United States: USCIS Increases Green Card Validity Extension for Renewal Applicants

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that effective September 26, 2022, the agency has increased the automatic green card validity extension granted to green card renewal applicants to 24 months, up from 12 months under the prior policy. Lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who properly file Form I-90 applications to renew their green cards will now receive application receipt notices granting 24-month extensions of their expiring or expired green cards. USCIS began issuing these notices on September 26, including issuance of amended receipt notices for green card renewal applications that were already pending on that date and had received a 12-month extension under the prior policy. 

In today’s announcement, USCIS states that I-90 receipt notices issued with the new 24-month extension policy may be presented with an expired green card as evidence of continued LPR status. USCIS is expected to update its M-274 Handbook for Employers to reflect the change for purposes of Form I-9 employment eligibility verification.