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.