How to file Form I-751 (Remove Conditions — joint petition)
A marriage-based green card approved before the marriage's second anniversary is conditional — valid two years, with Form I-751 as the exit into full permanent residence. This page covers the joint petition, filed by the couple together; where the marriage has ended or joint filing isn't possible, waiver categories exist and belong with an attorney, as the end of this page explains. Every claim is cited; general process description, not advice about any individual case.
The 90-day window
The joint petition is filed in the 90 days before the conditional card expires — one of the strictly enforced windows in immigration filing. The math starts from the card's expiration date, and the window belongs on a calendar the day the conditional card arrives.
The fee and the filing
Under the current G-1055 schedule the I-751 costs $750 on paper or $700 online. Filing extends conditional-resident status while the petition is pending — the receipt notice currently serves as evidence of a 48-month extension of the expiring card, a detail confirmed by counsel on this site's record. USCIS fees change periodically — before filing, verify current amounts on the official USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055) at uscis.gov/g-1055.
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The evidence: the same question, two years later
The I-751 tests the marriage's continued bona fides — the same categories as the original case, accumulated since approval: joint finances, shared residence, children where applicable, affidavits from people who know the couple. Couples who kept collecting the ordinary paper of a shared life file from a folder; couples who didn't, reconstruct. The bona-fide evidence guide in the related pages covers the categories in depth.
When joint filing isn't possible
Where the marriage has ended or the joint petition can't be filed — after divorce, abuse, a spouse's death, or extreme hardship — waiver categories exist. Those cases involve individualized legal judgment: this site identifies them during its assessment and refers them to a licensed immigration attorney rather than filing them, and this page deliberately offers no waiver guidance beyond that.
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When is the I-751 filed?
The joint petition is filed in the 90 days before the conditional 2-year card expires — a strictly enforced window.
How much does the I-751 cost?
$750 on paper or $700 online under the current schedule. Fees change — verify at uscis.gov/g-1055.
What happens to status while it's pending?
Filing extends conditional-resident status — the receipt notice currently evidences a 48-month extension of the expiring card (counsel-confirmed on this site's record).
What evidence does the joint petition need?
Continued bona fides since approval: joint finances, shared residence, children where applicable, and affidavits — the same categories as the original case, accumulated over the conditional period.
What if the marriage ended?
Waiver categories exist for divorce, abuse, a spouse's death, and extreme hardship — and they belong with a licensed immigration attorney. This site flags those situations and refers them rather than filing them.