Exit strategy if having approved I140 and wants to return back to US after few years

USA Green Card
1

Hello!

Thanks again for all you do for the community!

My situation-
Have been in the US since 2017. I have an approved I140 and working with the same sponsoring employer (no plans to change and wish to continue with the same in future). I have an approved 797 till July 2023 (1st extension). My old Indian passport has expiry till Jan 2021. I got my new passport in October from Indian embassy which does not have the stamping as per the latest 797.

My query-
I had some urgent personal matter to take care back in India, so was planning to go back in March-April 2021 for few years (3-4 years). And wish to return to the US with the same employer before the PD becomes current.

*I also had in parallel applied for Express Entry and waiting for any results.

I wish to know if you have any articles or recommendation for the exit process (checklist of things to be done) before i exit US so that when i want to return to continue waiting for the GC it will be possible.

How to tackle-

  • settling bank accounts (whether to transfer funds to India and then back to US on return) and how that relates to taxation in both India and US.
  • Latest Visa stamping for new 797, with current climate till March-April Visa appointment issues, should i wait out till that plays out and go and do the stamping? will having a stamped passport help in the longer run.
    *US social security number, any closure needed from my side?
    *Do i need to keep the US phone number active for any documentation purpose?
    *Any formalities from the employer side? i know i need the experience letter for job purposes back home, but any other things/docs needed from their side?

Would love to see any recommendations on this.

Thanks again!

Regards,
Fellow H1b

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  • settling bank accounts (whether to transfer funds to India and then back to US on return) and how that relates to taxation in both India and US.
    Ans: You can keep your current bank account with an address of your friend around.
    (Personal suggestion: Open an account with a local good credit union instead of a commercial bank. Credit union would have low min balance needs and no penalties etc… Read more about this online)
  • Latest Visa stamping for new 797, with current climate till March-April Visa appointment issues, should i wait out till that plays out and go and do the stamping? will having a stamped passport help in the longer run.
    Ans: Since you are not planning to return for a while, you may not need a stamping right now. But if you plan to return BEFORE the new i797 expires, get it stamping once the appointment dates are availble.
    *US social security number, any closure needed from my side?
    Ans: No need to any thing. You may choose to put a freeze on your credit profiles, its a free service. This protects any potential abuse of your credit profile.
    *Do i need to keep the US phone number active for any documentation purpose?
    Ans: Its good to have a valid phone number. I would suggest creating a Google Voice number on your primary Google account(Gmail). This would send any missed calls etc to your gmail account. Its free. You must do it while you are in US.
    *Any formalities from the employer side? i know i need the experience letter for job purposes back home, but any other things/docs needed from their side?
    Ans: I would suggest writing a permission to take long leave due to the family situation and keep a copy of a formal approval of that request by your employer for future reference.
    Good luck
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How does the return strategy changes if S386 becomes a law?