Form I-485: Filing the Adjustment of Status Application

Form I-485 is the application you file with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become a lawful permanent resident, a green card holder, while you are already physically inside the United States. The base filing fee is $1,440 for applicants age 14 and older, and $950 for children under 14. Instead of leaving the country to pick up an immigrant visa at a U.S. consulate abroad, this form lets you “adjust status” from a temporary category to permanent residence without departing. Approval gives you the right to live and work in the country indefinitely.

Who Can File

Federal law requires most applicants to have been inspected and either admitted or paroled into the United States by an immigration officer at a port of entry.¹ If you entered without inspection, you generally cannot use this process. A narrow exception is Section 245(i), which covers people who were beneficiaries of a visa petition or labor certification filed on or before April 30, 2001, and requires an additional $1,000 penalty.²

You also need to be eligible for an immigrant visa and admissible to the United States. Admissibility covers criminal history, certain health conditions, and past immigration violations. Eligibility categories fall into a few broad groups:

Family-based: immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents), plus more distant relatives who qualify under the preference system.
Employment-based: workers sponsored by U.S. employers across five preference categories.
Humanitarian: refugees, asylees, and T and U visa holders adjusting to permanent status.
Diversity visa lottery winners physically present in the United States.

Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens have a significant advantage. There is no annual cap on visas in their category, so there is no backlog wait.³ Everyone else falls into preference categories with annual limits, and that distinction controls when you can file at all.

When You Can File

Immediate relatives can file Form I-485 as soon as the underlying Form I-130 petition is submitted, and it’s common to file both together in what’s called concurrent filing. Immediate relatives also get another break: even if you fell out of valid nonimmigrant status or worked without authorization, you are still generally eligible to adjust, which is not true for most other categories.¹

For preference categories, you must confirm that an immigrant visa number is available before filing. The Department of State publishes a monthly Visa Bulletin showing which priority dates are current for each preference category and country of birth.⁴ Your priority date is usually the date the underlying petition or labor certification was filed. If that date is earlier than the cutoff for your category and country, you can file. If not, you wait. Filing early results in rejection.

USCIS separately publishes a chart each month telling you whether to use the Visa Bulletin’s Final Action Dates or the Dates for Filing chart. The second chart sometimes lets you file earlier, so check both every month if you are in a preference category.

Documents and Evidence

The form is long. It asks for your full residential and employment history for the past five years, your complete education, and detailed admissibility questions covering criminal history, security issues, and past immigration violations. Answer everything truthfully. Fraud or willful misrepresentation of a material fact can make you permanently inadmissible.⁵

Supporting documents vary by category, but most applicants need:

A government-issued photo ID and a certified copy of your birth certificate.
Your Form I-94 arrival/departure record, retrievable from the CBP website.⁶
Copies of passport pages with stamps, visas, or endorsements.
Two passport-style photos meeting USCIS specifications.
Your most recent visa approval notice or other status documentation.

Any document not in English needs a certified translation.

The Medical Examination

Nearly all adjustment applicants must submit Form I-693, the medical exam and vaccination record, completed by a doctor on the USCIS civil surgeon list.⁷ The exam typically covers a physical evaluation, blood tests, a tuberculosis screening, and a vaccination review. Missing vaccinations can be administered on the spot. Costs are not regulated by USCIS and generally run between $250 and $650, and most health insurance plans do not cover it.

Under a June 2025 USCIS policy change, your Form I-693 is valid only for the specific I-485 it accompanies. If your application is denied or withdrawn, the medical exam expires with it, and you will need a new one for any future filing.⁸ Timing the exam close to when you file limits the risk of paying for it twice.

The Affidavit of Support

Most family-based applicants and some employment-based applicants need a financial sponsor to file Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support. This is a legally enforceable contract in which the sponsor agrees to maintain the immigrant at an income of at least 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.⁹ Active-duty military sponsoring a spouse or child need to meet only 100 percent.

The sponsor supplies recent federal tax transcripts and proof of current income. Household size counts the sponsor, the immigrant, dependents in the household, and anyone else on the sponsor’s tax return. If the primary sponsor’s income falls short, a joint sponsor can co-sign a separate I-864.

Fees

The filing fee is $1,440 for applicants age 14 and older and $950 for children under 14. You can pay by check, money order, or credit card using Form G-1450. Fees are not refundable, even if the case is denied.

Since April 2024, the I-485 fee no longer covers work and travel authorization. An Employment Authorization Document (Form I-765) costs an additional $260, and Advance Parole (Form I-131) costs $630. Filing all three together brings the total to $2,330 per applicant, before the medical exam.

Fee waivers exist but are limited to applicants exempt from the public charge ground of inadmissibility, generally humanitarian categories such as refugees, asylees, T or U visa holders, VAWA self-petitioners, and Special Immigrant Juveniles. Qualifying applicants can request a waiver by showing household income at or below 150 percent of the poverty guidelines, receipt of a means-tested public benefit, or extreme financial hardship.¹⁰ Most family-sponsored and employment-based applicants are not eligible.

After You File

You mail the complete package to the USCIS Lockbox facility designated for your category and location. Shortly after receipt, USCIS mails a Form I-797 receipt notice with a case number you can use to track the case online.

Biometrics

USCIS schedules a biometrics appointment at a local Application Support Center for fingerprints and a photograph.¹¹ Missing this appointment without rescheduling in advance can cause USCIS to treat the application as abandoned.

The Interview

USCIS may schedule you for an in-person interview at a local field office, where an officer reviews the application, asks questions under oath, and verifies eligibility.¹² Marriage-based cases almost always get interviews. Employment-based and some other categories have historically seen interview waivers, though USCIS policy on waivers has shifted over time. Bring originals of every document you submitted as a copy, along with evidence of any changed circumstances since filing.

Processing Times

There is no fixed timeline. Processing depends on field office, applicant category, and USCIS workload, and Form I-485 is not eligible for premium processing. Current times for your category and location are available on the USCIS website.

Working and Traveling While Your Case Is Pending

A pending I-485 does not automatically allow work or international travel. These are separate authorizations you have to apply for, and getting them wrong can derail the whole case.

Employment Authorization

You can file Form I-765 for an EAD together with your I-485 or at any point while the I-485 is pending. The EAD is typically issued for one to two years. As of October 30, 2025, USCIS ended automatic extensions for most EAD renewal applications, so file any renewal up to 180 days before the current card expires to avoid a gap.¹³

Advance Parole for Travel

Leaving the United States while your I-485 is pending, without an approved Advance Parole document, will in most cases cause USCIS to treat the application as abandoned.¹⁴ Abandonment here is automatic by regulation, not a discretionary call. This is one of the most costly mistakes applicants make.

Narrow exceptions apply. If you hold valid H-1B, H-4, L-1, or L-2 status, you can travel on your H or L visa and return without abandoning the I-485, provided you are returning to work for the same employer and hold a valid visa stamp.¹⁴ K-3 and K-4 holders have a similar exception. Everyone else needs Advance Parole (Form I-131) approved before any international departure.

Obligations While Your Case Is Pending

Federal law requires every non-citizen to report a change of address to USCIS within 10 days by filing Form AR-11 online or by mail.¹⁵ A missed interview notice, biometrics appointment, or request for evidence can lead to denial, so also update the address on the pending case through the USCIS online account or the contact center.

If you entered on a nonimmigrant visa, watch your timing. USCIS and the State Department apply a 90-day rule as an analytical tool. If within 90 days of entry you do something inconsistent with your temporary status, such as marrying a U.S. citizen and filing for a green card while on a tourist visa, officers may presume you misrepresented your intentions at the border. That presumption is not automatic denial, but you may need to show that the decision to seek permanent residence arose from circumstances that genuinely developed after your arrival.

Children Approaching Age 21

If a child in your case is nearing 21, the Child Status Protection Act may preserve their eligibility. For immediate relatives, the child’s age is frozen on the date the underlying petition was filed, as long as the child was under 21 and unmarried at that point.¹⁶

For preference categories, CSPA subtracts the time the petition was pending (filing to approval) from the child’s age on the date a visa became available. If the resulting CSPA age is under 21, the child still qualifies. The child must also have sought permanent residence within one year of visa availability and stayed unmarried.¹⁶ Because the math turns on exact dates, families with a child near 21 should track the Visa Bulletin closely and file quickly once dates become current.

If Your Application Is Denied

A denial notice lists the specific reasons USCIS rejected the application. You generally have two options, and both use Form I-290B filed within 33 days of the decision date (30 days plus 3 for mailing).¹⁷ A motion to reopen asks the same office to look again based on new facts or evidence. A motion to reconsider argues the officer applied the law or policy incorrectly to the existing record. An appeal sends the case to the Administrative Appeals Office for independent review.¹⁸

A denial also affects related filings. A pending EAD or Advance Parole tied to the I-485 will be denied, and any already-issued card or travel document connected to the denied case will likely be invalidated. Under the June 2025 policy, the medical exam expires with the denied case, so a new Form I-693 is needed for any future filing.⁸ If you do not hold a valid nonimmigrant status at the time of denial, you may begin accruing unlawful presence, which carries its own consequences.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1255 – Adjustment of Status of Nonimmigrant to That of Person Admitted for Permanent Residence
2
eCFR. 8 CFR Part 245 – Adjustment of Status to That of Person Admitted for Permanent Residence
3
OHSS. Immigrant Classes of Admission
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application for Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based Preference Visas
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens
6
Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94 Official Website for Travelers Visiting the United States
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 4 – Review of Medical Examination Documentation
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Validity of Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (Form I-693)
9
Travel.State.Gov. Step 4 – Complete Affidavit of Support
10
eCFR. 8 CFR 106.3 – Fee Waivers and Exemptions
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 2 – Biometrics Collection
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions to Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. DHS Ends Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization
14
eCFR. 8 CFR 245.2 – Application
15
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1305 – Notices of Change of Address
16
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Child Status Protection Act
17
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Questions and Answers – Appeals and Motions
18
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO)