Processing times for green card renewals and replacements have lengthened significantly this year, causing major inconvenience for applicants.
According to USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), the median processing time for Form I-90, used for green card renewals and replacements, reached 8.3 months in the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 (January to March 2025). This is ten times longer than the 0.8 months recorded in the previous quarter (October to December 2024).
Despite a 51% increase in I-90 filings—from 189,000 in the first quarter to 285,000 in the second quarter—the delays remain significant. As of March 2025, the number of pending applications exceeded 356,000.
Green cards generally require renewal every 10 years, and replacements are issued in cases of loss, theft, or damage.
According to the USCIS website, 80% of green card replacement applications are processed within 21.5 months, and 80% of renewals within 12.5 months. This marks a sharp increase compared to recent years: 1.1 months in 2024, 1.2 months in 2022, and 5.2 months in 2021.
To address the delays, USCIS implemented a measure in September 2024, allowing applicants to extend the validity of existing green cards for up to 36 months using only an I-90 receipt notice.
However, experts caution that this measure alone does not fully resolve the inconvenience caused by delays in issuing physical green cards. They emphasize that long processing times can disadvantage applicants, particularly when a physical green card is required for employment, international travel, or identity verification.
BY BRIAN CHOI [choi.inseong@koreadaily.com]
