USCIS releases new design for green cards

New design for PRs, EADs adds a series of new security measures for the immigration documents

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a new design for Permanent Resident Cards, or green cards, and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs), adding a series of new security measures for the immigration documents.

USCIS started issuing the new cards on Monday, but older cards will remain valid until their expiration date.

“This redesign further demonstrates USCIS’ commitment to taking a proactive approach against the threat of secure document tampering, counterfeiting, and fraud,” USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou stated.

Read: USCIS expanding premium processing for EB-1 and EB-2 (January 13, 2023)

“Consistent updates to secure documents, informed by our knowledge of the latest methods of bad actors and the innovation and ingenuity of our staff, ensure the continued integrity of secure documents issued by our agency.”

The new Green Card and EAD designs contain state-of-the-art technology that continue to safeguard national security and improve service for customers, according to USCIS.

Changes include improved detailed artwork; tactile printing that is better integrated with the artwork; enhanced optically variable ink; highly secure holographic images on the front and back of the cards; a layer-reveal feature with a partial window on the back photo box; and data fields displayed in different places than on previous versions.

Some Green Cards and EADs issued after Jan 30 may still display the existing design format because USCIS will continue using existing card stock until current supplies are depleted.

Both versions of the cards are acceptable for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification; E-Verify; and Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE).

Though existing cards will remain valid, USCIS is encouraging people who have older versions without expiration dates to apply for a replacement in order to prevent fraud if the older card is ever lost or stolen.

According to USCIS, the current card design was introduced in May 2017, and the agency aims to issue redesigns every three to five years as part of its part of its Secure Identification Platform (SIP) Project which began in 2019.

Permanent Resident Cards and EADs serve as proof of authorization to work in the United States for qualifying immigrants.

Green cards are granted to legal permanent residents, a majority of whom are eligible to apply for citizenship. EADs are granted to foreign nationals who can work but don’t have a temporary work visa.

Read: USCIS Redesigns Green Card and Employment Authorization Document (January 30, 2023)

According to the Department of Homeland Security, there are almost 13 million legal permanent residents in the United States — that number declined by 1.7 percent from 2021 to 2022 as more permanent residents chose to pursue naturalization.

Over 8,00,000 Indian nationals are stuck in decades long green card backlog in US as no more than 7% of 140,000 employment based green cards issued every year can be given to nationals of any one country irrespective of its size.