San Diego Expiring Green Card Lawyer – Expiring I-551 Green Card Attorney in San Diego
The U.S. Green Card is an official document issued by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services which serves as evidence that you have been granted permanent residency in the U.S. It is called the “Green Card” because the original document issued by the immigration service was green. Over the years, the card has gone through a variety of color changes, including pink, but it is now green again. It is officially called an “I-551 Permanent Resident Card”.
To improve document security and keep tabs on immigrants who have been engaged in criminal activity, the U.S. immigrant service in 1989 began issuing green cards with a 10-year expiration date. As your expiration date approaches, the law requires that apply to renew your card on a USCIS Form I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. If you lose your green card, the law also requires you to file an I-90 to replace your I-551 card.
Applying to renew or replace your green card is normally a straightforward process. However, if you have been convicted of a crime, what should have been an easy application can be extremely dangerous for your permanent resident status and might lead to deportation from the U.S. To renew or replace a green card, applicants are required to submit biometrics (fingerprinting) and a criminal background check. If the criminal background check comes back with convictions or arrests, USCIS will request that you turn in certified conviction records. Once the immigration service obtains the records, whether through the immigrant or on its own, it then decides whether you are deportable and should be placed in front of an immigration judge for removal proceedings.
This is a huge shock to many immigrants. Non-citizens who thought they had paid their dues for their crimes, who believed that they were safe from deportation after living in the U.S. for decades, and who traveled many times out of the U.S. without being hassled by immigration, cannot believe that they could now be put in ICE detention and deported. To avoid any surprises, it is critical that you speak with a knowledgeable and experienced immigration attorney at our firm to go over your green card renewal options. For many non-citizens, we can find real solutions to avoid deportation and even put you on the road to U.S. citizenship
For assistance with your application, contact an immigration defense attorney in San Diego.
Immigration Defense Lawyer in San Diego
Immigration Lawyers at the Law Offices of Hasbini Immigration Defense assist clients in the San Diego area with expiring Green Cards. We can help you with the renewal of your card. Our firm is always ready to assist you if you encounter any problem when you attempt to reenter the country with expired documentation.