Immigration Corner | How can I renew my green card from Jamaica?

Dear Attorney Walker-Huntington:

Could you advise whether one is able to have a green card renewed while still in Jamaica. I have been in Jamaica for 10 months, unwell. The card has now expired since January. Kindly advise.

AV

Dear AV:

Sorry to hear that you have been unwell.

When a Green Card holder spends more time out of the United States that they do in the US, it raises the presumption that they do not want to live in America. Sadly, some people get caught in the situation that you are in where they remain outside the United States for an extended period of time due to illness or some other reason that they never intended when they left the US.

You have the added issue of your Green Card expiring while outside of the United States. You would first need to apply to renew the Green Card – which you can do while outside the country. However, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will need biometrics to complete the renewal application. At times, USCIS reuses the applicant’s biometrics they have on file, or they may request an in-person appearance at a processing centre in the United States to capture the biometrics. If no biometrics is required, and you receive your Green Card, you can travel but please ensure that you do not remain outside the US for more than a year.

If USCIS wants your biometrics, your problem will be boarding the plane with an expired Green Card. If you are required to appear in person for biometrics, you must contact the US Embassy in Kingston to request a Boarding Foil. Among the procedures for applying for the Boarding Foil, you will need to provide evidence to the US Embassy of your previous residence in America along with evidence of your extended illness, and the reason why you are in Jamaica.

If you remain outside the United States for a year or more and are required to travel in the Green Card renewal process, you must apply at the US Embassy to return to America as a Returning Resident.

Dahlia A. Walker-Huntington, Esq. is a Jamaican-American attorney who practises immigration law in the United States; and family, criminal and international law in Florida. She is a mediator and former special magistrate and hearing officer in Broward County, Florida. info@walkerhuntington.com