If You Are a Conditional Permanent Resident
You may reside in the United States as a conditional permanent resident (CR). You are considered a CR if you are married to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident for less than 2 years from the date your permanent resident status was approved. If you have children, your children may also be considered CRs. Please refer to Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, for instructions on how to file for your children. Some investor immigrants are also CRs. Conditional permanent residents (CRs) have rights and responsibilities similar to lawful permanent residents. CRs must file Form I-751, and investor immigrants must file Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status, within two years from the date their conditional permanent resident status was approved. This date is usually the expiration date on the Green Card. You should file these forms within 90 days before the two-year anniversary of your conditional permanent resident status. Failure to do so may result in the loss of your permanent resident status.
Your Rights and Responsibilities
As a lawful permanent resident, what you do can impact your ability to become a U.S. citizen in the future. The process of becoming a U.S. citizen is called naturalization.
As a lawful permanent resident, you have the right to:
- Live permanently anywhere in the United States.
- Work in the United States.
- Own property in the United States.
- Attend public schools.
- Apply for a driver’s license in your state or region of residence.
- Join certain branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
- Apply for Social Security benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Medicare, if eligible.
- Apply for U.S. citizenship when you meet the requirements.
- Petition for visas for your spouse and unmarried children to live in the United States.
- Enter and leave the United States under certain conditions.
As a lawful permanent resident, you must:
- Obey all federal, state, and local laws.
- Pay income taxes to federal, state, and local governments.
- Register with the Selective Service (U.S. Armed Forces), if you are a male aged 18 to 26.
- Maintain your lawful permanent resident status.
- Always carry your green card (Form I-551) as proof of your lawful permanent resident status.
- Notify USCIS of any change of address within 10 days of moving by filing online or sending a change of address card.
Lawful permanent residents are issued a Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) to prove their lawful status in the United States, commonly known as a “Green Card.” If you adjust your status to lawful permanent resident while in the U.S., you only need to pay the filing fee for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and do not need to pay the immigrant fee to USCIS. If you are a conditional permanent resident who obtained status through marriage or entrepreneurial investment, you are issued a two-year card. Do not use Form I-90 to extend or renew your status as a lawful permanent resident; instead, file to remove conditions before your card expires.
Your Green Card allows you to live and work in the United States and to re-enter the country after traveling abroad. If you leave the U.S. for more than 12 months, you may need additional documentation to re-enter as a lawful permanent resident.
The Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) is valid for 10 years, and you must renew it before it expires or if you change your name. To replace or renew your Green Card, you must file Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. There is a fee associated with filing Form I-90. You can obtain this form online at www.uscis.gov or by calling USCIS’s Forms Request Line at 1-800-870-3676. If you are a conditional permanent resident (CR) through marriage or entrepreneurial investment, you are issued a two-year card. Do not use Form I-90 to extend or renew your status as a lawful permanent resident. Instead, you must file a petition to remove conditions before your card expires.
Your Green Card shows that you are allowed to live and work in the United States. You can also use your Green Card to re-enter the U.S. after traveling abroad. If you leave the U.S. for more than 12 months, you may need to submit additional documents to re-enter as a lawful permanent resident.
uscis.gov
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