Expired documents versus expired immigration status.

Many immigration documents have expiration dates; however, an expired immigration document does not necessarily mean the immigration status has expired. For instance, qualified immigration status does not expire even if the immigration documents expire, with the following exceptions:

Lawful Permanent Residents with Conditions (2-year Conditional Residents): Conditional residents receive a 2-year LPR card, often based on a recent marriage to a U.S. citizen. At the end of the 2 years, they must either file a joint petition to remove the condition or a request for a waiver of the joint filing requirement (for instance, on grounds of divorce and /or domestic violence). Clients with this expired status must provide proof of a pending petition to remove the condition or of an application to waive the joint filing requirement.

Parolees: Their status expires after the expiration date. Parolees usually have an I-94 arrival/departure record stamped with an entry and expiration date. Some may have their expiration date stamped "waived" or "indefinite".

On the other hand, nonqualified immigration status (including those in the U.S. on nonimmigrant visas) typically expires when their immigration documents expire.