| Jun 15, 2021 | Empire Immigration Law Blog, Green Card
Have you applied for citizenship and have questions about green cards? Check out these 3 green card questions that are often asked. Call us
1. What Should I Do if My Green Card is About to Expire?
We represent a lot of permanent residents and they often ask, “What happens if my green card is about to expire?” The answer to this question really depends. It depends on if you’re a conditional resident or if you’re a lawful permanent resident. The reason why is because there’s a different process for each.
Conditional residents’ green cards are only good for two years. They have to file a form called I-751— the Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. This is a little more complicated process. For lawful permanent residents, the ones that have the ten-year green card status, they must file the I-90— the Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. The process is a little easier for lawful permanent residents that are applying for their ten-year green card.
2. What is the Green Card Lottery Process?
We received a phone call from a potential client who was already here in the United States and looking for ways to remain here in the United States. One of the questions he had was, “What is the green card lottery process?”
The green card lottery process, first of all, is an extremely limited way to come to the United States. This is only available to people from countries with low immigration rates into the United States. This is available to people who have a minimum of a high school education or have two years of experience in certain professions. Also, you need to know that if you have certain criminal or immigration violations, this may not be available to you.
3. What is conditional permanent residence?
A question that comes up a lot is what is the difference between a green card and naturalization? Naturalization is the process whereby somebody becomes a U.S. citizen.
There is a big difference between being a naturalized U.S. citizen and a lawful permanent resident or a green card holder. For example, naturalized U.S. citizens are U.S. citizens for life, in most cases. It is extremely rare that citizenship can be taken away from you. Also, citizenship can be passed onto your children, in most cases. For permanent residents, permanent residency can be taken away if there are any immigration violations or any criminal violations. Also, if you spend a lot of time outside the United States, it is possible for the government to take the position that you’ve abandoned your permanent residence. If you’re a naturalized U.S. citizen, you don’t have to worry about abandoning your citizenship for spending too much time outside of the United States.
If you need to know more about obtaining a green card or have questions about these 3 green card questions, contact our experienced New York green card lawyer today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
