Green card approved? Here's what to do next.

Check your name, date of birth, country of birth, and the "Resident Since" date. The waiting time for citizenship is counted from that date. If anything is wrong, fix it with Form I-90 (no fee if the error was made by DHS/USCIS).

Scan the card (front and back) and the I-797 approval notice. Keep your old visas, I-94s and work permit (EAD) in the same folder.

The law requires this for everyone 18 and older, and not carrying it can be a crime (a misdemeanor). Carry the original with you and keep a copy at home.

Use it to track cases and update your address.

Most cards are valid for 10 years. Renew with Form I-90 in the 6 months before it expires. Your status doesn't end when the card expires, but you need a valid card to work, travel and prove status. A 2-year card is different: file Form I-751 (marriage-based) or Form I-829 (investor) in the 90 days before it expires.

Tell HR and the immigration team you've moved from a work visa or work permit (H-1B, L-1, EAD) to a green card, so they stop tracking visa expiration dates. Ask the attorney to close any pending H-1B filings. Once your green card is on file, your employer shouldn't ask you to re-verify it when it expires.

Your Social Security number never changes. Updating your status gets you a replacement card without the "Valid for work only with DHS authorization" line. Your old card plus your green card is still fine for work. Start online and SSA will book an appointment. Bring your green card and passport. It's free.

Your old license may expire with your visa. Take your green card to the DMV and ask for the longest validity your state allows. Make sure it's a REAL ID. For domestic flights you need a REAL ID or another accepted ID, like your green card or passport.

Men must register before their 26th birthday (ages 18 through 25). Skipping it can cause problems on your citizenship application.

Past 26 and never registered? You can no longer register. USCIS says men who did not live in the U.S. between ages 18 and 26, or who kept lawful nonimmigrant status (such as F-1 or H-1B) that whole time, were not required to register. If you were required and didn't, it can delay citizenship, but the law says a benefit can't be denied if you show the failure wasn't knowing and willful. Talk to an immigration attorney before you file the N-400.

A child who is a permanent resident must register and file Form I-90 in the 30 days after turning 14. It includes fingerprinting. Put the birthday in your calendar now.

This is Form AR-11. Your USCIS online account is the fastest way to do it.

Write down every date you leave and come back. You'll need it for citizenship. Check it against CBP's "Travel History" records.

Green card holders can apply. It's $120 for 5 years, and many travel credit cards pay it back. Tip from Reddit: once you're conditionally approved, do the interview through "Enrollment on Arrival" when you land from an international trip. It's much faster than waiting for an appointment.

If you might be away close to a year or longer, apply for a re-entry permit (Form I-131) while you're still in the U.S. Plan to stay for the biometrics appointment (fingerprints and photo). It's usually valid for up to 2 years. It helps protect your green card, but not your continuous residence for citizenship.

Report worldwide income. Calling yourself a nonresident on a U.S. tax return can be treated as giving up your green card. First year here, or taxed in another country too? Ask a tax professional. Keep every return; the citizenship application asks about them.

After you file each year, download that year's transcript into your citizenship folder. It's the IRS's own record of what you filed: not the same as filing, and not your copy of the return. Free.

• N-400: bring 5 years (3 on the 3-year path, married to a citizen). USCIS's checklist requires them after any trip of 6 months or more; on the 3-year path they're one accepted way to document the marriage. Commonly requested at the interview.
• Why yearly: the "tax return transcript" only covers the current and 3 prior years.
• Missed some years? The "tax account transcript" in your IRS online account covers the current and 9 prior years. By mail: current and 3 prior, in 5 to 10 days.

If your foreign accounts add up to more than $10,000 at any point in the year, file an FBAR. Larger balances also need Form 8938 with your tax return. If single: more than $50,000 at year-end or $75,000 at any time. If married filing jointly: $100,000 or $150,000.

More lenders and loan programs are open to you now, so it's worth getting fresh quotes. Your rate still depends on credit, income and down payment.

• Continuous residence (a trip of 6 months or more can break it, see Travel)
• Physically in the U.S. at least 30 of the 60 months (18 of 36 on the 3-year path)
• Lived in your state for 3 months before filing
• Good moral character
• English test + civics test

• Travel log
• 5 years of tax returns, plus IRS tax transcripts (see Money & taxes)
• Home addresses and employers for the last 5 years
• Papers for any tickets or court issues

For applications filed on or after Oct 20, 2025: 128 questions to study, up to 20 asked, 12 correct to pass. Practice here: all 128 questions, a mock test, and your own senators, representative and governor.

The fee is $710 online or $760 on paper. Check the current fee before you file.