If you hold a green card, the rules you most need to track right now are the extended 36-month renewal receipt, the 2024 fee schedule that still governs filings in 2026, and the public charge framework from 2022 that remains in effect while a broader replacement rule sits in proposed form. Alongside those recent shifts, the long-standing obligations on international travel, address reporting, and worldwide income taxes still catch permanent residents off guard, and the penalties for missing them can reach your status itself.
Renewal Receipts Now Extend Your Card 36 Months
When you file Form I-90 to renew an expiring green card, the Form I-797 receipt notice automatically extends the card’s validity for 36 months past the printed expiration date.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Extends Green Card Validity Extension to 36 Months for Green Card Renewals That change took effect September 10, 2024, replacing the earlier 24-month extension, and USCIS reissued updated receipt notices to people who had already filed under the shorter window.
Conditional residents get a longer cushion. A properly filed Form I-751 to remove conditions extends the green card for 48 months past its expiration date, and the same 48-month extension applies to investors who filed Form I-829.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Extends Green Card Validity for Conditional Permanent Residents With a Pending Form I-751
During the extension, your expired card paired with the I-797 receipt notice works as proof of status for work, travel, and daily identification. Employers must accept the combination for Form I-9 verification.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 – 7.1 Lawful Permanent Residents Airlines and border officers recognize it for reentry as well.
If the Extension Runs Out Before the New Card Arrives
Backlogs sometimes outlast even the 36- or 48-month extension. If your case is still pending when the extension expires, you can request an ADIT stamp (Alien Documentation, Identification, and Telecommunications) as temporary proof of status. The stamp goes in your foreign passport or on a Form I-94 and functions the same as a physical green card.
There are two paths. Call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283, explain that your receipt extension has expired, and request a mailed stamp. If mail isn’t workable, schedule an in-person appointment through my.uscis.gov and select “ADIT Stamp” as the reason. Bring your foreign passport, expired green card, the I-797 receipt notice, and a government-issued photo ID.
Current Filing Fees
USCIS updated its fee schedule in 2024, and those amounts remain in effect for 2026. Online filings cost less than paper.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
- Form I-90 (green card renewal): $415 online or $465 by paper.
- Form N-400 (naturalization): $710 online or $760 by paper.
- Form N-400 reduced fee: $380 (paper only) if household income is at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
- Form I-130 (family-based petition): $625 online or $675 by paper.
Some renewals carry no fee at all. If USCIS made an error on your previous card, or the card was returned as undeliverable through no fault of yours, the I-90 is free.
Fee Waivers
Form I-912 lets you request a full waiver for the I-90, I-751, and N-400, among other applications.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver You generally need to show that you receive a means-tested government benefit or that your income falls below the Federal Poverty Guidelines threshold. The evidence must be an official agency document naming the recipient, the benefit type, and confirmation the benefit is active.
You cannot combine the fee waiver with the $380 reduced N-400 fee on the same application. Both options require paper filing.
Public Charge: What the Current Rule Actually Covers
The 2022 rule, codified at 8 CFR 212.21, defines a public charge as someone primarily dependent on government cash assistance for basic living needs or on long-term institutionalization at government expense.6eCFR. 8 CFR 212.21 – Definitions Only a narrow list of benefits counts:
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Cash assistance under TANF for income maintenance
- State or local cash welfare (General Assistance) for income maintenance
- Long-term government-funded institutionalization, such as extended stays in a nursing or mental health facility
SNAP, Medicaid for routine care, housing vouchers, school lunches, CHIP, and Affordable Care Act premium subsidies are not part of the calculation.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual – Volume 8 – Part G – Chapter 2
A Proposed Replacement Rule Is Pending
In November 2025, the Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule that would replace the 2022 framework entirely, remove the current definitions from the Code of Federal Regulations, and give immigration officers broader discretion to consider a wider range of public benefits, potentially including Medicaid and SNAP. DHS indicated it plans to issue future guidance documents outside formal rulemaking to direct how officers apply the standard. The comment period closed in January 2026, and the proposal has not been finalized. The 2022 rule remains in effect until any replacement takes its place, so current use of non-cash benefits does not count against you.
Travel, Absences, and Re-entry
Your green card is permanent, but time abroad can erode it. Trips of six months or more raise a red flag at the border, and you carry the burden of showing you kept ties here, such as a home, a job, or immediate family who stayed behind.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1427 – Requirements of Naturalization
An absence of a year or more without a re-entry permit locks you out. At that point you need either a returning resident (SB-1) visa or a fresh immigrant visa to come back. A re-entry permit, filed on Form I-131 before you leave, protects against a finding of abandonment for trips of up to two years.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1203 – Reentry Permit The permit lasts a maximum of two years from issuance, cannot be renewed, and must be filed while you are physically in the United States.
The Effect on Naturalization
Continuous residence for naturalization is a separate question from abandonment. Federal law requires five years of continuous residence before filing Form N-400 (three years if married to a U.S. citizen). An absence of more than six months but less than one year during that period is presumed to break continuity, and you can rebut the presumption with evidence that you never actually gave up your U.S. residence, such as keeping a job, keeping a home, and having immediate family remain here.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual – Continuous Residence
An absence of a year or more is much harder to salvage. It automatically breaks continuous residence with limited exceptions, mostly for people employed by the U.S. government or certain American companies abroad who filed Form N-470 before leaving. Otherwise, the clock starts over after you return.
The SB-1 Returning Resident Visa
If you stayed abroad longer than a re-entry permit allowed, or left without one and were gone more than a year, an SB-1 visa may let you recover your status. You have to show that you held lawful permanent resident status when you left, that you always intended to return, and that your extended absence was caused by circumstances beyond your control.11U.S. Department of State. Returning Resident Visas Medical emergencies, armed conflict, and family crises are the kinds of situations that qualify. Choosing to stay longer does not.
Report an Address Change Within 10 Days
Federal law requires every green card holder to report a new address within 10 days of moving.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1305 – Notices of Change of Address Most people never think about this rule, and the penalties are steep for something that feels administrative.
Failing to report is a federal misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $200, up to 30 days of imprisonment, or both. The violation is also an independent ground for deportation, regardless of whether you are ever criminally charged, and the only defense is proving the failure was reasonably excusable or not willful.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1306 – Penalties14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1227 – Deportable Aliens
The easiest path is the online Enterprise Change of Address (E-COA) system, which updates your address across every pending USCIS application and gives you immediate confirmation. Paper filers can send Form AR-11.15U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Alien’s Change of Address Card (Form AR-11) One thing E-COA does not do: if you are in immigration court proceedings, updating USCIS does not update the court. Notify the court separately.
You Owe U.S. Taxes on Worldwide Income
As a lawful permanent resident, you are a U.S. tax resident, and you must report worldwide income on a federal return every year, including income earned abroad.16Internal Revenue Service. Tax Information and Responsibilities for New Immigrants to the United States The obligation continues for as long as you hold the card, even if you live outside the country.
The rules are the same as for U.S. citizens: wages, investments, rental properties, business income, and foreign accounts all get reported. If your foreign financial accounts exceed certain thresholds, you may also owe an FBAR and FATCA reporting.
Tax compliance affects your immigration case directly. Naturalization officers routinely request tax transcripts during N-400 interviews, and a pattern of unfiled returns can be treated as evidence of poor moral character and grounds for denial. If you eventually give up your green card after holding it for eight or more of the preceding 15 years, you are considered a long-term resident and may face an exit tax on unrealized gains.17Internal Revenue Service. Publication 519 – U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens The 2025 net income tax threshold was an average annual net tax liability over the preceding five years of $206,000, or a net worth of $2 million or more.
Biometrics: Reuse Policy Excludes the Forms You File Most
As of December 2025, USCIS lets itself reuse a previously captured photograph if it is less than 36 months old. The reuse policy specifically excludes Form I-90, Form I-751, and Form N-400, so a green card renewal, a petition to remove conditions, and a naturalization application each still require a fresh biometrics appointment at an Application Support Center.
If you cannot make an appointment, reschedule through your USCIS online account before the scheduled date and show good cause. Missing the appointment without rescheduling can lead USCIS to treat your application as abandoned and deny it.18U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment Bring the Form I-797C appointment notice, a valid photo ID such as your green card or passport, and any other appointment notices you have received. At the appointment you will provide a digital signature attesting under penalty of perjury that the information in your application is accurate. USCIS does not provide interpreters at biometrics appointments, so bring one if you need help understanding the process.