expires using Form I-90 (10-year cards), or file Form I-751 in the 90 days before a 2-year conditional card expires.
• Maintain your residence in the United States and avoid extended absences.

Residence rules that trip people up

A single trip of six months or more creates a presumption that you abandoned your U.S. residence for naturalization purposes, and a trip of a year or more breaks the continuous residence period unless you obtained a re-entry permit and, in limited cases, Form N-470. Separately, a border officer can conclude that you have abandoned permanent residence if your life appears to be based abroad, even on shorter trips. Keep a U.S. home, U.S. employment or business, U.S. bank accounts, and U.S. tax filings to show that the United States remains your permanent home.

Why most permanent residents eventually naturalize

Citizenship removes the risk of losing your status, lets you vote and hold a U.S. passport, allows you to sponsor parents and siblings, and protects children under 18 who automatically become citizens when a parent naturalizes. If you have held a green card for close to five years, this is a good time to start preparing for the test.

Last reviewed and expanded by the USCitizenTestPractice Editorial Team in September 2026, based on the USCIS Policy Manual, the official 2025 civics test materials, and current USCIS fee and form instructions. This is an independent study resource, not legal advice.