Anyone surrendered their Green Card?

I'm not sure if this post is in the right section, so if need be please move...
Hubby's green card expires in 11/06.  Since we are in England and not planning on moving back he is seriously thinking of surrendering it.   Since he no longer is a resident I don't think they would renew it anyway. 
Anyone (or their spouse) gone through this process?  We also still have financial ties to the US (joint accounts and his own investments)...would these be affected?   
Thank you in advance for any thoughts.

Far as I know there's no surrender process.....once a green card holder leaves the States for more than 1 year without special circumstances the card becomes null and void. If one were to try and repatriate back to the States in possesion of a green card and they had been out for any significant period of time (even 4-6 months) Immigration would question it.....after a year unless one had special permission to leave (ie: sick parent, child etc) the card's useless and that person would have to re-apply and pay again. That's my knowledge of it anyway.

Anything after a year and it's no good.  However in the event that you want to ever travel back to the USA or move back it's best to surrender the card.  It will have no impact on any future Repat paper work.  If you write the USA Embassy Department of Homeland Security they will send you the rather simple form to fill out.  Fill it in.. send it along with the Green Card and they will sign the form and send you a copy.  Keep it with his passport. 

My husband surrendered his recently and we went through Immigration under the Visa Waiver Programme as a tourist with flying colors.  The guy even said he felt sorry we would have to go through the whole repat process and expense one day. 

I made it clear on the form and via letter that we were only surrendering it to comply with the law and that should we decide to go back to the USA we would comply with all rules and regulations to do so.  I was a bit anal about it all, but then INS put us through the wringer twice for no good reason so I am a bit leery of them.  I cross my t's dot my i's and unravel red tape with them.

We still have to file taxes in the USA and so on and I was told to just continue to use his social etc for this.

Hope that helps.

Sort of stealing the thread here...sorry.

What comes after a green card?  And how long does that take.  Just thinking ahead (not even engaged yet, see how optimistic I am!), but how long would we have to live in the US as husband and wife before we could move back to the UK and still be able to travel without hassle to the US.  I envision a world where I can come to the UK without a visa and he can go to the US without a visa.  My guess is this would only be possible with dual citzenship for each of us. 

Anyone have this luxury??  How long did it take?

The best way to be hassle free with respect from moving between the US and UK is to get dual citizenship.  In the US, if you're married to a US Citizen, you can apply for citizenship three years after becoming a Permanent Resident.  Becoming a PR could take anywhere from 6 months to a year (or more if the USCIS is being slow), depending on the visa route you choose.  In the UK, the normal requirements if you're married to a British citizen is three years of residence + ILR (that's oversimplifying a lot, though!)  So, you could possibly have dual citizenship for both of you probably 7-8 years or so after getting married if that's your goal

It took us 1 month after our wedding to get all the paperwork together and in the mail for DH's green card.  He got it 1yr 1month later.  The first green card is conditional (expires in 2 years), so you can prove your marriage is real.  We're renewing DH's green card this spring, and next summer we can submit his citizenship paperwork.  We will have been married for 4 years, but the number they used it how long you have the green card for.  Last I look into it, it can take 6 months - 1 year to get your citizenship after filing the paperwork. 

We're thinking the same as you.  As we will have been married for 4 years, moving back to England should use fewer steps.

As to the original question, once you decide to "live" in another country, the green card is invalid.  You can cut it up or save it.  As to your finances, I don't know if his SSN will be valid, our bank allows foreign residents to be on US bank accounts as long as they have an address outside of the US.  I'd ask your bank what their specific requirements are.

Last I look into it, it can take 6 months - 1 year to get your citizenship after filing the paperwork. 

Or you can get extremely lucky like me and go from filing to oath ceremony in four months! (I applied for US citizenship in early July and took the oath in mid-November.)

I don't know if his SSN will be valid ....

I asked this question a few years back of someone pretty high up in the SSA and was told that your social security number is yours for life regardless.

Well the Department of Homeland Security prefers that you formally surrender the Green Card.  If you want lots of questions upon re-entry to the USA either by trying to use a green card that is no good or by entering as a tourist when you previously or are still in possession of a green card by all means then don't surrender it.

I just speak from our personal experience from having entered the USA over the Christmas holidays and yes... the airline asked if he was a green card holder and where it was and so did Immigration control in DC.

I for one was glad to have the form I -407 with me. 

Well the Department of Homeland Security prefers that you formally surrender the Green Card.  If you want lots of questions upon re-entry to the USA either by trying to use a green card that is no good or by entering as a tourist when you previously or are still in possession of a green card by all means then don't surrender it.

Its a moot issue with us anyway Pam.....my wife and I have been gone too long but we were back in November, the IO saw the I751 stamp in my wife's passport, asked us if we still live there, we said no, he said OK seeya.....I never seem to get the IO's with an attitude problem others seem to get them all the time....  but like Scully says and I know, they're out there.

Well then so long as people stay out of Atlanta.. :-)

the DC IO was GREAT.. so great I was ready to ask for his supervisor....

though the paranoid post 9-11 in me wonders if after the last hell they put us through if someone did not put a note on our file that says leave these people alone...

though the paranoid post 9-11 in me wonders if after the last hell they put us through if someone did not put a note on our file that says leave these people alone...

Yeah, you owe me for that one

Hee hee.... ah to know people who know people who know people....

thanks to everyone for their replies.  Vnicepeeps, I'll let hubby know how to get the form so he can surrender the Green Card.  As of now we do not have any intention of moving back to the states, but I'm one for playing by the rules. 
Now we just need to figure out what to do with the $$ we still have over there (401K, etc).
He was never interested in obtaining US citizenship even though he had been resident long enough.
As far as IO's...Houston was always hit or miss in the friendly department, but the one time we went through Philly they were as nice as they could be. 

One thing I do know is that the USA and UK allegedly have a reciprocity agreement regarding social security and pensions.  However we had issues figuring it all out. I can recommend taking the 401K into an IRA and that you can keep in a USA bank account if you want.