I-90 Instructions: Your Guide to Completing with Ease

Table of Contents

Form I-90, which is officially referred to as Application to Replace/Renew a Permanent Resident Card, is the required form for legally recognized Permanent Residents and Permanent Residents in commuter status. It is submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to either renew an expired or soon-to-expire green card, or obtain a replacement for a lost, stolen, or damaged green card.

This article provides step-by-step instructions (general and specific) on how to fill out and file Form I-90, the application used to renew or replace a green card.

General I-90 Instructions

Below are a few important general instructions to be noted while filling out the application.

  1. Form: Use the latest version of Form I-90 from the USCIS website free of cost. And ensure you have Adobe Reader on your machine to view and print the form.
  2. Signature: It is mandatorily important for the application to be signed in respective places unless it is an online form.
  3. Filing Fee: Every form has a respective standard filing fee. You must submit your application with the appropriate fees to be paid.
  4. Evidence: You must attach all the required and specified documents along with your form as a complete package.
  5. Biometric Services Appointment: USCIS may inform you to attend the biometric appointment to take the photographs, biometrics, signature and get additional information to make a firm decision on your application submitted. It will be informed to you through a notice.
  6. Copies: You need to submit photocopies of your supporting documents to the USCIS not the original copies. On the request basis you can submit the original copies to USCIS.
  7. Translations: You can fill the form in your own language. If the language you filled is other than English you need to submit translation for the submitted copies. The translated copy should be signed with authorized translator and ensure the information which is mentioned is correct.
  8. You must use black ink pen to fill the application form.
  9. Read the questions properly and answer the questions which applies to your situation. Leave the question blank if it doesn’t applies.
  10. You can use additional information section or attach a separate sheet and send the application form to provide the answer for the question.

Specific I-90 Instructions

To renew your green card, you will need to complete a seven-page Form I-90 that requests all the necessary information. To aid you in filling out the form, USCIS provides a 13-page instruction sheet. Totally the form has eight parts. Below are the parts and instructions for your easy understanding.

Part 1: Information About You

The initial section of Form I-90 pertains to your personal information and is relatively easy to complete. In this section you can find 16 different item numbers. In each item you should provide appropriate answer. Below are the items in first section.

  1. Alien Registration Number (A-number) – Provide your “A” number if issued by USCIS
  2. USCIS Online Account Number (if any) – Mention the USCIS provided online account number, if you filed your previous form through online
  3. Your full legal name – Write your complete legal name
  4. Your new legal name, if it is changed after the issue of Permanent Resident Card
  5. Provide exact name as in the Green Card – Mention your full name as in your green card
  6. Mailing address – Provide your U.S. mailing address
  7. Residential address – Write your physical address if it is different from your mailing address
  8. Gender – Mention your sex (Male or Female)
  9. Date of birth – Provide your birthday in the format MM/DD/YYYY
  10. Place of birth – Mention the city, town, or village you born
  11. Country of birth – Provide the country where you born
  12. Father’s name – Write your father’s first name
  13. Mother’s name – Write your mother’s first name
  14. Class of admission – Provide three character code which is in your PR card, where you granted your permanent resident status.
  15. Date of admission – Mention the date when you granted the PR status in the format MM/DD/YYYY
  16. U.S. Social Security number (if any) – Write your 9-digit SSN number if you have

Mistakes on your USCIS application forms can lead to rejection, denial, or delay in processing your application. Prepare your application safely and securely using Immigration Direct’s online immigration software to eliminate costly mistakes. Our software provides you with easy-to-understand instructions to prepare and also access to other services to file your application correctly. Check the Green Card Denial Reasons.

Part 2: Application Type

In this second section you need to provide the information related to your application. That is, whether you are permanent resident, permanent resident in commuter status or conditional resident. This is most important because, section to be filled different according to your status.

In this part, you can find two sections A and B. Section A is for permanent residents and permanent residents in commuter status. Section B is for conditional residents.

Section A

In section A, there are 12 scenarios which are mentioned below. You need to select which scenario you are in.

  1. I have lost, stolen, or destroyed my previous card
  2. I never received the card which is issued
  3. My current existing card is mutilated
  4. My current existing card has wrong information because of DHS error
  5. I have changed my name and biographic information legally after getting the card
  6. My current card is expired or expiring in six months of time
  7. I turned 14 and I am registering as required. My current card will expire after my 16th birthday
  8. I turned 14 and I am registering as required. My current card will expire before my 16th birthday
  9. I am a permanent resident who is changing to commuter status
  10. I am in commuter status but reside in the U.S.
  11. My status has automatically converted to LPR
  12. I have early edition of Alien Registration card, or I am applying to replace for some other reason which is not mentioned above

Section B

In section A, there are 12 scenarios which are mentioned below. You need to select which scenario you are in.

  1. I have lost, stolen, or destroyed my previous card
  2. I never received the card which is issued
  3. My current existing card is mutilated
  4. My current existing card has wrong information because of DHS error
  5. I have changed my name and biographic information legally after getting the card

Part 3: Processing Information

This section has 11 types of information which are mentioned below.

  1. Location – Provide the location where you applied your immigrant visa or adjustment of status
  2. Location – Provide the location where your immigrant visa or adjustment of status are issued
  3. Entered U.S. with Immigrant visa – List your destination in the U.S. with city or town and state at the time of admission
  4. You have been deported, or removed or ordered to remove from the United States
  5. Have you filed Form I-407, Abandonment by Alien of Status
  6. Ethnicity and Race – Categories (Hispanic or Latino, White, Asian, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander)
  7. Height – Provide your height in feet and inches. Should not use meters or centimeters
  8. Weight – Write your weights in pounds not in kilograms
  9. Eye color – Select the color of your eyes from the box provided
  10. Hair color – Select the hair color from the box provided

Part 4. Accommodations for Individuals With Disabilities and/or Impairments

This section entirely is for the person with disabilities and/or impairments. USCIS will provide various help to them like accommodations, filing the form, helping in test and interview.

Examples of disabilities and USCIS help

  1. If anyone is deaf or very hard to hear USCIS may offer the provision of a sign language interpreter during their interview or any other appointment related to immigration benefits.
  2. If any person is blind or has low power of eye vision, USCIS allow them to take the oral test instead of a written one.
  3. USCIS will arrange the interview if you the disability of travel to location for an interview

Select “Yes” and write the disability to get help from the USCIS in this section.

Part 5. Applicant’s Statement, Contact Information, Certification, and Signature

In this section you have to select the option that yourself read the application or you have used an interpreter for help. Apart from this you need to provide the day time contact number, email address and sign & date your application. Verify that you have signed in all required places.

Part 6. Interpreter’s Contact Information, Certification, and Signature

This section is for interpreters who assisted you in reading the instructions and questions of the form I-90 in a language you are fluent in. Leave this section blank if you did not use an interpreter. If an interpreter helped you, please provide their name, the name, and address of their business or organization, their contact number, and their email address. The interpreter must sign and date the application.

Part 7. Contact Information, Declaration, and Signature of the Person Preparing this Application, if Other Than the Applicant.

This section is for the person who helped you in preparing and completed the application. If the interpreter and the preparer are same person both part 6 and part 7 need to be filled. You need to provide the information like contact number, email address of the person who helped in form preparation. And that person has to sign and date in the application.

If the person who helped you in the form preparation is attorney or any accredited representative, they should submit a completed Form G-28 along with your I-90 form.

Part 8. Additional Information

This is the last section in the Form I-90. If you require additional space to provide any extra information in this application, please use the space allocated in this section. In the provided space in this section is not sufficient to add the information, you may either make copies of this section to complete and submit with your application or attach a separate sheet of paper. Please ensure that you type or print your name and A-Number (if applicable) at the top of each sheet. Indicate the page number, part number, and item number that your response corresponds to, and sign and date each sheet.

Conclusion

Filling out Form I-90 with complete accuracy can be challenging and stressful, but with proper guidance, it can be made simple and easy. Mistakes can occur, while filling out the form, we are here to help you minimize and even avoid the errors. ImmigrationDirect supports you with the Lawyer Consultation for your queries related to immigration.

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