AOS Forms: I-485, I-864, I-693, I-765, and I-131

The adjustment of status forms package centers on Form I-485, supported by the I-864 affidavit of support, the I-693 medical exam report, and — for most applicants who want to work or travel while their case is pending — Forms I-765 and I-131. The exact combination shifts with your immigrant category, but those four forms cover the vast majority of green card applicants filing from inside the United States.¹

Before You File: Are You Eligible to Adjust

The forms only matter if you qualify to adjust status in the first place. The statute requires that you were inspected and admitted (you entered through a port of entry with a valid visa) or inspected and paroled into the country. If you entered without inspection, you generally cannot adjust status, with narrow exceptions for VAWA self-petitioners and certain people grandfathered under a now-expired provision, INA 245(i).²

You also need an immigrant visa immediately available. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are always current; other categories depend on whether your priority date has been reached on the State Department’s Visa Bulletin. And you must be admissible, meaning no criminal, fraud, or other bars stand between you and a green card.

Form I-485: The Application Itself

Form I-485 is the application. Everything else in the package supports it. The form asks for your full legal name, date of birth, every residential address from the last five years, your employment history over the same period, and your complete immigration history, including prior visa applications, entries, and any removal proceedings.¹

Answer carefully. USCIS cross-references your responses against its own records, and inconsistencies trigger Requests for Evidence that stall your case. A finding that you willfully misrepresented a material fact is worse — it can render you inadmissible and jeopardize future immigration benefits, not just the current application.³

Form I-864: Affidavit of Support

Form I-864 is a legally binding contract between your financial sponsor and the U.S. government. The sponsor agrees to maintain you at an income level of at least 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for the combined household size. Active-duty military members sponsoring a spouse or child qualify at 100 percent.⁴

The sponsor — usually the U.S. citizen or permanent resident who filed the immigrant petition for you — attaches a copy of their most recent federal tax return, W-2s, and any 1099s. Returns from the prior two years and recent pay stubs are also accepted and often help.⁵

If the primary sponsor’s income falls short, a joint sponsor can file a separate I-864. The joint sponsor does not need any family relationship to you. They only need to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident with enough income or assets to lift the household above the poverty guideline threshold. Identify a possible backup sponsor early. It’s much easier to have that person lined up than to scramble for one after an RFE arrives.

Form I-693: Medical Examination Report

Form I-693 documents a medical exam performed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon. Not your regular doctor. The exam screens for communicable diseases of public health significance and confirms required vaccinations. You complete Part 1; the civil surgeon completes the rest.⁶

After the exam, the civil surgeon seals the completed form in an envelope. Do not open it. USCIS will reject an I-693 whose envelope has been opened or tampered with in any way.⁷

Timing changed recently. For any I-693 signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023, the form is valid only while the associated I-485 remains pending. If your application is denied or withdrawn, the exam does not carry over to a future filing — you would need a new one.⁸

Civil surgeon fees are not regulated by USCIS and vary widely — typically from a few hundred dollars to more than a thousand depending on which vaccinations you need. Call several designated physicians before booking.

Form I-765: Employment Authorization

Form I-765 asks USCIS for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), which lets you work for any U.S. employer while your I-485 is pending.⁹

Most adjustment applicants file under eligibility category (c)(9), which corresponds to a pending I-485. That is not universal. Refugees adjusting under INA section 209 file under (a)(3). Asylees adjusting under section 209 file under (a)(5). Filing under the wrong category can get you rejected, so read the I-765 instructions for your specific situation before checking a box.¹⁰

Form I-131: Advance Parole for Travel

Form I-131 requests an advance parole document, which gives you permission to leave the United States and return without abandoning your pending adjustment application.¹¹

This is where people make costly mistakes. If you leave the country while your I-485 is pending and you do not hold an approved advance parole document, USCIS treats the application as abandoned. Months of waiting, the fees you paid, and your sealed medical exam are all gone. Certain visa categories such as H-1B and L-1 may permit travel without advance parole, but the safest posture is to have the document in hand before booking any international trip.

The Combined EAD/Advance Parole Card

Filing Forms I-765 and I-131 together — either alongside your I-485 or afterward — lets USCIS issue a single combined card that serves as both work permit and travel document. To get the combined card, both forms must be filed together, and your name and address must appear identically on each.¹²

Supporting Documents

Forms alone aren’t enough. Every I-485 package needs evidence backing up what the forms claim.

Birth certificate showing both parents’ names, with a certified English translation if the original is in another language.
Marriage certificate to establish the qualifying relationship. Include divorce decrees or death certificates for any prior marriages of either spouse.
Copies of all used passport pages and your I-94 arrival/departure record, retrievable through the CBP website.¹³
Two identical passport-style photos meeting USCIS specifications for each form that requires them (I-485, I-765, I-131).
Sponsor tax returns with W-2s for the most recent year, and optionally the prior two, supporting the I-864.⁵

Cross-check dates and addresses across every form before mailing. If your I-485 says you moved in March but an employer letter says April, that inconsistency is exactly what generates a Request for Evidence and delays your case by months.

Fees and Where to Mail the Package

The I-485 filing fee is $1,440 for most applicants ages 14 through 78. Children under 14 filing alongside a parent pay a reduced fee of $950. These amounts include biometrics services. Forms I-765 and I-131 may carry additional fees depending on your filing category. Run your case through the USCIS online fee calculator before writing a check, because fee amounts change.¹⁴

The whole package — forms, supporting documents, photos, and fee payment — goes to a USCIS Lockbox facility. The correct address depends on your state of residence and filing category and is listed in the I-485 instructions. For faster confirmation of receipt, clip a completed Form G-1145 to the front of the package; USCIS will text or email your receipt number once the Lockbox accepts the filing.¹⁵

If a Child Is Included in Your Case

Children listed as derivative beneficiaries must be under 21 and unmarried. Because processing takes years, a child who was 17 when the petition was filed can turn 21 before a visa is available. The Child Status Protection Act protects against that by adjusting the effective age: take the child’s actual age on the date a visa number becomes available and subtract the number of days the underlying I-130 or I-140 was pending. If the result is under 21, the child remains eligible, provided they seek permanent resident status within one year of visa availability.¹⁶

That one-year deadline to “seek to acquire” status is easy to miss and impossible to undo. If a child in your case is close to aging out, file the I-485 as soon as the priority date is current rather than waiting to assemble a flawless package. Supplemental evidence can be added later; a missed deadline cannot.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 7 Part B Chapter 2 – Eligibility Requirements
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 8 Part J Chapter 2 – Overview of Fraud and Willful Misrepresentation
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Finding a Medical Doctor
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Changes Validity Period for Any Form I-693 Signed on or After Nov. 1, 2023
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765 Instructions
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Issue Employment Authorization and Advance Parole Card for Adjustment of Status Applicants
13
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94/I-95 Website
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule
15
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance
16
U.S. Congress. Public Law 107-208 – Child Status Protection Act