Green Card Expired 30 years ago

[BernardC]

What is the name of your state?Florida
I am trying to help my brother in law out. I do not know what is wrong with him. He has some type of disorder where he does not seem to be able to take care of business that well. Anyway he has been in the United States since he was a teenage. He is now 68 years old. He has been married to my sister for 40 years. He is from the Dominican Republic, had a green card, and never renewed it when it expired over 30 years ago. I do not even know how that is possible. He retired from 20 years in the Navy and plans on retiring from his current job. Problem is he now wants to get his green card up to date so he can apply for his Social Security and Medicare. He is afraid because he thinks he will be deported. He is a law-abiding person with no criminal record, an hornorable discharge from 20 years of service in the Navy. Will he run into problems if he goes to get his green card renewed after all this time?

 

[quincy]

Your brother-in-law should speak to an immigration lawyer. The lawyer can tell him if he is eligible to get a replacement green card or if more is involved.

https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/after-we-grant-your-green-card/replace-your-green-card

 

[zddoodah]

The only conceivable answer to your question is "maybe." He would be wise to retain the services of a local immigration attorney.

 

[quincy]

If your brother-in-law is primarily concerned about being deported because he let his green card expire, there are several issues that can lead to deportation but simply having an expired green card is not one of them.

 

[Bali Hai Again]

The green card has expired, his US residency status did not expire. If it were me I would simply reapply for the green card and retain an attorney if necessary. I seriously doubt he will need an attorney.

I was behind a person at the non-US citizen customs entry line at JFK. The customs agent told the person that his green card had expired, told him to get it renewed and sent him on his way.

 

[quincy]

The green card has expired, his US residency status did not expire. If it were me I would simply reapply for the green card and retain an attorney if necessary. I seriously doubt he will need an attorney.

I was behind a person at the non-US citizen customs entry line at JFK. The customs agent told the person that his green card had expired, told him to get it renewed and sent him on his way.

Although the brother-in-law probably could renew his green card on his own without attorney involvement, my advice remains the same. I believe the brother-in-law should speak with an immigration lawyer so, if there are any issues that could be a problem for the brother-in-law, they can be addressed first.

 

[LdiJ]

What is the name of your state?Florida
I am trying to help my brother in law out. I do not know what is wrong with him. He has some type of disorder where he does not seem to be able to take care of business that well. Anyway he has been in the United States since he was a teenage. He is now 68 years old. He has been married to my sister for 40 years. He is from the Dominican Republic, had a green card, and never renewed it when it expired over 30 years ago. I do not even know how that is possible. He retired from 20 years in the Navy and plans on retiring from his current job. Problem is he now wants to get his green card up to date so he can apply for his Social Security and Medicare. He is afraid because he thinks he will be deported. He is a law-abiding person with no criminal record, an hornorable discharge from 20 years of service in the Navy. Will he run into problems if he goes to get his green card renewed after all this time?

While a green card can expire, someone's legal residency usually does not. However, it would be in his best interest to get an immigration attorney involved in the renewal of his green card. That is the safest way to ensure that he won't run into any complications. It also might be in his best interest to apply for citizenship at this point. He should discuss that with the immigration attorney.