IMMIGRATION HELP PHILADELPHIA
Green Card Renewal
Permanent resident card is issued for 10 years and during that time immigrants are encouraged to apply for a U.S. Citizenship, however than can be several reasons why some immigrants decide to remain permanent residents to the point when their green card will expire.
Some residents English may not be the best or they may have other health related reasons why they do not apply for citizenship. In either case the green card should be kept current for travel reasons and to present to authorities when required (example: during renewal of a driver's license). If you have a green card that is about to expire, we can help you renew it. If your green card has already or expired or if it is going to expire within the next 6 months, it is time for you to start the renewal process with the USCIS. To renew your green card, you have two options: file the document online, or print the document, fill it out by hand, and then mail them in. Regardless of the method, the form that needs to be filled is called the I-90. It is important that you don’t leave the United States with an expired green card because this can make the renewal process more difficult. If you are outside of the US and your green card will expire within 6 months but you will return to the US within one year of your departure date and before the green card actually expires, then you can just start the renewal process when you get back into the United States. It’s best to always be on the safe side, if possible, and not leave the United States if you know your green card has expired or is going to expire soon. Once the documents for your green card renewal are filed, you will be able to track the progress online. If for some reason your application is denied, you will receive a letter explaining to you why they denied your request. While you cannot technically appeal the denial, as in you can’t appeal it and have it heard by an office in a higher position than the office that made the decision, you can submit a motion to reopen or a motion to reconsider. These motions are basically asking the office that made the original decision to reconsider the decision. A motion to reopen can only be submitted if you include any and all new facts that you would provide to them if they decided to reopen the application. A motion to reconsider is a bit different. The motion to reconsider is only submitted when it can be established that your application was denied because the office incorrectly applied a law or immigration policy. Further, you would need to show that the application was incorrectly denied based on the information you submitted originally. You cannot submit new information with the motion to reconsider. Any evidence submitted that was originally in a language other than English must be fully translated, and the translator must sign a certification signifying that the translation of the document is complete and accurate.
Once your application to renew your green card is submitted, you should receive a notice from USCIS two or three weeks after the I-90 was filed that they received the application. After that, you will then receive an appointment notice for biometrics, which you had to do to obtain your green card in the first place. After this appointment is finished and your application is accepted, you will receive your new green card in the mail. This can be a long and trying process. Any small mistake on the paperwork can delay the renewal of your green card substantially. We are here to help you with the process the whole way through, until you successfully receive your new green card. |
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