Entrepreneur Application to Remove Condition Notices Valid for 18 Months as Proof of Status

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on June 11, 2018 that petitioners who file Form I-829 Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status, will receive a Form I-797 receipt notice that they can present along with their Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, to serve as evidence of continued status for 18 months after their conditional Permanent Resident Card expires. Prior to  this change, USCIS only issued receipt notices that were valid for the 12 months following the expiration date on the conditional Permanent Resident Card. The change from 12 to 18 months comes as a result of the increased Form I-829 processing times that occurred over the past year.

USCIS will also issue new Form I-797 receipt notices to eligible permanent residents whose Form I-829 was still pending as of June 11, 2018 in addition to the change discussed above.

The Form I-797 receipt notices serve as evidence for a conditional permanent residents’ status in the United States and also as the official document international travel after the expiration of the conditional green card, making this a significant procedural change.