Renew GC and/or Apply for Citizenship
- Thread starter gdh
- Start date
If you are going to apply for naturalization, then you don't need to waste money to also apply for green card renewal. You can get an I-551 stamp while your N-400 is pending, as proof of permanent residency in the meantime. If you file I-90 for green card renewal, it will take about a year so you would have to get an I-551 stamp anyway.
Thank you for your response.
I'm not familiar with I-551 stamps, so I'll have to read up on them.
One thing I don't understand is that according to the I-90 form, I can only apply if my GC expires in the next six months. How can then it take a year to get it? I really thought (or hoped) it was a quicker process.
I'm not familiar with I-551 stamps, so I'll have to read up on them.
One thing I don't understand is that according to the I-90 form, I can only apply if my GC expires in the next six months. How can then it take a year to get it? I really thought (or hoped) it was a quicker process.
Yes, you can only apply for it if your GC expires in the next 6 months, but it takes around a year to get (see processing times), which means you will not get the new GC by the time the old GC expires. That's why you need an I-551 stamp for proof of permanent residence in the meantime before you get the new GC.
cafeconleche
Registered Users (C)
Apply for naturalisation before there's less than 6 months left on your GC so that they don't make you pay for a GC renewal (which you are required to do if you apply for naturalisation with less than 6 months left on your GC). Then when your GC expires you can basically walk in to a fingerprinting centre and ask for an I551 stamp with proof of your N400 application (for free).
There used to be an old Q&A that said you needed to renew the green card before applying for naturalization if it's going to expire in less than 6 months, but that is no longer online. I can't find anything official that says you cannot apply for naturalization with a green card expiring in less than 6 months without applying for renewal. Some people have argued that someone with a green card expiring in less than 6 months, or expired green card, should still be able to apply for naturalization without renewal since they are still legally permanent residents.
