Help!! Re-entry permit denied. I don't want to lose my green card. What should I do?

[C999]

I am a US permanent resident (green card holder), and my husband is a US citizen. We moved to Japan in October 2016 for his job.
Before moving, I applied for a re-entry permit. The initial re-entry permit expired in late January 2019. But I applied for a new one in September 2018. I
wasn't able to travel to the US in September (my husband mailed it during one of his business trips). But I did go there in December 2018 for my biometrics
appointment. I thought everything was good until I just received a letter in the mail a few days ago saying my application has been denied because I was
outside the US when it was filed. I have 33 days to appeal.

I have researched my options, and I think I have 4.

(1) I can file Form I-290B to appeal. I think the likelihood of winning is very low, is this true?

(2) I can do nothing for now, then file Form DS-117 to apply for SB-1 returning resident visa when I want to return to the US. Again, I think the likelihood of getting this is very low, is this true? Also, if I wait too long, I'm afraid I might lose my green card.

(3) I can go to the US and reapply for a re-entry permit. I have a valid green card, but my re-entry permit is expired. Will they let me in if I don't have a valid re-entry permit? Or worse, will they take my green card? If they will let me in without too much trouble, then how long can I wait before I go there and re-apply?

(4) I can do nothing. I was just in the US 2 months ago and I have a valid green card. So shouldn't I be able to stay outside of the US with nothing except my green card for up to a year? So maybe I can go there this summer, then return annually to reset the 1-year clock?

I'm sure there are others that have had to deal with this same thing. Can anyone give me advice?

C999

[sfkiwi]

Denied Reentry Permit after being explicitly told by the US consulate that it was ok

I have a similar issue so I'm very interested to know if you find a solution. I check and doubled checked with the US consulate in Rome who said in a series of emails that I could apply while abroad and do my biometrics in Rome. Now my application has been denied likely for the reason that I was abroad and I'm trying to understand what recourse I have considering that I got explicit consent from the US consulate.

[scientist2016]

I am a US permanent resident (green card holder), and my husband is a US citizen. We moved to Japan in October 2016 for his job.
Before moving, I applied for a re-entry permit. The initial re-entry permit expired in late January 2019. But I applied for a new one in September 2018. I
wasn't able to travel to the US in September (my husband mailed it during one of his business trips). But I did go there in December 2018 for my biometrics
appointment. I thought everything was good until I just received a letter in the mail a few days ago saying my application has been denied because I was
outside the US when it was filed. I have 33 days to appeal.

I have researched my options, and I think I have 4.

(1) I can file Form I-290B to appeal. I think the likelihood of winning is very low, is this true?

(2) I can do nothing for now, then file Form DS-117 to apply for SB-1 returning resident visa when I want to return to the US. Again, I think the likelihood of getting this is very low, is this true? Also, if I wait too long, I'm afraid I might lose my green card.

(3) I can go to the US and reapply for a re-entry permit. I have a valid green card, but my re-entry permit is expired. Will they let me in if I don't have a valid re-entry permit? Or worse, will they take my green card? If they will let me in without too much trouble, then how long can I wait before I go there and re-apply?

(4) I can do nothing. I was just in the US 2 months ago and I have a valid green card. So shouldn't I be able to stay outside of the US with nothing except my green card for up to a year? So maybe I can go there this summer, then return annually to reset the 1-year clock?

I'm sure there are others that have had to deal with this same thing. Can anyone give me advice?

C999

My recommendation would be to go for options 3 or 4. 1 & 2 are very low probability. No one but an immigration court judge can take your GC away. You should be good for option 4. Letting in anyone other than a citizen is at the discretion of the CBP officer. Having said that, you should have no problems getting in, since you have been in the US just a couple of months ago, which would have reset your clock. Even otherwise, usually GC holders who demonstrate strong ties to the US are let in with a warning even after long absences.

[C999]

Thanks for the help. I will try to make an appointment at the US Embassy here to ask them about this. It sounds like Option 4 will probably work fine. I just want to make sure there isn't some specific date I need to travel back there by.

C999