A Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) can show their status through their green card. A green card is issued to prove the permanent resident’s status in the U.S. A green card can also be referred to as a Permanent Resident Card, I-551 or an Alien Registration Card.

The green card has an expiration date on it and a resident since date. The expiration date will let the permanent resident know when their card is going to expire. The resident since date will let them know the date their green card was issued to them. The gap between these dates along with the class of admission will allow the resident to know if they are under conditional status or not.

A conditional permanent resident is someone who holds a green card that is valid for two years. This type of permanent resident status is granted to those who receive their green card through marriage or through investment. These types of green cards have a class of admission which begins with CR. This information can be found on the green card under ‘category’. These cards cannot be renewed.

Conditional Permanent Residents must submit a petition to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to remove the conditions. The petition must be filed 90 days before the conditional green card expires. If the person under conditional status does not file the petition to remove the conditions off of their conditional green card, they will automatically lose their status in the U.S. and they will then become removable. In some cases, USCIS may excuse the late filing.

A Permanent Resident who is not under conditional status is someone who holds a green card that is valid for 10 years. A 10 year green card is not conditional. This card does not require a petition to be filed to remove conditions. However, a 10 year green card does need to be renewed within 6 months of the expiration date, every 10 years. In order to renew a 10 year green card, the permanent resident must file the required form with the USCIS and pay the government’s filing fees.