What to Do When Your Green Card Expires

Having a green card can bring many freedoms, but you should always know when your green card will expire. If you have an expired 10-year green card, you may have problems getting jobs, housing, a driver’s license, and public benefits. If your 2-year green card expires, your permanent residence status does end upon expiration, and you risk deportation. Thus, you must take steps to renew or replace your card when necessary.

American Immigration Law Group can help expedite renewing or replacing your green card. Don’t waste time by missing an essential step. Call us today at 314-416-8000 or contact us online for a case consultation.

When Do Green Cards Expire?

You may be wondering: when does a green card expire? The answer depends on what type of residence you have.

If you’re a conditional permanent resident (CPR), your green card expires after two years. If you’re unsure of which type you have, check for the “CR1” designation on your permanent resident card. If it is present, then you have a two-year CPR green card.

You may also have a 10-year permanent resident card that extends your residency period.

What Happens if My Green Card Is Expired?

If you have a 10-year green card, your permanent residency status does not end immediately upon your card’s expiration. However, you can face other challenges without a current green card. It may be difficult to obtain a job, housing, financial aid, public assistance, a driver’s license, and more.

If you have a two-year permanent residence card, your residency status ends when the card expires. You will face deportation. So, yes, you can be deported for an expired green card if you only have a two-year permanent residence status.

Attempting to travel with an expired green card is risky — if you try to leave the country or travel on an airline with an expired card, it may be difficult or impossible to return to the United States.

Renewing or Replacing Your Expired Green Card

It’s important to renew or replace your expired or soon-to-be-expired green card at the appropriate time and with the necessary steps of the process. If you make any mistakes, you may risk being deported or extending the time it takes to get a new green card.

When Do You Need to Renew?

If you have a two-year CPR card, you should file a Form I-751 no sooner than 90 days before the expiration date of your green card.

If you have a 10-year permanent resident card that has expired or will expire within six months, you should use Form I-90 to renew your green card. You can check your expiration date on the front of your ID card where it says, “Card Expires.”

Do not apply for renewal too early. If you do, then U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may deny your application and keep your fee payment.

When Do You Need to Replace a Green Card?

You need to replace your permanent resident card in the following situations:

• Any information on it has changed
• Your card is lost
• Your card is stolen
• Your card is damaged
• Your card was issued before you turned 14, and you pass 14 years old

The process to replace your card is the same as the process to renew it.

Filing to Renew/Replace Your Expired Card

To renew or replace your expired green card, you need to file a Form I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. You can mail the form or e-file it on the USCIS website.

If you are outside of the United States and your green card will expire within six months but you will return before then, you should file for renewal as soon as you return to the United States.

If you are outside the U.S. and your green card expires, you should contact the nearest U.S. consulate, international USCIS field office, or U.S. port of entry (POE) before filing for renewal.

Required Documents and Fees

You will also need to gather and provide supporting documents, including:

• A copy of your expired or soon-to-expired green card
• A government-issued identification that contains your name, date of birth, photograph, and signature (such as a driver’s license, state ID, or passport)

There is a fee to renew or replace your green card. The current cost to renew a green card is $540, which includes the filing fee and a biometrics fee (for your fingerprints, photo, and signature). You may apply for a fee waiver, which requires you to file for renewal via mail.

If you file to renew or replace your card online, you can pay your fee electronically with a credit card on the pay.gov website. If you file by mail, you can use a money order, personal check, or cashier’s check made out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security” or with a credit card using Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions).

What to Expect After Applying

It can take between 1.5 and 12 months for your green card renewal or replacement application to be processed. You can check case processing times on the USCIS website.

If you need a new green card sooner than it can be processed, USCIS may provide you with an Alien Documentation, Identification & Telecommunications (ADIT) stamp to prove your status. This may apply if you need to prove lawful permanent residence status for a new job or if you’ve applied for naturalization at least six months before your green card expires.

After you apply for renewal of your green card, you will receive an acceptance notification via mail. It will include a 13-character receipt number that allows you to check the status of your renewal application via the USCIS website.

You will also receive a biometrics notification within one to two weeks. This notice will give you a scheduled date for your biometrics appointment to get fingerprints, a photo, and your signature.

Once those steps are complete, you will wait for a response from USCIS. You may need to take additional steps if there is a problem, or you will receive your green card within several months.

Contact American Immigration Law Group for Green Card Renewal or Replacement

While you won’t likely encounter a problem with the green card renewal or replacement process, there are situations where USCIS will deny applications. If that happens, you need to contact an immigration attorney right away. American Immigration Law Group has helped many people through the green card process, including filing motions for reconsideration after a denial.

Contact our experienced immigration lawyers today at 314-416-8000 or use our online contact form to schedule a consultation.