On Jan 23, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an extension on Conditional Permanent Residents Card (Green Card) for 48 months with pending forms I-751 and I-829. This change started on January 11, 2023, for Form I-829 and will start on January 25, 2023, for Form I-751.
The Conditional Permanent Residents Card is a temporary Green Card valid for two years. There are usually two ways to obtain a conditional green card: marriage and qualifying investment. To remove the condition and transfer to a permanent resident through marriage, applicants must file form I-751 (Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence). For entrepreneurs through qualifying investment, applicants need to file form I-829 (Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status).
USCIS states that the reason for extending validity is to accommodate the increased processing time of form I-751 and form I-829 during the past two years.
USCIS has updated the language on the receipt notices of forms I-751 and I-829 with the new validity date. For conditional green card holders with pending I-751 and I-829 petitions, USCIS will send out new receipt notices. Such updated receipt notices can be shown with the expired conditional green card as evidence to continue status and stay.