New Jersey Immigration Attorney Discusses Options for an Expiring Green Card
As a proficient New Jersey Immigration Attorney, I often get questions from clients regarding what to do when your green card is about to expire. 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.
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Sometimes people have a 10-year Green Card, and prior to the 10 years, it will expire. A person’s options are either to file the N-400 and file for citizenship, which will get rid of the green card completely. The other option is to file the Form I-90, which will 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, go to the immigration office and schedule an Infopass appointment. 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.
The second option is when you have a conditional green card which expires in two years; they must file a form in order to convert their conditional Green Card into a 10-year card using petition I-751.
The third option is N-400, filing for citizenship.
In summary, if your Green Card is about to expire very soon, your three options are:
- 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.
- File N-400 to become a US citizen, and then you will never have to worry about your Green Card expiring again.
Is your Green Card about to expire and you are unsure what to do? Contact our experienced New Jersey Immigration Attorney for guidance.
This educational blog was brought to you by Susan Scheer, an experienced New Jersey Immigration Attorney.
