Great to hear from you, MAB. USAsiaTax provided me the mailing envelope with the entire tax return document- DHL cost around $500HK for shipping. I totally agree that it is more than worth the tax accountant fees. That said, I am miffed that a tax group like Chris Chang’s American Pacific Tax would offer to file the FBAR for an additional $2000HK or so, when that can and should be done ourselves.
Yes, for myself, I was unable to return to the U.S. before Aug. ’22, or within 364 days after initial entry, in large part due to the then, Quarantine, and the fact that I only had around 4 days Annual leave days left by July of this year(I only had 10 for the calendar year of ’22, and used them sparingly for mostly important reasons like accompanying my mother to doctor appointments, consulting the U.S. tax accountant, ha). Also, my main concern in the past was packed places like airports, and let's face it, with a US Federal judge's ruling against Airport mask mandates earlier in 2022, the likelihood of testing positive at HKIA would have been greater, along with a potential stay at Penny's Bay, etc. I think the scrapping of incoming traveler Quarantine may help Green card holders in HK keep their status longer term, though it’s common knowledge that any absences even over 6 months may lead to interrogation by customs officers at Point of Entry. In any case, the Green card should not be considered to be some sort of Super Visa; I’d be interested to know how GC holders who live primarily outside the U.S. longer term manage to keep their status. For me though, that’s a moot point now, unfortunately. A Returning Resident visa is not feasible for me, as you need a very strong reason for being unable to return within the 1 year- the threshold is high and acceptance is low, from the Gov website.