United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced that US lawful permanent residents (“LPRs”) who find themselves without a valid Green Card in their possession to demonstrate their current LPR status may now receive temporary evidence of their status by mail, rather than having to physically visit a field office to receive an Alien Documentation, Identification and Telecommunication (“ADIT”) stamp, which is also known as an I-551 stamp.

An ADIT stamp is affixed to a page in one’s passport and acts as temporary proof of lawful permanent resident status. LPRs are entitled to evidence of status and may require temporary evidence of their status in the form afforded by an ADIT stamp if:

They do not have their Green Card; or
Their Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card), Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, or Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, is still pending adjudication and their Green Card and extension notice have expired.

If processing times for the forms listed above are delayed, they may request an appointment from their local USCIS field office to obtain an ADIT stamp. Traditionally, in-person appointments were the only means by which to obtain the stamp. Now, USCIS at its discretion will determine if an in-person appointment is in fact needed. If it is determined that a physical visit requiring a scheduled appointment at a field office is not required, USCIS will mail the applicant a “Form I-94 with an ADIT stamp, DHS seal, and a printed photo of the lawful permanent resident obtained from USCIS systems.”