The office of Citizenship and Immigration Services recognizes delays in its procedures and seeks to avoid problems for permanent residents who must remove the conditions of their documents

Those immigrants with a conditional green card who correctly requested the change of their document will receive a notification that their immigration protection is valid for 24 more months.

During the period of the process of “removal of conditions”, the office of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) extends a letter of acceptance of the process confirming that the immigrant maintains their legal status in the United States, even with an expired card.

This applies starting in September 4, 2021. The notification will have a longer period of validity, since it went from 18 months to 24 months.

“USCIS has extended the time that receipt (processing) notices can be used as evidence of status from 18 months to 24 months for petitioners who properly file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions of Residence,” the agency states.

This benefit also applies to Form I-829 or Investor’s Petition to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status.

Those who submitted their requests before September 4, 2021, will receive an additional notification marking the 24-month extension of validity.

“We have made the change from 18 to 24 months to accommodate current (immigration) processing times … that have increased over the past year,” the agency acknowledges.

In June 2018, amid the delay in immigration processes, USCIS had already extended the validity period of legal stay in the country from 12 to 18 months.

Travel Alert

Immigrants at this level of processing remain legal residents in the U.S. and would have the right to travel outside the country, but lawyers consulted suggest avoiding it as much as possible.

Those conditional permanent residents who plan to be outside the United States for a year or more must apply for an additional re-entry permit with USCIS.

Source: La Opinion. (2021, 5 September). USCIS extends the period of stay of married immigrants who renew their “green card”.
https://laopinion.com/2021/09/05/uscis-amplia-periodo-de-estancia-de-inmigrantes-casados-que-renuevan-su-green-card/