United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that, effective September 10, 2024, the agency has automatically extended the validity of I-551 Permanent Resident or “Green” Cards to 36 months for lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who have filed applications to renew their cards on Form I-90, the Application to Replace a Permanent Resident Card.

LPRs who have filed a Form I-90 to renew an expiring or expired Green Card will now receive a 36-month extension and the card will continue to be valid for this period even though the expiration date on it has passed. The automatic extension period will begin on the day after the expiration date noted on the card. USCIS has updated the language on Form I-90 receipt notices to extend the validity of a Green Card for 36 months for individuals with a newly filed Form I-90. A Form I-90 receipt notice will now indicate a 36-month extension period; USCIS had previously allowed a 24-month extension of the validity of a Green Card under these circumstances.

The extension language on Form I-90 will read as follows: This notice, together with your Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (also known as the Green Card), provides evidence of your lawful permanent resident status for 36  months from the expiration date on the front of your Permanent Resident Card. You remain authorized to work and travel. This notice, presented with your expired Permanent Resident Card, is evidence of your status and work authorization.

Per USCIS, these I-90 receipt notices can be presented with an expired Green Card as evidence of continued permanent resident status. The increased extension period has been granted because of the longer processing times that now exist for I-90 applications and to reduce the difficulties caused to LPRs who have expired green cards and wish to accept new employment or travel overseas. An LPR in this position should present the original expired Green Card and the original I-90 form I-797 receipt notice in order to travel and accept employment.

The extended 36-month automatic validity period appears to apply only to LPRs who are seeking to renew expired or expiring Green Cards.  LPRs who have lost their Green Cards and need evidence of their permanent resident status while their replacement Green Card applications are pending may request an appointment at a USCIS field office by contacting the USCIS Contact Center. USCIS may then issue an Alien Documentation, Identification, and Telecommunications (ADIT) stamp on the LPR’s passport.