The Perils of Neglecting to Renew Your Green Card
The golden rule of U.S. immigration is "maintain your status" (or, in the case of permanent residents, "maintain evidence of your immigration status"). An immigrant's permanent resident card ("green card" or Form I-551) does not grant them permanent resident status. Rather, it merely acts as evidence of their permanent resident status. Consequently, most often, there are no dire immigration consequences for possessing an expired green card. Unfortunately, this does not apply