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 a renewal, to avoid trouble with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Applying for a Green Card renewal is different from applying for LPR status as a new prospective resident. Going through the process without guidance from a knowledgeable Green Card attorney could entail dealing with processing delays or even losing your lawful status. If you need to renew, update, or replace your permit for any reason, an Oak Brook Green Card renewal lawyer’s assistance could be vital to doing so effectively and efficiently.
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. If someone changes his or her legal name, resident status, or other components that makes the information on an existing Green Card incorrect, he or she must apply for an updated permit.
Current Green Card holders can apply for renewal or replacement of their permit by filing Form I-90 either online or through the mail. Most petitioners must also pay filing fees, although USCIS may waive these costs for qualifying applicants. Some immigrants might need to appear for biometrics screening and an interview with USCIS personnel.
Green Card renewals can take up to 12 months even if the applicant does everything correctly, and procedural errors or omissions of important documentation can drag the process out even longer. Guidance from a seasoned Oak Brook attorney could be crucial to ensuring these types of mistakes do not negatively impact the green card renewal process.
People who hold Conditional Green Cards can apply to replace a permit that has been lost, stolen, destroyed, or mutilated. He or she can also apply for a new Green Card if his or her existing one contains incorrect information, or if he or she never received a Card previously issued to them. However, Conditional residents cannot apply for renewal once their status expires.
Instead, an individual would generally need to file either Form I-751 or Form I-829 to seek the removal of their conditions on their lawful resident status, depending on whether he or she obtained that status through marriage or a qualifying financial investment. A seasoned Oak Brook lawyer could help someone with a conditional green card determine the best way to renew or replace his or her valuable protection.
There are numerous situations where getting a replacement or renewed Green Card might be necessary, each of which may require a slightly different approach. Without help from a legal professional who has experience addressing issues like this in the past, you may have significant trouble achieving a positive case resolution.
A conversation with an Oak Brook Green Card renewal lawyer could offer clarity about next steps and put you on track towards a successful petition. Contact our dedicated team today to learn more.
