Form I-90, Application to Replace Green Card

Individuals who lawfully enter the U.S. from other countries require documentation to verify that they’re allowed to stay and are authorized to work. One primary document is the permanent residence card, or green card. Immigration visas and green cards are essential for anybody who hopes to continue to reside lawfully in the U.S. If your green card expires, gets lost, or is damaged, you will need to fill out a Form I-90 to have it renewed or replaced. The Form I-90 processing time varies based on several factors. Depending on the applicant’s situation and location, green card renewals can take between 1.5 months and a year. A green card replacement will usually take between 1.5 and 13.5 months. read below for more details on everything you need to know about Form I-90

What Is Immigration Form I-90?

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, is the form that a permanent resident must use to renew or replace a green card. If your green card is expired, soon-to-expire, has been lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed, you will need to file Form I-90 with USCIS. You can send in this application online or by mail.

Applying Online

You can file Form I-90 online if you meet one of the following requirements:

• Your green card is expired or expiring in the next six months
• Your name or personal information has changed
• You are a commuter who lives in Mexico or Canada but travels to the U.S. for work
• You were a commuter in the past but have since moved to the U.S.
• You have an invalid or outdated version of the green card
• Your immigration status changed to “green card holder” as a result of special circumstances
• Your green card was lost, stolen, damaged, or totally destroyed

To file online, you simply need to create an online account with USCIS and follow the necessary steps. You will complete your Form I-90, upload any supporting documents, review, sign, and pay. After you’ve done this you can submit the form online on the USCIS website.

Applying by Mail

You are required to file by mail if you fit into one of the following categories:

• You never received your USCIS-issued green card
• Your green card has errors on it made by USCIS
• You are also applying for a fee waiver
• You received a 10-year green card before turning 14 and it won’t expire before you turn 16

To send in Form I-90 by mail, you’ll have to download the form from the USCIS website. Gather supporting documents and write a check or money order to send in with your completed I-90 form.

If you’re using the U.S. Postal Service, you must send the form to the following address:

USCIS

P.O. Box 21262

Phoenix, AZ 85036

If you’re using FedEx, UPS, or DHL, you must send the form to the following address:

USCIS

Attention: I-90

1820 E. Skyharbor, Circle S, Floor 1

Suite 100

Phoenix, AZ 85034

Who Needs to Fill Out Form I-90?

Form I-90 is not required for every permanent resident entering the U.S. Form I-90 is used by individuals who are trying to renew or replace their green card. This includes permanent residents whose regular 10-year green cards have expired or are going to expire in the next six months. This form is also used by permanent residents whose green cards are stolen, lost, damaged, or completely destroyed.

Who Doesn’t Need to Fill Out Form I-90?

Individuals with a conditional green card must follow a different process to renew their residency. A conditional green card expires two years after it’s issued, and must be replaced with a permanent 10-year green card before it’s eligible for renewal with a Form I-90 application.

The process of moving from a conditional green card to a permanent green card is called “removing the conditions.” To “remove the conditions,” you must file Form I-751 or Form I-829, one for conditional marriage-based green cards and the other for conditional U.S. investment green cards, respectively.

Anybody with a temporary green card that is not trying to renew or remove conditions on their residency will not need to fill out a USCIS Form I-90. People applying for a green card for the first time, called an adjustment of status, also do not have to file an I-90 form.

Completing a Form I-90 Application

If the questions on the form do not apply to you, you should write “N/A” in the blank space. If your answer is the value of zero, you should write “none” in the space provided. The form should be filled out in black ink if done on paper. There are seven different parts included on an I-90 application that must be filled out before it can be turned into USCIS.

Part 1: Information About You

This is a straightforward section that asks for all your personal information to establish your identity for the application. This part also requires some of the following information:

• Your alien registration number: a primary identification number on your green card
• USCIS account number: represents your online account, if you have one
• Class of admission: a three-letter code under your green card category representing how you obtained your green card
• Date of admission and birth: use a standard mm/dd/yyyy format to enter dates of when you were approved as a U.S. resident and when you were born
• Name change: if you legally changed your name, you must provide evidence as to why
• Addresses: if you have a different living residence than where you accept mail, you will have to include both addresses

Part 2: Application Type

This section shows the reason you’re filling out your Form I-90. Depending on what you fill out, you will be instructed to a different section on the application moving forward.

Part 3: Processing Information

This is where you provide information about your immigration background—where you got your green card, where you entered the U.S., whether or not you’ve ever been in immigration court, etc.

Part 4: Applicant’s Statement, Contact Information, Certification, and Signature

This confirms that the listed applicant knows everything that’s on the sheet and understands it to be true. This form must be signed before it’s submitted or it will not be processed.

Part 5: Interpreter’s Contact Information, Certification, and Signature

This provides proof of an interpreter being used if their presence was necessary and includes contact and identification information in case USCIS needs to reach out and clarify something.

Part 6: Contact Information, Declaration, and Signature of the Person Preparing This Application, If Other Than the Applicant

If the applicant needs help filling out this form, the person who helped them must put their information into this section. This allows USCIS to contact them if there are any discrepancies.

Part 7: Additional Information

This part offers extra space to answer any of the questions in previous sections. If you need more room even after this portion, you can attach additional papers to the back as long as they have your alien registration number and name on them.

Form I-90 Required Documents

The supporting documents you need to fill out an I-90 form will depend on the reason you need a new green card. For example, if your green card was lost or stolen, you will need your government-issued ID to receive a new one. If you never received your issued green card, you will need an ID and an I-797 form or a passport with an I-551 temporary stamp. In any case, you will be required to present your old green card if you have access to it.

Checking Your I-90 Form Status

After you file a Form I-90 with all of the necessary supporting documents, you will receive updated mail and online updates about the status of your application. These updates will include the following:

• Confirmation that your application was received and approved by USCIS
• A biometrics appointment letter notifying you of your fingerprinting and photo ID appointment—you will get this around one to two weeks after your application is received
• A decision letter informing you whether your form was accepted or declined
• A request for evidence (RFE) letter detailing the documentation USCIS still requires—this is only if USCIS needs more information

Although delays are possible, you should receive your green card within the expected timeframe if USCIS has all of the necessary documents.

How Long Does it Take to Process I-90 Form?

The Form I-90 processing time varies based on several factors. Depending on the applicant’s situation and location, green card renewals can take between 1.5 months and a year. A green card replacement will usually take between 1.5 and 13.5 months. This process is also dependent on the current workload of USCIS.

Form I-90 Filing Fee

Currently, the fee for filing Form I-90 is $455. You will likely also need to pay a biometrics fee of $85, bringing the total cost to $540.

You will not have to pay anything if you meet one of the following requirements:

• You never received your USCIS issued a green card
• DHS made errors on your green card
• You qualify for a fee waiver as a result of your current financial situation

You will only have to pay the $85 biometric fee and not the filing fee if you turned 14 within the last 30 days and your green card is set to expire sometime after you turn 16.

Benefits of Hiring a Scott D. Pollock & Associates, P.C. Immigration Lawyer

USCIS language and regulations can be difficult to navigate, especially if it’s your first time. There are a variety of requirements that must be met in a particular way. One way to speed up the Form I-90 application process is by hiring an experienced immigration lawyer.

The Chicago immigration lawyers at Scott D. Pollock & Associates, P.C. have the knowledge and experience to guide you through the green card renewal, Deportation Defense representation or replacement process. Contact us today to get started on your Form I-90 application.