mayhemuk

Went for the Biometris ahead of 2 year expiry of GC.
Are they generally reliable at getting a new valid GC out?
I ask because we are planning to head to the UK for Xmas.
Current expiry is end of November.

Biometrics was a very pleasant experience btw. (though the $545 for doing it all still stings a little!)

explorerman

Wow! $545?? I just did my biometrics a couple of months ago and it cost $285. Did they not just add a sticker to your card that extends the card for another year? This is what they did to mine as mine expires in Jan and the agent told me it could be 6-8 months to get a new card.

Roy

Noorah101

Are you talking about a conditional 2-year green card, and filing the removal of conditions for it?

If so, that's not a renewal of a green card. That's removal of conditions. You should receive a 1-year extension letter in the mail. You will need that letter to travel, if your green card will expire before you leave, or while you're gone.

Rene

mayhemuk

No sticker. I was rushing back to work so forgot to ask next steps while I was there.
How can the price be so different? This is a federal thing right? Unless it varies by the original visa type.

Rete

That's why I transferred his post from the US forum to here. I assumed since it was 2 years it was a conditional card but then again, he doesn't mention anything about getting a letter of extension for filing an I-751.

Noorah101

I have the feeling the OP is talking about removal of conditions on a 2-year green card, not renewing a 10-year green card.

Rene

mayhemuk

Yes it is the removal of conditions.

Noorah101

Are you renewing a 10-year green card?

Or are you removing conditions from a 2-year green card?

That's the difference.

Noorah101

OK. There's the difference. Explorerman thought you were renewing a 10-year card.

Rene

mayhemuk

So I don't get a new card? I have to carry around an extention letter for a year? What's that about? What has my $545 paid for?

Noorah101

Yes, you'll get a new card. Your new card will be valid for 10 years. It takes several months to process. In the meantime, you use the 1-year extension if you need to travel.

Your $545 pays for the processing and adjudication of the I-751.

Rene

Rete

You paid that fee for your petition to be adjudicated. It is not a given that your conditions will be removed. It depends on the evidence you have submitted with the petition. You might be called for an interview but then again, you might be approved out of hand.

It can take a few months or up to 2 years to be adjudicated. Depends on the service center you sent it to and the workload at the moment.

And yes, the extension letter is all you have to prove your right to travel and work.

LilInIl

Just FYI, my husband filed to have the conditions on his residency removed toward the end of August (probably around the 25th?). His biometrics appointment in Chicago was at the end of September (26th or so). He received his approval letter in the mail about 2 weeks later and his 10 year green card a few days after that. We had no interview and whole process took less than 2 months from filing to card in hand (he actually got the 10 year green card about a week before his conditional one was due to expire).

Obviously the amount of time it takes will vary depending on any number of things, but I was shocked at how fast the whole thing was.

kthx

You also lucky you had to file to California Center not Vermont: Vermont is like 4 months average it seems...

jeffreyhy

em,

I don't know what you did for $285, but the fee for biometrics - when a full set of 10 fingerprints is required for security checking - is $80. The other part of the $545 that m paid, $465, was for processing the I-751 application.

Regards, JEff