An adjustment of status checklist covers everything you need to file Form I-485 with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from inside the United States: proof of eligibility, identity and entry documents, financial records, the core USCIS forms, a sealed medical exam, the correct fee, and a clean package mailed to the right Lockbox.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Adjustment of Status Miss an item and USCIS may issue a Request for Evidence that adds months, or reject the package outright.
Confirm You’re Eligible Before You File
Two threshold conditions apply to almost every applicant. You must be physically present in the United States, and you must have been inspected and admitted or paroled by an immigration officer at a port of entry.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Volume 7 – Adjustment of Status Part B – Chapter 2 – Eligibility Requirements Entering without inspection usually blocks adjustment unless a narrow exception like INA 245(i) applies.
You also need an immigrant visa number available to you before USCIS will accept the I-485. Check the Department of State’s monthly Visa Bulletin against your priority date.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Visa Availability and Priority Dates Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents) are exempt from these numerical limits.
In many categories you can file the underlying petition (like Form I-130) and the I-485 together. Concurrent filing is available to immediate relatives, family preference and employment-based applicants when a visa number is immediately available, and several other groups.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Concurrent Filing of Form I-485 It can shave months off the timeline.
A few issues can block the application even when the basics look fine. Certain criminal convictions, health-related grounds, security concerns, prior immigration violations, and previous removal orders trigger inadmissibility.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Admissibility and Waiver Requirements Any prior period of unauthorized employment can bar adjustment under INA 245(c), though immediate relatives, VAWA self-petitioners, special immigrant juveniles, and certain armed forces members are exempt.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 6 – Unauthorized Employment (INA 245(c)(2) and INA 245(c)(8))
Documents to Gather
Your package needs to answer four questions on paper: who you are, how you entered, who is sponsoring you, and how you’ll support yourself. Assemble these before you start filling out forms.
Identity and Birth Records
- Your valid passport (biographic pages).
- A certified copy of your birth certificate, with a complete certified English translation if the original is in another language. If your country doesn’t maintain reliable birth records, check the Department of State’s Country Reciprocity Schedule for acceptable secondary evidence.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Documentation
- Two identical color passport-style photographs, 2 by 2 inches, taken against a white to off-white background on thin glossy paper, with your name and A-Number written lightly in pencil on the back of each.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-485 Instructions
Proof of Legal Entry
- Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record. Most travelers can print an electronic copy from the Customs and Border Protection website.9U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94/I-95 Website
- Copies of any visa stamps or admission records used to enter.
- The approval notice for your underlying petition, such as Form I-130, or a complete copy of the petition itself if you’re filing concurrently.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
Financial Records
- Your most recent federal income tax return with all W-2 forms.
- Recent pay stubs.
- A letter from your employer stating your salary and job title.
- The same set of records from your sponsor for the Affidavit of Support. If the sponsor’s income falls short, a joint sponsor with adequate income prepares a separate set.
Forms to Complete
Form I-485
Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, is the core filing.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status It collects your biographical information and asks a long series of yes-or-no questions about criminal history, immigration violations, and other inadmissibility grounds. Every answer needs to be truthful and consistent with your other documents. Officers cross-check the form against background results, and inconsistencies drive a large share of denials.
Form I-864, Affidavit of Support
Your petitioner completes Form I-864, a legally binding promise to financially support you.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA The sponsor must show household income of at least 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for their household size. Active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces or Coast Guard sponsoring a spouse or child only need to meet 100 percent.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-864 Instructions for Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA The obligation runs until you become a citizen, earn 40 qualifying quarters of Social Security work credits, permanently leave the country, or die.
Forms I-765 and I-131
You can file Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) and Form I-131 (Application for Travel Document) with your I-485 at no additional fee.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Application for Employment Authorization Filed together, they can produce a combination card that works as both a work permit and an advance parole travel document. USCIS offers online filing for some employment-based I-485 applicants, so check whether your category qualifies.15U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Available to File Online
The Medical Exam: Form I-693
Every applicant needs Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, completed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon. Find one through the search tool on the USCIS website.16U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record The visit covers a medical history review, physical examination, screenings for certain communicable diseases, and any missing required vaccinations.
The civil surgeon signs and seals the completed form in an envelope. Submit it to USCIS unopened; a broken seal can lead to rejection.17U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
For forms signed on or after November 1, 2023, USCIS treats the I-693 as valid for the full time your I-485 is pending. There is no separate two-year expiration or 60-day pre-filing window.18U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 4 – Review of Medical Examination Documentation An officer can still request an updated exam if your condition appears to have changed. Book early where civil surgeon appointments are hard to get.
Fees and How to Pay
The I-485 filing fee varies by category and age, and USCIS adjusts fees periodically. Check the current fee schedule for the exact amount that applies to you.19U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule USCIS accepts a personal check, cashier’s check, or money order payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. You can also pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card by completing Form G-1450 and placing it on top of the package.20U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Authorization for Credit Card Transactions
A fee waiver on Form I-912 is available only if you are exempt from the public charge ground of inadmissibility. Qualifying paths include receipt of a means-tested benefit, household income at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or extreme financial hardship.21U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 4 – Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions Most family-based applicants are subject to public charge review and won’t qualify; certain humanitarian categories, such as asylum-based adjustments, are more likely to be eligible.
Assembling and Mailing the Package
Mail the complete package to the correct USCIS Lockbox facility. The right address depends on your category and where you live, so verify it on the USCIS website before shipping. Use a trackable service.
Order matters. Put forms in the sequence the instructions specify, with copies of supporting documents behind the form they support. Disorganized or incomplete packages often get rejected on arrival. Send copies, not originals, unless the form specifically asks for an original document.
Don’t Travel Without Advance Parole
Leaving the United States while your I-485 is pending, without an approved advance parole document, generally causes USCIS to treat the application as abandoned.22U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. While Your Green Card Application Is Pending with USCIS That means lost fees, a restart, and possible unlawful presence bars locking you out of the country.
File Form I-131 before you travel, and wait until the advance parole document or combination card is actually in your hand. Applicants in valid H-1B, H-4, L-1, or L-2 status may be able to reenter on their existing visa, but the rules are specific. Even with advance parole, Customs and Border Protection makes the final admissibility call at the port of entry.
What Happens After You File
Receipt Notice and Biometrics
Once USCIS accepts the package and processes payment, you’ll get Form I-797C, Notice of Action, with a receipt number for online tracking.23U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action A biometrics appointment notice follows, directing you to a local Application Support Center for fingerprints and a photograph used in background checks.
Requests for Evidence
If USCIS needs more, they’ll issue a Request for Evidence. Response windows are typically 30 to 84 calendar days depending on what’s requested. Missing the deadline usually leads to denial on the existing record. Send everything requested in a single response rather than in pieces.
The Interview
Many cases are scheduled for an in-person interview at a USCIS field office. Bring originals of every document you submitted as a copy. In marriage-based cases, the officer will ask questions designed to test whether the marriage is genuine. If the case is approved at the interview, the physical Green Card typically arrives by mail within a few weeks.
Processing Times and Expedites
As of early 2026, USCIS data shows median processing of roughly 5.5 months for family-based I-485 applications and about 6.2 months for employment-based cases.24U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Historic Processing Times Cases with RFEs, security check delays, or interview backlogs run longer. Expedite requests are considered in limited circumstances, including urgent humanitarian situations, severe financial loss, and clear USCIS error.25U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 5 – Expedite Requests A long wait alone doesn’t qualify.
If Your Card Comes With Conditions
If your Green Card is based on a marriage less than two years old when USCIS approves the I-485, you’ll receive conditional permanent residence, valid for two years rather than ten.26U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Conditional Permanent Residence Within the 90-day window before the card expires, file Form I-751, Petition to Remove the Conditions of Residence, jointly with your spouse. Miss that window and you lose permanent resident status and become removable. Put the filing window on your calendar the day the conditional card arrives.