You are allowed to travel abroad even if your Green Card renewal application is pending. When you file the Green Card Renewal Form I-90, the USCIS will verify your application and once verified the USCIS will attach a sticker to your expiring or expired Green Card to extend its validity. The Green Card with a sticker serves as a proof of your lawful permanent resident status until you get a renewed Green Card valid for ten years. The Green Card with the sticker represent that you had applied for Green Card renewal. The sticker on your card is sufficient to establish that you are a permanent resident of the United States. While you are outside the United States remember that you may not be able to file USCIS Forms I-90, if your Green Card expired. You can contact the nearest US Consulate before filing Form I-90. It is recommended that you file a Green Card renewal application before leaving the country if you discover that your Green Card is about to expire.

Green Cards are valid only for ten years, Therefore, those cards must be renewed before the expiration date. It is important to hold a valid permanent resident card because it is the one that proves your legal resident status in the country. If you have filed Form I-90, for Green Card renewal/ Renovación De Green Card, you can travel abroad and return to the United States with the temporary stamp on your Card. The stamp is valid only for one year. While you can re-enter the United States with an expired Green Card, however, you will have to bear a long waiting times at the US port of entry, during the inspection process. To avoid such delays it is better to file an application to renew your Green Card before leaving the country so that, at the US port of entry inspection booth you carry the temporary documentation you received while applying for Green Card renewal.

If you travel without applying for green card renewal, you must prepare a valid reason why you let your Green Card expired, proper identity documents and you must convince the immigration officer. Generally the USCIS process the Green Card renewal and approve the applications within five months from the date of your application.

After your travel, to prove that you are eligible to re-enter in the country, you are required to present your Green Card with a sticker at the US port of entry along with other identity credentials such as foreign national identification card, US Driver’s License, etc. Consequently, you can travel while your Green Card renewal application is pending.

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Green Card Renewal is a must for all Green Card holders to have an updated card with all the latest security features. Failing to do so will not affect their permanent resident status in any way but will cause trouble during any international travels or in finding an employment. Even those who are on the green cards which do not have an expiration date, green card renewal is a must. For this purpose Form I-90 is used.

When to file in for a Green Card Renewal?

Green Card holders need not wait till the exact date of expiration of their card to submit their I90.
If their card is about to expire within the next six months, they can go in for a green card renewal. In case they are outside the US with a green card that is about to expire and they will return back to the US before the expiry of the card, then they can file in their I-90 as soon as they are back in the country. However when the Green card holder is outside the US and hi/her green card has already expired, then the only option available to them is to get the guidance of the US Embassy in that country and proceed further as per their instructions.

Does the USCIS Green Card renewal hold good for Conditional residents?

Conditional green cards are valid only for 2 yrs and this cannot be renewed just like a normal Green card. The conditional resident should file in Form I-751 in order to remove the conditions and become a permanent resident. They must submit this form before 90 days of the expiry of the card.

Similarly persons who have obtained a Green card by entrepreneurship in the US cannot go in for a green card renewal but file in Form I-829, 90 days prior to the expiration of their card, to remove the conditions.

Filing Fee

The filing fee varies from a permanent resident and a conditional resident. It is totally $450 ($365 +$85 – application + biometric fee) for green card renewal for normal green cards. For conditional residents it is totally $590 ($505 +$85) and for those who need to file in I-829, it is $3835 totally ($3750 + $85)

How to go about the Green card renewal process?
The process of green card renewal involves the following steps

• Filing in Form I -90 with the USCIS – Both E-filing and filing through mail are available.
(All mail based forms should be sent to the USCIS lockbox facility at Phoenix.)
• Including all the necessary proof of name change, biographic information change if the green card renewal is based on either of these.
• Attaching a copy of the previous version of the permanent resident card if sending the I-90 by mail.
• Attaching Form I-797(Notice of Action) in case the applicant is filing in I-90 when he/she did not receive the issued card.
• Attaching the correct filing fee in the form of check to the Department of Homeland Security.
• Attaching Form G-1145 if the applicant wishes to receive an email or a text message notification of the acceptance of the I-90 by the USCIS.

The online filing is simple and all that an applicant needs here is a computer and a reliable internet connection. Once the applicant clicks on the E-filing Form I90 tab on the USCIS webpage, the online filing of green card renewal instructions process begins. Once finished with the application, the site will issue a confirmation receipt notice which should be saved carefully. The supporting documents for proof should be mailed separately to the Nebraska Service Center. The USCIS will not the process the online application until it receives the necessary evidence from the applicant.

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Green Card Renewal   In order to renew and replace a Green Card same application form needs to be filed. It is the prime responsibility of every Lawful Permanent Resident to make sure that he or she possesses a valid Green Card. Green Cards that have been issued between 1979 and 1989 do not have expiration dates. All Green Cards issued after 1989 are valid only for ten years. Note: Previous versions of the Green Card had no expiration date. People who are in possession of these cards should go in for Green Card renewal so that it is valid for ten years. Applications for Green Card renewal needs to be filed as much as 6 months prior to the expiration of the card. Applications filed earlier than the 6 months will be rejected. Applications that are received after the expiration of the Green Card will not come under any penalization Green Card renewal allows a lawful permanent resident to maintain current documentation of his/her valid status. Conditional Green Card There are instances wherein some Green Card applicants are granted permanent residency only on a conditional basis. Such types of cards are known as Conditional Green Cards. They are issued to applicants who have applied for the status of a permanent residence purely based on marriage to a person who is already a US citizen or through entrepreneurial investment. They are valid for 2 years only. Conditional residents enjoy the right to be a US resident for a temporary period of time only. There have been numerous fraudulent cases wherein some people marry a US citizen or make a fake business investment in the US solely for the purpose of getting a Green Card. After the 2 year conditional period of residency, conditional residents must be able to demonstrate with sufficient proof that their marriage or business investment remains valid even after the 2 years. This process is termed as removing the conditions on residence. Once the conditions on residence are removed, the applicant is issued a permanent resident card that is valid for 10 years. The permanent resident status does not expire, but the card does and it has to be renewed every 10 years to keep it current and valid. Can Conditional Green Cards be Renewed? Like GreenCard renewal, there is nothing like renewal of conditional Green Cards. Unless a person has applied to remove the residency conditions on the card, the status of that conditional resident also expires. An application to remove the conditions on residency should be filed within the 90 days before the expiration of conditional Green Card. If the card is already past the expiration date, then an application should be filed immediately to remove the conditions. An explanation indicating the reasons for the delayed filing should also be included. Detailed instructions regarding the procedure to remove conditions on conditional residency can be found at http://www.immigrationdirect.com/greencard/Form-I-751-Remove-Conditions-Residence-Greencard.jsp Note: Conditional residents do not have any means to renew their Green Card like the Green card renewal process for permanent residents. They can only file an application to remove the conditions on their card. Failing to apply for removing the conditions on residency will lead to the termination of the legal status of a conditional resident.   Source: Green Card Renewal and Conditional Green Card

SOURCE: Immigration Direct

Green Card Renewal Form I-90 Green Card Renewal is an important process for Lawful Permanent Residents. Once a Green Card has been issued, Lawful Permanent Residents do not need to do anything else to extend or ensure their status in the U.S. However, the current green cards are valid for a period of 10 years only. Even though a Green Card has an expiration date, the Permanent Resident status of a person never expires. Once a person has been given Permanent Resident status, it is never taken away unless the person voluntarily gives it up or acts in a way that is contrary to the purpose of a greencard. The Green Card itself is simply official documentation of the status, much like an identification card. Therefore, it is important to keep your card up-to-date. Having an expired Green Card may make it difficult for you to prove that you are a permanent resident, and this could also affect your ability to travel or to prove your eligibility to work in the United States. In order to keep your card updated, greencard holders need to enter the Green Card Renewal process by filing Form I-90. When should a Green Card Renewal application (Form I-90) be filed? * You must file a Green Card Renewal application if you are a Lawful Permanent Resident your card will expire within the next six months. A Green Card renewal application (Form I90) cannot be made more than six months in advance. * You must immediately file a Green Card Renewal application if you are a Lawful Permanent Resident and your card has expired. * You should file a Green Card Renewal application if you are a Lawful Permanent Resident who has an older version Green Card. These cards have no expiration dates. Though you are not required by the USCIS to renew the older card versions, the USCIS strongly recommends you apply to renew your Green Card. When should a Green Card Replacement application (Form I-90) be filed? There are times when a Lawful Permanent Resident needs to request a Green Card Replacement before the current card expires. You should go through a Green Card Replacement process if: * Your card was has lost or stolen. Lost or stolen greencards should be replaced immediately by filing Form I90. * Your card was mutilated or destroyed. A Green Card replacement can be requested by filing Form I90. * Your card has a mistake on it. For example, you received a greencard and the name was misspelled, than you should immediately file for a green card replacement (Form I90) to have the mistake corrected. * Your card was never received. A Green Card replacement can be requested again by filing Form I90. * Your name has changed. If your name has changed due to marriage, divorce or for any other reason, a Green Card replacement can be requested again by filing Form I90. * You just turned 14 years old. If you became a permanent resident before you were 14 years old, you are required to replace your card when you become 14 years old. What if I am a Conditional Permanent Resident? If your greencard is valid for only 2 years, you are a conditional permanent resident. Do not use Form I-90 if you are a conditional resident and your status is expiring. Conditional permanent residents are required to file a petition to remove those conditions within 90 days of their card expiring. If your conditional status was based on a marriage, you must file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. If your conditional status was based on being an investor, you must file Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status. Once your petition is approved, you will be sent a new greencard valid for 10 years. At that point, the GreenCard Renewal or Green Card Replacement process involves the use of Form I90.

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