US Reveals New Requirement for 2-Year Green Card Holders, Shares Residency Deadline
The US government has sent a crucial reminder to foreigners with a two-year Green Card, warning that failure to act by a certain deadline might result in them losing their permanent resident status entirely.
According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), conditional permanent residents cannot renew their two-year Green Cards in the same way as ordinary cardholders can.
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Instead, individuals must file a separate petition to remove the constraints associated with their resident status.
US 90-Day filing deadline
The petition must be filed within the 90 days prior to the Green Card’s expiration date, according to USCIS.
If the person misses this time, they run the risk of losing their permanent resident status completely—a consequence that the agency clearly outlines.
The method used to get the conditional residency determines the kind of petition needed.
Form I-751, the Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, must be filed by those who obtained their status through a family-based process.
Form I-829, the Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions, must be submitted by those who entered as investors or entrepreneurs.
How to calculate filing date
To help conditional residents avoid missing the deadline, USCIS offers a Filing Calculator on its official website, which allows users to enter their card’s expiry date and determine when the 90-day period begins.
The agency’s guideline applies to a large number of immigrants in the United States, notably those who got Green Cards through marriage to a US citizen and have been on conditional status for two years.
The absence of conditions transforms that temporary status into complete, unconditional permanent residency.
This regulation is especially important for Nigerians and other Africans in the United States who are navigating the immigration process, given the increased number of people from the Japa wave who have secured or are pursuing family-based or investor-based residency options.
Meanwhile, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services has released the whole list of criteria under which lawful permanent residents must replace their Green Cards.