GREEN CARD RENEWALS
Green Card Renewal Processing
If you are a lawful Permanent resident/Green Card Holder, the Law Office of Brian T. O’Neill, PC
can assist clients through the renewal process.
Green Cards are valid for up to 10 years. Although green cards have expiration dates, the
permanent residency status of the person never expires. Once a person has been granted
Permanent Residency status, such cannot be removed unless the green card holder voluntarily
gives it up or acts in a way that is contrary to the purpose of the green card. It is important to
keep the card up to date and could affect your ability to travel or to prove your ability to work
in the USA.
In order to keep the card updated, when should a Green Card Renewal be filed?
- You must file a green card renewal application if you are a Lawful Permanent resident
and the card will expire within the next 6 months. A green card renewal cannot be filed
more than 6 months in advance. - You must immediately file the green card renewal application if you are a Lawful
permanent and the card has expired. - You should file a green card renewal application if you are a Lawful Permanent Resident
who has an older version of the green card (the older version has no expiration dates
printed thereon). Although not required to renew the older versions of the card, the
USCIS strongly recommends renewal and will request a renewal when returning to the
USA after foreign travel.
When should a green card replacement application 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 the green card replacement process if:
- Your card was lost of stolen
- Your card was mutilated or destroyed
- Your card has a mistake listed on the card (i.e. name misspelled)
- Your card was never received
- Your name has changed due to marriage, divorce or any other reason
- You just turned 14 years old and the law required a legal card replacement
What if I am a Conditional Permanent Resident?
If your green card is valid for only 2 years, you are a conditional permanent resident.
Conditional residents are required to file to remove the conditional residency within 90 days of
the card expiration.
If the conditional residency is based on marriage or investor classification, separate types of
filing forms are required.
Call the Law office of Brian T. O’Neill at 617-722-4000 or contact us online. We will gladly answer your questions or schedule a consultation.
