If you have applied for citizenship, in most cases you must apply to renew your expiring Green Card even if you have applied for naturalization. This is because the naturalization process can take several months or even years to complete. And having a valid Green Card is crucial for maintaining your legal resident status during this period. The Green Card serves as proof of your lawful permanent residency and is required for various purposes. These can include employment verification, re-entry into the United States after traveling abroad, and obtaining certain benefits.
Therefore, to avoid any potential legal issues or disruptions in your residency status, it is important to ensure that your Green Card remains valid while you await the processing of your citizenship application.
Obtaining a Green Card is essential to residing legally in the United States. With relatively few exceptions, all Green Cards have expiration dates. Anyone with Legal Permanent Resident status who has not become a citizen or terminated his or her U.S. residence by that date must apply for Green Card renewal to avoid trouble with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Current U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy says that any person whose Green Card is currently expired or set to expire within six months must apply for renewal. Anyone who loses an unexpired Green Card or whose permit suffers severe damage must also go through this process. Suppose someone changes his or her legal name, resident status, or other components that make the information on an existing Green Card incorrect. In that case, he or she must apply for an updated permit.
The immigration attorneys at Godoy Law Office work with you to renew your Green Card and guide you in your journey to becoming a U.S. citizen. If you need help with an immigration issue, please contact our office at 630-630-345-4164.
We help clients in all 50 states.
Immigration Attorney Mario Godoy has years of experience guiding clients with immigration issues through the immigration process along with guiding clients through the criminal case. Godoy focuses on family-based immigration law, business immigration law, removal defense, and criminal defense representation of immigrants. A criminal charge or conviction can be devastating to your immigration case. With over a decade of immigration law experience and memories of family members who were deported due to bad legal advice, Godoy is committed to helping other immigrant families receive the legal justice they deserve. As a legal entrepreneur who practices immigration law, criminal law, estate and probate law, and running two successful law firms, Mario Godoy understands the importance of keeping families together and making a home and future in America.
