The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services agency announced on May 14, 2018, that they will have to recall 8,543 Permanent Resident Cards, which are also commonly referred to as a Green Card. There was an unfortunate production error on these cards that may impact the date in which these cardholders are able to become eligible to apply for citizenship. The individuals who were impacted by the incorrect cards were spouses of U.S. citizens who removed conditions of residence. The incorrectly dated Green Cards were mailed to permanent residents between February 2018 and April 2018.
If an individual has been issued an incorrect card, they will be notified by the USCIS. Individuals who have been affected by the mistake should make sure that they return the incorrect Permanent Resident card to the USCIS within 20 days of receiving the notice of error. If the individual lives close to a USCIS field office, they may also return their card within 15 days that way. The USCIS will provide these individuals with new, correct Permanent Resident Cards within 15 days of receiving the card that was incorrectly dated.
It is important to be aware that simply because an individual has to return their Green Card, they still have a lawful permanent resident status. If they have to prove this status while they wait for their replacement card to arrive, they should contact an attorney or the USCIS as soon as possible.
John Sesini is an experienced immigration attorney with offices in Green Bay and Milwaukee Wisconsin. If you have any questions regarding immigration law matters, please contact the Sesini Law Group, S.C. and schedule your initial consultation with our firm today.