Q: I am a Russian citizen with green card. I’m being mobilized to Russian army. Will I be able to come back to the states?
I am a permanent resident of the US. Currently I am being mobilized to Russian army based on new mobilization laws. If I don’t go there, I’ll be facing 10 years in prison. All my family lives there and I visit them every year. If I don’t go to this mobilization, then I will never be able to go visit them anymore - because of these 10 years in prison I’ll be facing. I want to know, if I go there - will I ever be able to come back to the states? Or if I go, serve my time in the military in Russia, and come back to US I will be facing some kind of criminal charges? I don’t know what to do, and I would really appreciate any kind of legal advise on this topic. Thank you.
A:
Your Lawful Permanent Status will be jeopardized if you will be absent for longer than 181 days from the United States. If you stay abroad for over one year in Russia your LPR status will deemed abandoned and you will be denied entry.
There is a legal caveat: if you are not served the draft notification in person and in fact, the official mobilization of the Russian troops has ended, you may not face criminal prosecution.
Be as it may, it is worth to consult with an experienced U.S. immigration attorney even by a remote or online consultation because of the complexity and importance of these issues.
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