How to Renew my Permanent Green Card?
The Green Card allows an individual as a lawful permanent resident to get the right to live and work in the United States.
The Green Card is evidence of an individual’s lawful permanent resident status and it is maintained as long as the immigration laws have complied.
The classic Green Card has a 10-year validity, after this time, in the process necessary to renew your Green Card, you need to file Form I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card.
USCIS has included the expiration date on the Green Card to protect citizens against counterfeiting.
As you must know, 10-year Green Card is permanent residents’ proof of their immigration status, and it needs to be renewed every ten years.
Conditional Green Card
Another Green Card type could have a 2-year validity, this kind 2 years Green Cards is called conditional Green Cards, and, in general, need to be converted to a 10-year Green Card.
In the second case, the necessary process is called removing conditions on residence.
There is often confusion between form I-90 and form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence.
Check now this important information about this:
- Form I-90 is not applicable if you are a Conditional Permanent Resident wishing to remove that condition.
- Form I-90 is also used for correction on the Permanent Resident Card, and Replacement if the card is lost or stolen
- Form I-751 is the specific application for those individuals with a 2-year conditional residence.
When should I renew my Green Card?
It is recommended to renew your Green Card before it expires, but if you miss renewing it on time, you don’t lose your permanent residency status.
Although your status is not changed, don’t let it expire, because renewing a Green Card has other benefits than just permanent residency status.
However, remind U.S. law determines you are always required to carry a valid Green Card.
This is important when you need to prove to the authorities about your immigration status is lawful.
Otherwise, you could have problems when getting employment, re-entering the U.S. after a period abroad, and other situations of emergency.
So, to avoid problems, you need to renew your Green Card if it will expire in the next 6 months.
Don’t forget just to renew if your card expires in the next 6 months or it is already expired.
The process to renew your Green Card
To renew your Green Card, you must file Form I-90. Immigration forms are complex and confusing and simple mistakes can prove to have bad consequences.
If you make a mistake the result can be a denial and you could lose the filing fee.
Our software can help you fill out this complicated form and avoid such mistakes.
Our services make your life much easier, we help a lot of people to successfully prepare their immigration forms.
If you are in the United States you may start the renewal process by filing Form I-90 with the USCIS.
How long does it take to renew your Green Card?
Currently, it takes about 7 to 11 months long to renew your Green Card.
If you would like to renew your Green Card contact Wizard Visa to help you in this complicated process.
Reasons for Green Card Renewal
If citizens with expired Green Cards fail to renew their documents, they may some difficulty when seeking employment, traveling abroad, and re-entry into the United States after vacations, for example.
Immigration law determines that a citizen with an expired Green Card must not travel abroad, before showing proof that a renewal application has been filed with USCIS.
Older Green Cards
Some older green cards that were issued between 1979 and 1988 do not have an expiration date.
In this case, permanent residents may replace their Green Card with a new version which now includes an expiration date.
The immigration law determines these old green cards to be replaced to provide security in the immigration process.
Renewals must be filed with form I-90 application and be filled with correct information.
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