How to apply for a green card renewal online?

Normally, a permanent resident card (green card) is valid for ten years. On its expiration, you need to renew it by filing Form I-90, Application for green card replacement with the USCIS. If your green card has already expired, make sure you renew it at the earliest. Though you will not lose your permanent resident status if you do not renew it, per immigration laws, you need to carry evidence of your status (a valid, unexpired green card or temporary passport stamp). If you do not renew your expired / expiring card, you may experience difficulties in obtaining employment, benefits and on re-entry into the US from abroad. Always, apply for your new card before you travel and bring with you on any trip the temporary documentation you received. If, after traveling abroad, you try to re-enter the US with an expired card, you may experience a delay during the inspections process at the port of entry.

Process for online green card renewal:

Before efiling your form, check for eligibility information to see if e-Filing is the right filing option for you. Also check your system requirements. Also ensure you have all required information at hand before beginning the efiling process. Have your credit card, debit card, or bank account and number readily available to pay the filing fee if necessary.

While e-filing the application, you need not submit paper photographs and you don’t need to self-schedule an appointment at an Application Support Center for biometrics. USCIS will send a notice in the mail that will provide you with your USCIS-scheduled appointment for biometrics and taking photographs at an Application Support Center.

You should bring the biometrics appointment notice and photo identification to your biometrics appointment. Kinds of photo identification accepted are passport or national photo identification issued by your country or your driver’s license, or military photo identification, or a State-issued photo identification card. You should also bring all required initial evidence, including your prior green card OR other evidence of permanent residence or commuter status. Other documentation such as court ordered name change, marriage certificate, birth certificate, or a police report for a stolen or lost green card.

While efiling your application, ensure that your application has been successfully submitted to USCIS. If you receive a receipt number on the web confirmation page and your application no longer appears in the list of saved application in the “My Forms” screen, it means your application has been filed successfully. And also if you receive Form I-797, Notice of Action, through the mail within 10 days of e-Filing your application, it means your application was filed successfully. Your confirmation receipt number will be in the Form I-797.

If the “My forms” screen shows ‘pending’ or ‘action needed’, it means your application was not efiled successfully or there might a problem with your transaction. Also make note of the receipt number given on the confirmation page before clicking the ‘finish’ button so that you can have a PDF copy of your submitted application. Also remember to save your application and the confirmation receipt number. If you did not make note or print your receipt number, wait for approximately 10 days to receive your Form I-797, Notice of Action. The confirmation receipt number will be printed on your I-797.

Reasons Why you Need to Renew your Green Card

A permanent resident is the one who is granted authorization to live and work permanently in the United States. As a proof of the permanent resident status the individual is given an identification or an authorization card which is commonly called as Green Card.

A Green Card is said to be valid for ten years and must be renewed before the expiration date. Certain green cards will not have an expiration date. Although these green cards do not have an expiration date, the law requires all cards to be updated to the new version. The latest green cards have an expiration date and are required to be renewed every ten years as this will make the USCIS to improve the card with additional features like updating the photographs to avoid fraud.

If the Green Card is obtained through marriage to a US Citizen or a permanent resident, it is called as Conditional Green Card. The Conditional Green Card is valid for two years and must be renewed before the conditional resident status expires. To remove the conditions on the green card the form I 751 is used.

How to renew your green card

Permanent Residents whose Green Cards have already expired or will expire shortly must renew the green card. If one fails to renew the Green Card he may experience difficulties in employment, be barred from reentry into United States until a new card is obtained, restricted from other benefits, and is said to be as Out of Status. Although the person with an expired green card will not lose his permanent residence status, he is required by the law to hold a valid green card.

Reasons to Renew Green Card:

An individual must adopt the green card renewal process , if

• the green card was valid for 10 years and is expiring or has expired

• he/she has been a permanent resident of the United States and now taken up Commuter status;

• he/she has been in a Commuter status and now taking up residence in the U.S.;

• the status has been converted automatically to a permanent resident status;

• he/she has an old edition of the card;

Green Card Renewal process:

To renew the green card the form I90 ( Application to Replace/Renew Green Card) must be filed by the applicant. The completed applications must be sent to USCIS along with the supporting documents and relevant fees.

Every green card renewal application must be included with the required supporting documents such as,

• Photocopies of the front and back of the Expired or Expiring Green Card

• Personal Identification document such as a State Driver’s license card or a valid passport

Once the application for green card renewal has been received by the USCIS, they will check if all the required evidence provided are correct and complete. USCIS may then request for more information and might require the applicants to appear for an interview . If the Green Card Renewal application is approved, the new Green Card will be mailed to the applicant. If the application is denied, USICS will send in writing the reason for rejection of the application.

About Green card Renewal Form

Being a Green card holder (permanent resident card) is a proof of being officially granted immigration benefits to live and work in the United States legally. You can work and live in the US permanently.

Form I-90 for green card renewal :

Normally, a permanent resident card (green card) is valid for ten years. You need to go through the green card renewal process by filing Form I-90, Application for green card replacement with the USCIS. If your green card has already expired, make sure you renew your card at the earliest. Those renewing expired green cards will not be penalized. The same form is used when you want to change any biographic information on your card i.e if your name has changed because of marriage and also when you lose your card and need a green card replacement. Also, you will not lose your permanent resident status if you do not renew your green card. Permanent resident status does not expire.

However, per immigration laws, you need to carry evidence of your status (a valid, unexpired green card or temporary passport stamp). If you do not renew your expired / expiring card, you may experience difficulties in obtaining employment, benefits and re-entry into the US from abroad. Always, apply for your new green card before you travel and bring with you on any trip the temporary documentation you received. If, after traveling abroad, you try to re-enter the US with an expired green card, you may experience a delay during the inspections process at the port of entry,

Also, your employers will not accept an expired green card to verify employment authorization for new hires. You can use alternate documents that you will find on the Form I-9 (Employment eligibility verification form) such as social security card and driver’s license or have temporary evidence of status, such as an I-551 stamp or even the receipt notice for your Form I-90, Application to replace permanent resident card.

A conditional permanent resident is different from a permanent resident. A conditional resident will get a card that is valid only for two years. One has to remove the conditions during the 90 day period before the card expires and this card cannot be renewed. The conditions must be removed else you will lose your status. One has to file Form I-751 to remove the conditions on residence. Once conditions are removed, you will get a permanent resident card that will be valid for the next ten years.

Once you send completed I-90 application to the USCIS, you will to receive an Application Receipt Notice with a 13-character Application Receipt number within 30 days. This proves that USCIS has received your application and that it is being processed. You can check the status of your application with this receipt number. You also will be informed about the dates for fingerprinting and subsequently, your interview date with instructions related to the supporting documents you need to bring. The entire green card renewal process approximately takes three months.

Online Green card Renewal

Online Green Card renewal is one of the ways in which you can get your green card renewed. A green card signifies your lawful permanent status in the US. Though your status is permanent your card is valid only for 10 years and has to be renewed regularly. This is USCIS’s way of keeping information about lawful permanent residents updated.

Considering that the green card is the proof of your status in the US, it is mandatory that you carry it with you at all times. However, it has to be mentioned here that, most people prefer leaving it in a safe place to prevent theft and loss of the card. Keeping that in mind, it would be your best option to carry a photo copy of your green card with you at all times.

Not only do you need to have the green card with you at all times, you need to have a valid one. Which means that you should not be carrying an expired green card. The green cards come with an expiration date. Green card renewal has to become a part of your life in that you should remember to get the card renewed every time that there are only 6 more months left for the card to expire.

Application to renew green card

You will have to file the I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident card for a green card renewal. You should file this form when there are 6 months or less remaining for your card to expire. Even if your card has already expired you will have to file the I-90 to get it renewed. This is the same form that is used for green card replacement. The I-90 has to be completed and submitted to the USCIS along with some supporting documents. The I-90 can be mailed to the USCIS or filed online.

The I-90 can be accessed online. You will have to create an account on the USCIS website. You can then login and complete your application and submit it. You will then have to mail your supporting documents to the USCIS. After you have electronically filed your application for green card renewal, the USCIS will mail you a biometrics appointment notice. It may take several weeks before you can receive this notice. This notice will carry all the information regarding the time, date and location for the biometrics.

After you receive the notice, you will have to appear for the biometrics appointment at the specified Application Service Center with the notice and photo identification of yourself. The photo identification may be your passport, driver’s license, military or state-issued photo identification. You will be photographed and fingerprinted. An interview will be conducted if necessary. If all goes well your green card will be mailed to you. The whole green card renewal process could take up to 180 days on average.

Please note that not everyone is eligible to file online for green card renewal. A permanent resident can file this form online to replace a lost, stolen or destroyed card, to update biographic information on the card, to replace a mutilated card, to renew an expiring card, when changing status from resident commuter and taking up permanent residence in the US, when the status is automatically converted to that of permanent resident, and to replace an older edition of the card with the latest type.

A conditional resident cannot file for online green card renewal but can file online for the replacement of lost, stolen or destroyed green card, to replace a mutilated card, and to update changes in biographic information.

How Can I Renew my Green Card?

A Green Card is an evidence or an identification card given to the eligible people to live and work in United States as a permanent resident. The Green Card holders are granted many immigration benefits. The green card holder must maintain the permanent residence status and will be put in the removal proceedings if certain conditions of the his/her status are not met.

A Green Card is valid for ten years and it must be renewed before it expires. If the Green Card is obtained through marriage to a US Citizen or a permanent resident, by adjustment of the status using Form I-485 green card, it is called as Conditional Green Card which is valid for two years. This must be renewed before the conditional resident status expires.

Renew Green Card application:

Permanent Residents who are issued with a ten year valid Green Card must renew their card before it expires. All Green Cards will have an expiration date printed on the card. The card holders must renew it if it has already expired or 6 months before the expiration date . Some Green Cards will not have an expiration date due to an old version of the card. But now USCIS strongly recommends to renew the old version cards . If the Green Card is expired then the card is considered as Out of Status.

Green Card Renewal process:

Those people whose Green Cards have already expired or is expiring must adopt the Green Card renewal process. To renew the card a form I90 ( Application to Replace / Renew Green Card) must be filed by the applicant.

Once the application is completed , the applicant must send it to USCIS along with the supporting documents and relevant fees.

Supporting Documents:

The applicant must include the following evidences with his/her Green Card Renewal application.

1. Photocopies of the front and back of the Expired or Expiring Green Card.
2. Personal Identification document such as a State Driver’s license card or a valid passport.

Process:

After the USCIS receives the Green Card Renewal application, they will check if all the required evidence that the applicant provides are correct and complete. And on receipt of the application, USCIS will send a form I-797C (Application Receipt Notice to the applicant) to notify the applicant the application has been received.

USCIS will then request for more information and might request the applicants to appear for an interview with them. If the Green Card Renewal application is approved, the new Green Card will be mailed to the applicant. If the application is denied , USICS will send a notification letter to the applicant stating the reason for denial.

Travel during the application process:

If the applicant who wishes to travel during the Green Card Renewal process, he/she may have to get their passport stamped with I-551 at the local INS office to indicate that he/she has filed for a new card. The applicants will have to make an appointment with their local USCIS office using the Application Receipt Notice (form I-797C) and passport which acts as proof of having filed the I-90.

Renew Green card Using Form I-90

Green card is an essential document for a person to prove his permanent residence in the US. It is far more important that the green card one possesses is valid and is current. Whenever a green card is expired or not valid, it can very well be replaced by filing form I 90 which is the application to renew or replace the green card .

When and why to renew a green card:

Green card renewal is a process by which an expired green card is made a valid card so as to maintain the residency requirement in the US. The green card can be renewed by filing form I 90, Application to renew the green card. This form is also used by the conditional permanent resident to apply for the replacement of the existing green card.
The reasons for applying for green card renewal are listed below,
- if the previous card that was issued was lost, mutilated/destroyed/partially destroyed or stolen
- if you never received the green card that you applied for
- if the present card has incorrect information or data because of an error on the part of the USCIS.

In case of a green card renewal for any one the above reasons, a copy of the government issued form of identification with all the necessary personal information like the name, date of birth, passport, photograph has to be submitted.

Apart from the above reasons, one can apply for a green card replacement
- if the name or any biographic information has been changed legally after the green card has been issued
- if the existing green card has already expired or will expire in six months
- if you are a permanent resident and are taking up commuter status.
- if you are a commuter and taking up actual residence in the United States
- if you have been converted to permanent resident status automatically
- if you have the old edition of green card and you are applying for the replacement apart from the reasons specified above.

In case of children,
- if the child has reached his or her 14th birthday and the existing card will not expire before his or her 16th birthday.
- if the child has reached the 14th birthday and the existing card will expire before his/her 16th birthday

In case of Conditional Permanent residents, they can apply for green card renewal for the following reasons,
- if your card is lost /stolen or destroyed or mutilated
- if your card was issued and you never received it
- if the card has wrong information due to USCIS error
- if the name or any biographic information has been changed legally after the green card has been issued

All the required documents with the relevant fees should be submitted along with the application. On approval the permanent resident card will be mailed. If required, originals of certain certificates will be required for verification and later will be returned. Failure to renew the green card will leave your status at risk and might lead to deportation. In case of falsifying or concealing any kind of material fact, you will loose your immigration benefits.