Removing Conditions from Green Card

[direfan]

Hi All,
I received a green card through marriage. I am coming up on the 2nd anniversary and will apply to remove the conditions on my green card in January 2004 as my card expires in April 2004. My question is that once I apply to remove the conditions, what happens to the green card. Do I have to send the current green card along with the application or does my green card automatically renew? The reason I ask is that the backlog to remove conditions is tremendous i.e. like 2 years and when you don't have the green card in hand returning to the US is a hellish experience as I experienced when I returned to the US from Belgium after a business trip. Since I had still not received my green card, they looked at the stamp on my passport and I sent me to another room for verification. This took almost 2 hours.
So in summation, what happens to my green card as I am waiting for the conditions to be removed as it expires in April 2004.
Thanks for your replies.

[ideallaw]

Hello direfan,

You might want to check out,

BCIS Ref. http://www.immigration.gov/graphics/howdoi/remcond.htm

some where in there it lays out all copy & originals that need to be sent. You might have to look for specific info but at least you will have some basic guidance. It's bad that they don't send out reminder on this one.

Wish you good luck, for your condition removal.

I am a G.C. holder to be, I have my interview on my I-485 on Oct 30th, so will see how it goes. Probably u might be able to help me here.

1) What kind of q's they ask ininterview ?
2) How much time does it take to get actual green card ?
3) I just had a 3rd year of wedding anniversary. So do they issue unconditional greencard to me or NOT ? As per the BCIS web site,

(http://www.immigration.gov/graphics/howdoi/remcond.htm)

"A lawful permanent resident is given the privilege of living and working in the United States permanently. Your permanent residence status will be conditional if it is based on a marriage that was less than two years old on the day you were given permanent residence. You are given conditional resident status on the day you are lawfully admitted to the United States on an immigrant visa or receive adjustment of status. Your permanent resident status is conditional, because you must prove that you did not get married to evade the immigration laws of the United States."

does this mean I will get conditional or unconditional greencard ? not sure? what was yr exp.

Bunch of thanks in adavnce.
-ideallaw

[titoisme]

You don't send the original GC, you send a copy of your GC, SS and other pertinent materials, its best to get a professional (scrupulous) to help you gather all the relevant papers (along with pictures that portray your home life TOGETHER among other proofs of a true relationship). My church has a really good immigration service and I've had no trouble so far.

We sent in the removal petition in march 2003 and about a month or so later we received a certificate of receipt where they state that the conditions have been extended for a year, until June 2004. If we don't receive the new unconditional GC by then (about 2 months before then I believe), we will have to go to our local INS office and have the conditional GC extended for another year...and so on, and so on, and so on....etc; until we have the conditions removed (either through the interview process or, if they're totally satified with the info we sent, getting the new GC without having to interview ooXo --crossing fingers that is...).