In the U.S. waiting for green card - questions

[ferg9]

Hey guys. My wife was granted her CR-1 visa a couple months ago. We are now in the U.S. but are a bit confused about few things.

 

1. The visa inside her passport says "Expires: November 29th 2015". Is this because her green card will eventually replace the visa and she won't need the visa which is inside her passport?

 

2. We got a request from USCIS to pay a fee of $165 before she can get her "Permanent Residence Card". Are "green card" and "permanent residence card" the same?

 

3. After we pay the $165 fee, how soon can we expect the permanent residence / green card to arrive?

 

 

Lastly I want to thank all who helped us get through this process, from deciding whether to file a K-1 or a CR-1 all the way through to now. I never posted after we went through the interview and were approved, but we could not have done it without the help of people here. Dan and Randy especially, thank you for dedicating time to helping so many others!! You guys deserve some kind of award.

[dnoblett]

1. Visa expiration date is just the last day it can be used to enter the USA, once it is used it will serve as green-card for up to 1 year until the actual card arrives.

 

2. Yes, that is the processing fee, you need to pay to get the actual card. Pay here: http://www.uscis.gov/uscis-elis/how-pay-uscis-immigrant-fee-uscis-electronic-immigration-system

 

3. 6 to 8 weeks, however it can take longer, again the I-551 notation on the visa serves as a 1 year temporary green card.