How to Adjust Status as a Refugee or Asylee (Form I-643)

Form I-643, Health and Human Services Statistical Data for Refugee/Asylee Adjusting Status, is an obsolete form. USCIS removed it from the filing requirements for refugee and asylee adjustment of status applications on June 22, 2016, and you do not need to submit it today.¹ The form you file to adjust status as a refugee or asylee is Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.

Why Form I-643 Was Retired

Form I-643 was a statistical data sheet. The Office of Refugee Resettlement used it to track how refugees and asylees were integrating into American life, collecting biographical information, education, employment status, income, and health insurance coverage. None of it affected whether USCIS approved or denied an adjustment application. It was a reporting tool for HHS to allocate federal resettlement funding and brief Congress on program outcomes.²

By 2016, HHS had moved to other data collection methods and no longer used what the form gathered, so USCIS eliminated the requirement. The statistical picture ORR once got from I-643 now comes from the Refugee Arrival Data System (RADS), which pulls information directly from USCIS, Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of State rather than asking individual applicants to fill out a form.³

If you are working from an older checklist, an old attorney template, or an outdated USCIS PDF that still lists I-643, ignore that line. Submitting the form does not help your case, and its absence will not delay you.

What Refugees File Instead

Every refugee admitted under INA Section 207 is required to apply for permanent residence one year after entering the United States. That is not optional. USCIS uses the one-year mark to examine whether the refugee is admissible as a permanent resident.⁴ The vehicle is Form I-485, and refugees pay no filing fee.⁵

Refugee adjustment differs from other green card categories. USCIS waives most grounds of inadmissibility that would block other applicants, specifically those related to public charge, labor certification, and documentation of immigrant visa eligibility.⁶ Refugees also do not need to repeat the overseas medical examination performed before admission, though they must show compliance with U.S. vaccination requirements. If USCIS approves, it backdates the grant of permanent residence to the refugee’s original date of arrival.⁴

What Asylees File Instead

If you were granted asylum, you can apply for a green card once you have been physically present in the United States for at least one year after the asylum grant. Unlike for refugees, asylee adjustment is voluntary, but it is strongly advisable because permanent residence opens the path to citizenship and ends the need for periodic documentation renewals.⁶

To qualify, you must continue to meet the definition of a refugee (or be the spouse or child of someone who does), must not be firmly resettled in another country, and must be admissible as an immigrant when USCIS examines your application.⁶ Asylees file the same Form I-485, but the fee is $1,440, or $950 for a child under 14 filing with a parent. If you cannot afford it, request a waiver with Form I-912.⁷ Public Law 119-21 introduced additional non-waivable fees for certain immigration filings, so check the current G-1055 fee schedule on the USCIS website before mailing your packet.⁸

Documents to Include With Form I-485

The core packet is similar for refugees and asylees, though asylees carry more of the evidentiary weight. An asylee I-485 should include a copy of the letter or immigration judge decision granting asylum (or an I-94 showing the grant date), proof of one year of physical presence since that grant, two passport-style photographs, a government-issued photo ID, a birth certificate if available, and passport pages showing any nonimmigrant visa or admission stamp if available. Certified police and court records go with any arrests, charges, or convictions. If any ground of inadmissibility applies, add Form I-602 to request a waiver.⁹

Refugees file the same Form I-485 and complete biometrics per USCIS instructions. Because refugees were medically screened overseas before admission, the medical exam requirement is narrower: you generally do not repeat the full exam but must show that you meet current vaccination requirements. If there were medical inadmissibility concerns at your original admission, USCIS may require a new examination.⁴

The Medical Exam

Asylees, and any refugee who needs a new medical exam, submit Form I-693 completed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon. The exam covers a physical assessment, mental health screening, and confirmation of CDC-required vaccinations, including measles, mumps, rubella, and hepatitis B. The COVID-19 vaccination requirement was removed as of January 2025.

Since December 2024, USCIS requires the completed Form I-693 to be included with your initial I-485 filing. Filing an I-485 without the medical form when one is required can result in the entire application being rejected, not merely delayed.¹⁰ The I-693 is now valid only for the specific application it accompanies; if your I-485 is denied or withdrawn, that medical exam cannot be reused. Civil surgeon fees are unregulated and typically run $200 to $500, so book the appointment well before you plan to file.

Where to File and What Happens Next

Refugees and asylees mail Form I-485 to one of four USCIS lockbox facilities, determined by the state where you live. The current direct filing addresses, including separate street addresses for FedEx, UPS, and DHL, are on the USCIS direct filing addresses page.¹¹ Confirm the address against that page the day you mail. Sending your packet to the wrong lockbox will delay processing.

Once the lockbox accepts your filing, USCIS sends a receipt notice (Form I-797) with a 13-character receipt number you will use for everything that follows.¹² As of early fiscal year 2026, the median processing time is about 7.6 months for refugee adjustments and about 13.4 months for asylee adjustments; these figures shift with agency workload and staffing.¹³

USCIS decides case by case whether to schedule an interview. Some refugee adjustments are approved without one; asylees are more likely to be interviewed. Track your case at the USCIS Case Status page using the receipt number.¹⁴ If approved, USCIS mails a written decision and your permanent resident card. If denied, the notice explains the reason and your right to renew the request in removal proceedings; there is no separate administrative appeal for refugee or asylee adjustment denials.⁴

1
U.S. Citizenship and Human Services. Removing Obsolete Form I-643 from Filing Requirements for Certain Adjustment Applications
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Removing Obsolete Form I-643 from Filing Requirements for Certain Adjustment Applications
3
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Refugee Arrival Data System (RADS) Privacy Impact Assessment
4
eCFR. 8 CFR 209.1 – Adjustment of Status of Refugees
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1159 – Adjustment of Status of Refugees
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for Asylees
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Changes Validity Period for Any Form I-693 Signed on or After Nov. 1, 2023
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Historic Processing Times
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Case Status Online