On December 12, 2022, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officially updated the USCIS Policy Manual for lawful permanent residents applying for naturalization. Recently, the USCIS and the immigration courts have experienced considerable processing delays. This new policy is intended to relieve some of the pressure these courts have been facing. But what does this mean for citizenship applicants? To learn how the USCIS updated green card policy may affect you, read on or reach out to a Naturalization Lawyer in NYC for more information.
WHAT IS USCIS’S UPDATED POLICY?
Essentially, the updated policy automatically extends permanent resident cards (aka green cards) to lawful permanent residents who applied for naturalization. This is helpful both to immigrants applying for citizenship and to the USCIS, which has recently faced many delays in the naturalization process. Lawful permanent residents who applied for naturalization won’t need to worry about renewing their green card while waiting for their citizenship application to be processed. This means that in most cases, naturalization applicants won’t need to file Form I-90 (aka the green card application) while waiting for their citizenship status to be approved. The new policy saves time and energy, both for the immigration courts and for naturalization applicants.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR GREEN CARD EXTENSIONS?
If you are a lawful permanent resident who filed Form N-400 (aka the naturalization application) on or after December 12, you most likely won’t need to worry about renewing your green card while you wait for your citizen application to be processed. However, this new policy, unfortunately, does not apply to those who filed for naturalization before December 12. This means that you’ll still need to file Form I-90 if you applied for citizenship before December 12.
UNDER THE NEW POLICY MANUAL, HOW LONG CAN GREEN CARDS BE RENEWED FOR?
According to this new policy and another policy added in September, naturalization applicants can renew their green card for up to 24 months. Previously, they could only extend it for 12 months, or they could receive an Alien Documentation, Identification, and Telecommunications (ADIT) stamp on their passport which also shows their lawful permanent resident status. This newest policy allows more time for Form N-400 to be processed.
For more information on the updated naturalization policy, the Law Offices of Cheryl R. David is here to provide quality legal counseling. You may want to speak with an experienced immigration lawyer to learn more about your specific application process. Filing for American citizenship can be daunting, but you can rely on a compassionate attorney to guide you through the naturalization procedure. Contact us today!
