In April, USCIS announced a redesign of the Permanent Resident Card (i.e. Green Card) and Employment Authorization Document (EAD). The new-look documents started being issued in May, so some of you may have already received them.
Why is USCIS doing this?
The redesign is part of the Next Generation Secure Identification Document Project, an effort to create documents that are more secure and harder to alter. The goal is to reduce fraud and counterfeiting.
What is being changed?
The redesigned Green Cards and EADs will:
- Show your photos on both the front and back.
- No longer include your signature.
- No longer include an optical stripe (which was previously on the back of Green Cards).
- Include embedded holographic images.
- Include a “unique graphic image and color palette”.
Permanent Resident Cards will be predominantly green and display the Statue of Liberty. (Yes, Green Cards are actually green again!) Employment Authorization Documents will be predominantly red and display a bald eagle.
Is my card or EAD valid if it doesn’t have the new design?
Yes. All previous Green Card and EAD designs will remain valid until the expiration date for the card has passed. That is true even if you possess an older Green Card that does not list the expiration date on the card.
Moreover, even now some people will receive documents with the old design because USCIS plans to continue using it until they run out of their supplies.