A green card is issued once you become a lawful permanent resident of the United States. Typically, this card, once issued, is valid for 10 years. It recommended that you file a renewal 6 months prior to the expiration date of your current green card. Should your green card become lost, stolen, or damaged, it is recommended to apply for a replacement. Once granted lawful permanency resident status, one must carry the green card on their person as proof of residency. [INA Section 264(e); INA Section 264(d); AFM 51.1].
A green card renewal is applied through via the submission of an application called a Form I-90 (I-90), Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. The I-90 must be accompanied by supporting documentation along with the appropriate filing fees required by USCIS. Once completed, the I-90 may be submitted electronically or printed and physically mailed to USCIS. Please note that a biometrics appointment is also required to renew or replace your green card. At the biometrics appointment, your fingerprints will be taken for a background check. Even if you already had biometrics taken previously, you will have to repeat this process for this application.
Please note that the filing fee may differ depending the reason for replacement. For a typical replacement due to expiration of your current card, the filing fee is be $455.00 for the application and an additional $85.00 for the biometrics fee, for a total of $540.00. You may check the correct filing fee for your application by visiting the following site: https://www.uscis.gov/feecalculator.
After the I-90 is submitted for processing, you will await the issuance of the USCIS receipt notice for your application. The normal processing times for an issuance of the receipt notice is between 2-4 weeks. The receipt notice has your receipt number that you may use as reference to check on the status of your application through the USCIS Case Status Center. [https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do]
Following receipt of your application, you will also receive a notice of biometrics appointment. Please take careful notice of the date and time of your appointment as attendance of this appointment is crucial in order to prevent any unnecessary delays in your application. You are required to bring all necessary documents as well as a valid photo I.D. to the appointment.
Currently, according to USCIS, the normal processing time for the I-90 is 21 months. All applications are processed in the order that they are received by USCIS. Inquires for delayed processing of the I-90, are only accepted when they are well outside the normal processing times. However, we recommend making an inquiry as soon as the 21-month period has ended, should your application still remain pending.
To prevent any additional delays or possibly a denial, it is important that you send all of your supporting documents with your initial application. As such, it is recommended that you consult with an immigration attorney to assist you with this process. Please contact Seri Han at shan@bhlfirm.com or (201) 880-9374 for more information.