Travel with Expired Green Card
February 29th, 2012 by SRW Lawyers
Beginning in 1989, the U.S. government began issuing Permanent Resident Cards (Form I-551) with a 10-year validity period. Although U.S. permanent residence status is not affected by the expiration of a 10-year green card, individuals need to file for a replacement card to have evidence of their immigration status for employment and travel purposes.
Individuals must file an I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card if their green card has expired or will expire within the next 6-months. An issue arises when an individual who has a pending I-90 application, his/her green card has expired, and the individual has a need to travel outside the U.S.
When an individual files an I-90 application, he/she will need to attend a biometrics appointment for fingerprinting and photographs. In the situation above, in order to facilitate travel an individual may request an “extension sticker” on his/her green card at the biometrics appointment. This sticker will extend the validity of the individual’s green card for a 6-month period. AILA/USCIS Chicago Liaison, AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 12022837 (Posted 2/28/12).
