Is there a difference between a two year green card and a 10 year green card?
Hi, I'm Jim Hacking, immigration lawyer practicing law throughout the United States out of our office here in St. Louis, Missouri.
Today's video question comes right out of our Facebook group, which is called Immigrant Home. You should join us there. And it comes from, I hope I say it right, Aladeeokin. Aladeeokin, I hope I said your name right.
Aladeeokin wants to know, "Jim, is there a big difference between the two year green card or the 10 year green card other than the length of time and the conditions that you have on that two year green card?"
So, of course, you all remember because you're good students of are videos that if you receive a marriage-based green card and your marriage is less than two years old at the time that the green card is issued, and that's the important thing. It's not that you applied two years ago or that you applied after two years of being married. The question is when the green card is issued, so that could be the day after it's approved, has the couple have been married two years?
If they've been married two years and one day, then you're going to get a 10 year green card. If they've been married less than two years, you're going to get a two year green card. And at the end of those two years, you're going to have to file an I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on that to your green card and then get your 10 year permanent residence card.
And so Aladeeokin wants to know is there a big difference between the two green cards?
And in most ways the answer is no. In most ways, the green cards are the same.
You can travel, you can work, you can live in the United States, you can come and go with your valid foreign passport, and you can even go ahead and sponsor people based on your new status as a conditional lawful permanent residence.
So in other words, if you are a green card holder and you have a conditional green card, you can sponsor your children or you can sponsor ... Actually that would be it, I guess, because you're married to someone else and that's how you got your green card.
But as far as that right to sponsor your children from overseas, if you have such children, that would be a right that's available both to two year green card holders and 10 year green card holders, and also the same responsibilities. You're not going to want to take any trips outside of the United States for more than six months just like you would with a 10 year green card.
But for the most part, Aladeeokin, the green cards are the same. I don't think you need to worry about them being treated much differently. You can sponsor children, and obviously you're going to have to get the conditions removed.
So if you have questions about this, give us a call. (314) 961-8200. Email us at infohackinglawpractice.com. Be sure to join us in our Facebook group, which is called Immigrant Home. And if you liked this video, subscribe to our channel and you'll get updates whenever we make videos just like this one. Thanks a lot. Have a great day.
