N400 Applicaton, GC expires in one year

[mep 2]

Hello,

 

In another thread, someone suggested applying for citizenship rather than renewing green card which expires in one year. I need to give this some thought. If I was to apply for citizenship, does 8-9 months before green card expires allow enough time? 

If my application is denied, I'll be cutting it close to then try to renew green card.

Any advice is well appreciated while I weigh my options.

If these things matter, current citizenship is Canadian, status is divorced.

Thank you!

Misty

[jkstark 97]

You can apply for citizenship as long as you still have 6 months on your GC AFAIK.  If during that process your card expires or comes up to the point of where you need to apply to get it renewed then that will be the something you'll have to handle at that time - I believe that you still have to have a valid card or an application in process to renew it.

 

Remember that the card validity does not indicate the validity of your status as a LPR - it is only the evidence of that status.  When you apply for a renewal, you can get an extension letter or a stamp in your passport, so that in and of itself should not be the deciding point.  Instead, go for naturalization if you feel that is the right direction for you, and thus stop the need to regularly pay USCIS for renewals, but be aware that you might still need to renew your card one more time unless your local office moves quickly on the N400.

 

Others can elaborate more - I'm not absolutely certain that you need to have a valid card at the time of naturalization as long as you have started the process more than 6 months prior to the expiration of the card.

[Going through 5,674]

16 minutes ago, mep said:

If I was to apply for citizenship, does 8-9 months before green card expires allow enough time? 

Even if the card expires---it's only the *card* that expires, not your legal status.  Most people's GC's expire before the N400 interview rolls around, it's a non-issue.

 

17 minutes ago, mep said:

If my application is denied, I'll be cutting it close to then try to renew green card.

If your N400 is denied for whatever reason, you can still renew the green card whether expired or not---again, remember the card expiring does NOT mean that your legal status is expired.

 

I was in your same shoes a year or so ago---my 10 year GC was about to expire and I had a choice between the i-90 or the N400.

One of the things that pushed me towards the N400 was that the price of either was pretty comparable at the time (and remember, fees only go up--never down)...so monetarily, it made sense to do the N400.  My green card expired only 1 month before applying, by the way.

[Going through 5,674]

4 minutes ago, jkstark said:

You can apply for citizenship as long as you still have 6 months on your GC AFAIK.  If during that process your card expires or comes up to the point of where you need to apply to get it renewed then that will be the something you'll have to handle at that time - I believe that you still have to have a valid card or an application in process to renew it.

This is not accurate.  People can apply for citizenship even if the GC expires the next day after filing.   One can apply for the N400 even if the GC is already expired. One does not need an application in process to renew it either.  Many people live decades on a GC only.

Edited May 16, 2019 by Going through

[jkstark 97]

Just now, Going through said:

This is not accurate.  People can apply for citizenship even if the GC expires the next day after filing.  One does not need an application in process to renew it either.  Many people live decades on a GC only.

At one point when I was going through that, I thought I had seen something about the 6 month requirement, but may well have been looking at something wrong.  However, I did not (at least intentionally) say anything about having to have any other application in process to renew a GC - other than the renewal application for the GC itself if you needed to renew that...  (I was here for about 17 or so years on a GC before naturalizing myself...)

 

[saladboye 166]

 

25 minutes ago, mep said:

If my application is denied, I'll be cutting it close to then try to renew green card.

 

It has to be real bad to be denied.

[mep 2]

4 minutes ago, Going through said:

I was in your same shoes a year or so ago---my 10 year GC was about to expire and I had a choice between the i-90 or the N400.

 

So did you end up having an expired green card while waiting for naturalization to be approved?

 

I can't help feeling paranoid that soon, under the current administration, letting a green card expire will be cause for deportation.

[Going through 5,674]

1 minute ago, jkstark said:

At one point when I was going through that, I thought I had seen something about the 6 month requirement, but may well have been looking at something wrong.  However, I did not (at least intentionally) say anything about having to have any other application in process to renew a GC - other than the renewal application for the GC itself if you needed to renew that...  (I was here for about 17 or so years on a GC before naturalizing myself...)

 

You beat me---I got tired of dealing with USCIS after 13 years on a GC and did the N400 instead 😛 

[Going through 5,674]

3 minutes ago, mep said:

So did you end up having an expired green card while waiting for naturalization to be approved?

 

I can't help feeling paranoid that soon, under the current administration, letting a green card expire will be cause for deportation.

Yes.  I had no need to renew it or get the passport stamp as I had no plans (at least not imminent plans) to travel abroad while my N400 was pending.  Like I said, my GC expired a month after I filed the N400...I was NOT gonna give USCIS my money twice lol...I could have done the passport stamp, though, but never bothered.

If questioned at any point by an immigration official, about why my GC was expired (if it ever came up in a situation, which it never did), I carried a copy of my NOA as well.

Edited May 16, 2019 by Going through

[Going through 5,674]

At my oath, I met a man who had been a LPR for 32 years...when I asked him what finally prompted him to apply for citizenship he said "I got tired of paying them money".

 

Personally, while I had no urge for citizenship and would have happily remained a LPR for the rest of my life, I'm actually quite happy that I have amicably divorced USCIS.   We'll just remain good friends, now.

[NovaSprings 89]

Have you checked into processing times for your local office?  I applied for my n400 at the end of April.  The system gave an original estimate to completion of 22 months, it is now to 14 months.  Based on others I have seen my times are on the long side but are not unusual.

Edited May 16, 2019 by NovaSprings

[Lemon23 400]

1 hour ago, Going through said:

I'm actually quite happy that I have amicably divorced USCIS.

This is what exactly I told to my spouse after my oath taking and we we're laughing out loud.

We both said that my decision for citizenship was a good thing so we dont waste too much money renewing that plastic card. LOL!

Edited May 16, 2019 by Lemon23

[mep 2]

15 hours ago, NovaSprings said:

Have you checked into processing times for your local office?  I applied for my n400 at the end of April.  The system gave an original estimate to completion of 22 months, it is now to 14 months.  Based on others I have seen my times are on the long side but are not unusual.

 

I've not looked into processing times. I'm not sure how to do that ha!

[NovaSprings 89]

8 hours ago, mep said:

 

I've not looked into processing times. I'm not sure how to do that ha!

Check https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/