Two-year Green Cards are conditional Green Cards that cannot be renewed however they can be converted to a 10-year Green Card by removing conditions on the Green Card by filing Form I-751.
Conditional Green Cards are granted to the spouses of U.S. citizens, who are newly married. Citizens of foreign countries who feel that getting married to U.S. citizens is the easiest way to immigrate to America, are involved in marriage fraud and get married just to obtain Green Cards.
In order to ensure that the marriages are genuine, USCIS issues two-year Green Cards called conditional Green Card to the spouses of U.S. citizens. You may remain in the United States as a conditional permanent resident for two years and at the end of the conditional period, you will have to file a petition to remove conditions on your card and to get a new 10-year Green Card.
A ten-year Green Card can be renewed and you need to file Form I-90 to renew a permanent resident card.
But you must not file Form I-90 if you hold a 2-year conditional Green Card. You must file a petition to remove conditions on your conditional status and you need to file Form I-751, Petition to Remove the Conditions of Residence. Moreover, you cannot file this form by yourself and this form must be filed jointly with your spouse.
This is to demonstrate that you are still living with your spouse and that your marriage is genuine. You must also submit a few supporting documents along with your petition. Such supporting documents will also help you to prove that you had not involved in marriage fraud.
You will have to file Form I-751 along with your U.S. citizen spouse, 3 months before your conditional card’s expiration. Remember that your status will expire and you will be removed from America, if you fail to file Form I-751, to remove conditions, on time.
In certain cases, USCIS accepts applications that are filed late, but only if the reasons for filing late are genuine. You will have to submit copies of supporting documents such as birth certificates of your children with the names of both the parents and other financial records, along with Form I-751 to establish that your marriage is legitimate.
If you are separated from your U.S. citizen spouse for some reason or if your spouse has passed away prior to the expiration of your conditional status, you may be allowed to file this petition by yourself. If you were abused by your spouse and if your spouse is not willing to sign the petition, you may be granted a waiver and you may be allowed to file the petition by yourself if you are eligible.
However, you will have to submit the divorce order and other supporting documents along with your petition and you need to demonstrate that your marriage is legitimate. Similarly, a copy of your spouse’s death certificate must be submitted, if your spouse has passed away.
If you are not divorced, you can still request a waiver if you were abused by your spouse or if you are a victim of domestic violence. However, you will have to submit medical reports to prove that you were abused. Hence, you need to remember the date of expiration of your conditional status and you must file an application to remove conditions, at the right time, and remember that a conditional Green Card cannot be renewed.