USCIS Extends the Validity of Conditional Green Card for 48 Months

On Jan 23, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an extension on Conditional Permanent Residents Card (Green Card) for 48 months with pending forms I-751 and I-829. This change started on January 11, 2023, for Form I-829 and will start on January 25, 2023, for Form I-751.

The Conditional Permanent Residents Card is a temporary Green Card valid for two years. There are usually two ways to obtain a conditional green card: marriage and qualifying investment. To remove the condition and transfer to a permanent resident through marriage, applicants must file form I-751 (Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence). For entrepreneurs through qualifying investment, applicants need to file form I-829 (Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status). 

USCIS states that the reason for extending validity is to accommodate the increased processing time of form I-751 and form I-829 during the past two years. 

USCIS has updated the language on the receipt notices of forms I-751 and I-829 with the new validity date. For conditional green card holders with pending I-751 and I-829 petitions, USCIS will send out new receipt notices. Such updated receipt notices can be shown with the expired conditional green card as evidence to continue status and stay.