Although there are no additional tax breaks for widows, using the qualifying widow status means your standard deduction will be double the single status amount. Unless you qualify for something else, you’ll usually file as single in the year after your spouse dies.

However, Green Cards can be revoked. Failure to Establish a Permanent Residence, or Abandonment of Permanent Residence – Green Card holders must maintain residency in the United States, so if a permanent resident remains outside of U.S. territory for 180 days or more, their Green Card will be revoked.

When a U.S. Permanent Resident Spouse-Petitioner Dies If you are the spouse of a deceased lawful permanent resident (a green card holder), you cannot self-petition the way the spouse of a deceased U.S. citizen can. (An immigrant visa becomes a green card as soon as you use it to enter the United States.)

If the petitioner dies, the applicant typically must obtain a substitute sponsor to continue to be eligible for adjustment of status. A petition or adjustment application was pending or approved when the qualifying relative died; and. ​The applicant meets the residency requirement.

Sadly, the portion of U.S. immigration law allowing a person who has been a permanent (or conditional) resident and married to, as well as living with, a U.S. citizen for three years to apply for U.S. citizenship at the end of that time no longer applies if the U.S. citizen dies.

To report a death, visit the U.S. Embassy website, https://santodomingo.usembassy.gov/. Under the “U.S. Citizens Services” tab, you will find the “Social Security and Veterans Benefits” section.

You would need to file your petition on USCIS Form I-360. Unlike other family beneficiaries, you need not have an Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) filed on your behalf. There is a deadline: You must file the I-360 petition no later than two years after the death of your U.S. citizen spouse.