Follow-up to I-601 ... Green Card Ques

Finally, after 6 years of filing his I-485 my husband received a letter from the BCIS stating, "Congratulations, you have been granted permanent residence in the United States."
We filed our case back in 1997 in Atlanta, moved to Florida in 2001, and were notified this past April we'd have to complete an I-601 waiver and prove "extreme hardship" (see my posts in May of this year)--well, it turned out the BCIS was wrong in its interpretation of the law, and we didn't have to fill the waiver out. When we were looking for attorneys to handle this matter, two attorneys we discssed our case with initially sided with the BCIS, until I pleaded with the one we decided to go with to re-read the law--it turns out I was correct. So, please, please, do your homeowork--as I'm sure you all are by reading this discussion board.
I do have a few questions now that my husband is a permanent resident:
1. How long is a Green Card valid for? (the letter says we will be receiving registration card form I-551 in the mail)
2. How long until my husband can apply for citizenship?
Thanks so much-

Finally, after 6 years of filing his I-485 my husband received a letter from the BCIS stating, "Congratulations, you have been granted permanent residence in the United States."
We filed our case back in 1997 in Atlanta, moved to Florida in 2001, and were notified this past April we'd have to complete an I-601 waiver and prove "extreme hardship" (see my posts in May of this year)--well, it turned out the BCIS was wrong in its interpretation of the law, and we didn't have to fill the waiver out. When we were looking for attorneys to handle this matter, two attorneys we discssed our case with initially sided with the BCIS, until I pleaded with the one we decided to go with to re-read the law--it turns out I was correct. So, please, please, do your homeowork--as I'm sure you all are by reading this discussion board.
I do have a few questions now that my husband is a permanent resident:
1. How long is a Green Card valid for? (the letter says we will be receiving registration card form I-551 in the mail)
2. How long until my husband can apply for citizenship?
Thanks so much-

Green card will be valid for 10 years (instead of 2) because you've been married for over two years. Permanent residency will never expire (unless you decide to abandon it) and you can renew the card as many times as needed.

Permanent residents married to a USC can apply for a US citizenship after 3 years of being in a permanent resident status. This means that he'll have to wait another 3 years before applying for citizenship.

Thank you!

Thats not true. jmg please check the green card you got. It should expire after 10 years because the marriage was more than 2 years old at the time of adjudication of the petition.

Please check the time period between issue date of the card and the "Valid untill" date, and tell us how many years are in between. Either 2 or 10 years.

If its 2 years, then thats condition PR otherwise thats the permanent residence or green card.

Thanks!

Her husband WILL receive a 10 year green card because final adjudication only took place recently and they WERE married for over two year at that time. Normally BCIS mails out an approval notice a few days after the adjudication.

Jmg did you ever file I 601 and where were your husband during last six years? I am also in the processing of filing I 601 for my husband but he is not in the US. The lawyer was telling me that it's much easier to get approved I 601 if the person is in US.
SNS

[mohan]

wrong answer by your lawyer.

No, we were about to start the process of listing the reasons for extreme hardship as required by the I-601, when I kept asking the lawyer why the law applied to my husband. Then, the lawyer agreed with me that my husband was not subject to the law (he was approved for an advance parole and left the country, but he was not here illegally for more than 180 days--the clock started ticking on April 1, 1997 and we filed in June 1997). The BCIS agreed and my husband received his green card in the mail yesterday--it's good for 10 years. For the entire 6 years (except for the advance parole to leave) we have been living in the U.S.
jmg

[mohan]

My answer was for SNS, whos attorney said "The lawyer was telling me that it's much easier to get approved I 601 if the person is in US".