Your next steps are to confirm when your residence began, secure and inspect your card and SSN, complete the few duties that apply to you, and protect your status during travel and tax filing.
“I just got my Green Card approved. What are the next steps I should take?”
Summary
The approval is the big step: once you are an LPR, you may live and work permanently in the United States, subject to the ordinary rules that preserve that status. Most next steps are administrative—secure the card and SSN, meet reporting duties, and calendar any conditional‑residence deadline.
Your immediate route depends on whether USCIS approved Form I-485 inside the United States or a consulate approved an immigrant visa abroad.
You are now a ; USCIS’s After Receiving a Decision page says it mails a welcome notice and then the Green Card [2]. You do not pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee for this route. Track the shipment in your USCIS online account and follow the card‑tracking guidance below.
The visa lets you travel to seek admission, but USCIS’s Consular Processing rule says you become a only when CBP admits you [1]. Pay the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee online unless already paid or exempt; the endorsed (MRIV) in your passport is evidence for one year from admission while you wait for the card [3], [7].
Either route can produce two-year conditional residence, so inspect the card and calendar any I-751 or I-829 filing window.
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Watch out for
Next steps
These steps secure your proof of status first, then put work, records, compliance, travel, and long‑term deadlines in the right order.
Do this first
Confirm which approval path applies
If USCIS approved Form I‑485, you are already an LPR and USCIS will mail the welcome notice and card [2]. If a consulate approved an immigrant visa, you become an LPR only after CBP admits you [1]; after admission, pay the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee at https://my.uscis.gov/accounts/uscis-immigrant-fee/start/overview unless already paid or exempt [3], [23]. Keep the endorsed immigrant visa: it is temporary I‑551 proof for one year from admission [7].
Requirements
While the card is being produced
Track, receive, and inspect your Green Card
Sign in at https://my.uscis.gov/ to get the USPS tracking number when USCIS mails your card [4]. For consular cases, if you do not receive the card within 90 days of paying the immigrant fee (or within 90 days of entering if you paid before arrival), submit USCIS’s online help form for assistance [3]. Check your name, date of birth, category, “Resident Since” date, and expiration immediately. If USCIS caused an error, use the USCIS correction process without a new fee [24]. If you urgently need proof before delivery, call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 to request temporary I‑551/ADIT evidence [25].
Requirements
After card production or U.S. entry
Get or update your Social Security card
If you requested an SSN card on Form I‑485, do not file another application first; SSA says it should arrive no later than 14 days after the Green Card [8]. If you requested it on Form DS‑260, SSA’s POMS says it should arrive within 3 weeks after U.S. entry [9]. If you requested neither, or your old card says “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION,” call 800‑772‑1213 for a Social Security office appointment; there is no fee to update or replace an SSN card.
Requirements
You may work now
Use your permanent work authorization
Do not file Form I‑765 just because the Green Card was approved: an LPR does not need an EAD [5]. For Form I‑9, you may choose the Green Card as a List A document, or choose a valid List B plus List C combination such as a state driver’s license and unrestricted Social Security card; an employer should not reverify an LPR who presented those documents [6].
Requirements
Immediately if applicable
Complete the address, carrying, and Selective Service duties
If your address changed, report it within 10 days at https://www.uscis.gov/addresschange [10]. If you are 18 or older, carry your Green Card or other issued registration evidence [10]. If you are male and 18 through 25, register now at https://www.sss.gov/register/; if you lack an SSN, use SSS Form 1 from https://www.sss.gov/forms/ to register by mail [11], [26].
Requirements
For tax year 2026
Set up your first resident tax year
Keep worldwide‑income records beginning with your U.S.‑resident period. If you did not already meet the substantial‑presence test, IRS rules generally start Green Card residence on the first day you were present as an LPR [18]. If that makes 2026 a dual‑status year and you are resident on December 31, file Form 1040 marked “Dual‑Status Return” and attach the nonresident‑period statement—Form 1040‑NR may be used if marked “Dual‑Status Statement.” The IRS taxes income from all sources during the resident part of the year [19].
Requirements
Before leaving the United States
Protect your status before international travel
For ordinary temporary travel, carry the passport or refugee travel document required for the destination and your Green Card or temporary I‑551 for return [7]. Do not assume a trip under one year is automatically safe: intent and U.S. ties still matter, and six months or more can affect naturalization [16]. If you plan to be outside for more than one year, file Form I‑131 for a reentry permit while physically in the United States and remain for required biometrics; a permit is generally valid for two years, may be limited to one year after extensive prior absences, and cannot outlast conditional residence [17], [23].
Requirements
Before putting the card away
Calendar conditions and future citizenship
If you have marriage‑based conditional residence, file Form I‑751 during the 90 days immediately before expiration; current fees are $700 online or $750 on paper [12], [23]. If joint filing is impossible because of death, divorce or annulment, abuse, or extreme hardship, use the applicable waiver route rather than missing the deadline [15]. If you have EB‑5 conditional residence, file Form I‑829 in the same 90‑day window; the current fee is $3,750 [13], [23]. For citizenship, the ordinary route is five years as an LPR [20]; a qualifying spouse living in marital union with the same U.S. citizen may use the three‑year route [21]. Form N‑400 may be filed up to 90 calendar days before the applicable continuous‑residence period is complete [22].
Requirements
Legal sources
This answer relies on USCIS forms and policy, SSA operational instructions, IRS resident‑tax rules, and Selective Service guidance.
USCIS Consular Processing
A consular immigrant‑visa approval becomes permanent residence only after CBP admits you.
After Your Visa is Granted
If the CBP officer admits you, you will then have lawful permanent resident status and be able to live and work in the United States permanently.
USCIS After Receiving a Decision
After adjustment to permanent residence, USCIS mails a welcome notice and then the physical card.
After you become a permanent resident, we mail you a welcome notice. Then we mail your new Permanent Resident Card (Green Card).
USCIS Immigrant Fee
The immigrant fee controls card production (not status) and sets a 90‑day help threshold for consular cases.
Paying the USCIS Immigrant Fee; Requesting Help
If you do not pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee within the time listed in the notice, you will not receive your Green Card. If you do not pay the fee, it will not affect your status as a lawful permanent resident. If you do not receive your Green Card within 90 days of paying the USCIS Immigrant Fee or entering the United States (if you paid the fee before you arrived) please submit our online help form to request assistance.
USCIS Card-Delivery Guidance
The USCIS account provides the USPS tracking number when USCIS mails a secure card.
Sign into your USCIS online account to receive automatic updates, including your U.S. Postal Service (USPS) tracking number when we mail your card or travel document.
USCIS Employment Authorization Document Guidance
A permanent resident may work without applying for a separate EAD.
You do not need to apply for an EAD if you are a lawful permanent resident. Your Green Card (Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card) is evidence of your employment authorization.
USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274 §7.1
For Form I‑9, an LPR may choose a Green Card or another valid document combination; no reverification is required.
7.1
In Section 2, an LPR may choose to present a List A document (such as Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, commonly referred to as a Green Card) or a List B and C document combination (such as a state-issued driver’s license and unrestricted Social Security card). You are not required to reverify the employment eligibility of a lawful permanent resident who presented these documents and you should not reverify their employment authorization.
USCIS M‑274 §13.1
An endorsed MRIV serves as temporary I‑551 proof for one year from admission.
The temporary Form I-551 MRIV is evidence of permanent resident status for one year from the date of admission.
SSA Enumeration Beyond Entry
An I‑485 applicant who requested an SSN card should receive it within 14 days after the Green Card.
Form I-485
If you complete the section on the application to request an SSN card, then USCIS will send us the data we need to issue an SSN card. If you apply for an SSN card using Form I-485, you do not have to contact a Social Security office to apply for an SSN card. You should receive your SSN card no later than 14 days after you receive your Permanent Resident Card/Form I-551/ “Green Card” from USCIS.
SSA POMS RM 10205.600
A DS‑260 immigrant who requested an SSN receives it automatically and should use the three‑week threshold.
RM 10205.600(H)
The Social Security Administration will automatically assign you an SSN and issue you a Social Security card after you arrive in the United States. If you already have an SSN, a replacement card will be issued. You do not need to fill out a special application or go to a Social Security office to get an SSN. You should receive your Social Security card within 3 weeks after you arrive.
INA 264(e) and INA 265; USCIS Alien Registration Requirement
Permanent residents must report moves within 10 days and, if 18+, must carry registration evidence.
Address Updates; What to Expect After Registering
Under INA 265 and 8 CFR part 265, all aliens in the United States required to register must report a change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving. All aliens 18 years of age and over present in the United States and required to register under INA 262, including but not limited to those who register using the G-325R process, must carry and have in their personal possession evidence of their registration at all times.
USCIS Rights and Responsibilities of a Green Card Holder
USCIS identifies tax reporting and Selective Service as permanent‑resident responsibilities.
As a permanent resident, you are: Required to obey all laws of the United States and localities; Required to file your income tax returns and report your income to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities; Expected to support the democratic form of government (“support” does not include voting. Permanent residents cannot vote in federal, state, or local elections.); and Required to register with the Selective Service, if you are a male age 18 through 25.
Form I-751
Marriage‑based conditional residents must file Form I‑751 in the final 90 days of conditional residence.
When to File
You must file your Form I-751 during the 90-day period immediately before your conditional residence expires.
Form I-829
EB‑5 conditional residents must file Form I‑829 in the final 90 days of conditional residence.
When to File
If you are a conditional permanent resident who obtained status through investment in a new commercial enterprise, you must file Form I-829 during the 90-day period immediately before your conditional residence expires.
USCIS Conditional Permanent Residence
Failure to remove conditions can end permanent‑resident status and make the person removable.
If your conditions are not removed, you will lose your permanent resident status and you will become removable from the United States.
USCIS I-751 Waiver Guidance
Marriage‑based conditional residents with qualifying waiver grounds may file outside the joint‑filing window.
How to Apply for a Waiver of the Requirement to File a Joint Petition
If you are filing to waive the joint filing requirement, you may file before or after the 90-day period immediately before your conditional Green Card expires, until a final order of removal has been issued.
USCIS International Travel as a Permanent Resident
Trip length alone does not prevent abandonment, and six‑month absences can harm later naturalization.
Does travel outside the United States affect my permanent resident status?
Abandonment may be found to occur in trips of less than a year where it is believed you did not intend to make the United States your permanent residence. Additionally, absences from the United States of six months or more may disrupt the continuous residency required for naturalization.
Form I-131 Instructions
A reentry‑permit applicant must file and complete biometrics while in the U.S.; permits are generally valid 2 years, can be limited to 1 year after extensive absences, and cannot outlast conditional residence.
page 5
The alien must be physically present in the United States when they file the Reentry Permit application and complete the biometric services requirement. A Reentry Permit is generally valid for 2 years from the date of issuance. Reentry Permits issued to lawful permanent residents who have been outside the United States for more than 4 of the last 5 years will be limited to 1 year validity. A Reentry Permit issued to a conditional permanent resident cannot be valid beyond the date the conditional resident status expires.
IRS Green Card Test
For someone who does not also meet substantial presence, LPR tax residency starts the first day present as an LPR.
If you meet the green card test at any time during the calendar year, but do not meet the substantial presence test for that year, your residency starting date is the first day on which you are present in the United States as a lawful permanent resident.
IRS Dual-Status Taxation Guidance
The IRS gives the filing method and income scope for a person who becomes a resident during the year.
You must file Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, if you are a dual-status taxpayer who becomes a U.S. resident during the year and who is a resident of the U.S. on the last day of the tax year. Write 'Dual-Status Return' across the top of the return. Attach a statement to your return to show the income for the part of the year you are a nonresident. You can use Form 1040NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return as the statement, but be sure to write 'Dual-Status Statement' across the top. For the part of the year you are a U.S. resident, you are taxed on income from all sources.
USCIS Five-Year Naturalization Path
Five years as an LPR is the ordinary naturalization path.
The most common path to U.S. citizenship through naturalization is being a lawful permanent resident (LPR) for at least five years.
USCIS Policy Manual Vol. 12, Pt. G, Ch. 3
A qualifying spouse of a U.S. citizen may use the special three‑year residence path.
A. General Eligibility for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
The spouse must have continuously resided in the United States after becoming an LPR for at least 3 years immediately preceding the date of filing the naturalization application and up to the time of naturalization.
Form N-400
USCIS allows Form N‑400 filing up to 90 days before the continuous‑residence period is complete.
You may file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, 90 calendar days before you complete your continuous residence requirement.
Form G-1055 Fee Schedule
The May 29, 2026 USCIS schedule supplies the current fees used in this answer.
USCIS Immigrant Fee; Forms I-90, I-751, I-829, and I-131
USCIS Immigrant Fee $235. I-90 General Filing Online Filing: $415 Paper Filing: $465. I-751 General Filing Online Filing: $700 Paper Filing: $750. I-829 General filing $3,750. I-131 Reentry Permit Paper Filing: $630.
USCIS Document Correction Guidance
A USCIS‑caused error on the new card is corrected by filing the replacement without a new fee.
Incorrect Information or Data
If you received your document from USCIS with an error that is not your fault, you generally must file a new form, but not pay a new fee.
USCIS I-90
Form I‑90 cannot be used to remove conditions on residence.
DO NOT submit this form if you are a conditional resident seeking to remove conditions on your Green Card.
myUSCIS Appointment
USCIS’s appointment page directs permanent residents who need temporary evidence to call the Contact Center.
I am a permanent resident and have not received my Green Card … call the USCIS Contact Center at (800) 375-5283.
Selective Service Printable Forms
Selective Service provides SSS Form 1 for mail‑in registration if you do not have an SSN.
Use this form if you are having trouble registering online or you don't have a social security number. Selective Service System registration form. SSS Form 1
These are the official rules as published on the cited dates; immigration, tax, fee, and agency procedures can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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