Expiring Green Card
When your green card is about to expire, you may be feeling some panic. If you are concerned about your expiring green card, you should speak to our New Jersey Immigration Attorneys to safeguard you through this legal process.
Many times, people come to my office in a panic. “My green card’s about to expire!” It could be in six months, three months, 30 days, two weeks, it expired last week. I’ve seen all of it. When people ask me that question, “My green card’s about to expire. What are my options?” I have a few different answers depending on the scenario.
10-Year Green Card
Sometimes people have a 10-year green card, and prior to the 10 years, it will expire. They have to figure out what to do. Basically, their options are either file the N-400 and file for citizenship; then they won’t have to worry about a green card anymore or file the Form I-90, which is to replace or renew a green card. That takes many months for the form to go through and to get a replacement green card.
If you need to travel, I would recommend that you go to the immigration office and schedule an InfoPass appointment. They can see in their system that you are a green card holder and you have filed your I-90 and gone for your fingerprints. They will give you a stamp in your passport, a green card stamp, an I-551 stamp, so that you will be able to travel. There’s no need to panic for that.
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2-Year Green Card
Sometimes people come to my office, and they have a two-year green card. It’s called a conditional green card, and it does expire prior to two years. Someone must file a form in order to convert their green card, the conditional green card, from a two-year card to a 10-year card. That’s called Form I-751. Actually, it’s a petition. There are many requirements that go with that form; however, that’s another option. If you have the conditional card, you would file the I-751.
Then, as I mentioned, the third option is N-400, filing for citizenship. The three options, if your green card’s about to expire, depending on your particular circumstances, would be file Form I-90 to get a renewal or a replacement green card, file the I-751 petition to convert your status from a two-year card to a 10-year card with your supporting documents, or file N-400 to become a US citizen. Then you never have to worry about your expiring green card again.
If you need assistance with your expiring green card, please contact my New Jersey immigration office as soon as possible.