INS Makes Green Card Renewal Available at Local Application Support Centers

IMMIGRATION LAW & POLICY

Obtaining Lawful Permanent Residence Status

INS MAKES GREEN CARD RENEWAL AVAILABLE AT LOCAL APPLICATION SUPPORT CENTERS
Immigrants’ Rights Update, Vol. 14, No. 4, July 26, 2000

The Immigration and Naturalization Service has announced that, effective June 20, 2000, lawful permanent residents who need to renew expiring Form I-551 Alien Registration Receipt Cards (commonly known as "green cards") may apply in person at local application support centers (ASCs). This one-stop, walk-in service is available only to LPRs whose green cards were issued with a 10-year expiration date and whose cards are either now expired or will expire within 6 months.

Generally LPRs who need a new green card must apply in person at an INS district office or sub-office. The agency decided to allow renewal applications to be made at ASCs in anticipation of the increased demand for the service due to pending expirations of certain I-551 green cards. The INS began issuing these cards with a 10-year expiration date in 1989. Individuals who hold I-551 cards issued between 1979 and 1988 do not need to renew them at this time because those cards do not contain an expiration date.

There are more than 120 ASCs throughout the country. Individuals may call the INS customer service center toll-free line at 800-375-5283 to find out how and where to apply. However, three ASCs—the Wilshire, Buena Park, and Fairfax locations in Los Angeles—will not accept green card renewal applications. In addition, the ASCs at Laredo, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Jackson, Mississippi; Nashville, Tennessee; Salisbury, Maryland; Houlton, Maine; and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, have all designated other offices where applications will be accepted. Also, the ASCs in New York, New York, require that appointments be made in advance. To schedule them, individuals should call the above toll-free number.

The Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Form I-90) may be obtained by calling the INS forms request line at 800-870-3676 or from the INS web site at www.ins.usdoj.gov. Applicants should take the following items to the ASC: (1) the completed form, along with a check or money order for the $110 application fee, (2) their expired or expiring green card, (3) photocopies of the front and back of the card, (4) two color photographs meeting the specifications in the I-90 instructions, and (5) personal identification (a state driver’s license or identification card, or a passport). Individuals who cannot afford to pay the fee may apply for a waiver. Applicants who have legally changed their name must bring documentation of the change, such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order. Applicants who were under 14 years old when they received their expired/expiring green card and who are now over 14 must be fingerprinted at the ASC and must pay the fingerprinting fee.

At the ASC, the application package will be reviewed for completeness and accuracy. If all the information is complete and correct, the INS will affix to the expiring/expired green card a sticker that will constitute temporary proof of LPR status. It will have two hole-punches indicating the month and year that the temporary proof will expire. The INS will send the new green card, valid for 10 years, in the mail. According to the INS, it currently takes the agency about 5 months to mail new green cards.