How to Answer Current Immigration Status on Form I-485

On Form I-485, the “current immigration status” field in Part 1 asks for the classification that describes your most recent authorized presence in the United States. Write the exact code or category shown on your most recent Form I-94 or Form I-797A approval notice, such as H-1B, F-1, B-2, Refugee, Asylee, or Parolee. If you have no lawful status or you entered without inspection, the instructions tell you to write “None.” Applicants adjusting under Section 245(i) write “245(i).” Your entry must match what federal records show for you at the time you sign the form.¹

Where to Look Up Your Status

Your status is documented on the records created when you entered the country or when a later petition was approved for you. Check three things before you write anything on the form.

The first is your Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record. It shows a Class of Admission code (your visa category) and an “Admit Until” date.² Most I-94 records are electronic and can be retrieved on the CBP website by entering your passport details and recent travel information.³

The second is your passport stamp. The stamp a border officer placed in your passport confirms the date and category of your entry. But if you later changed or extended status from inside the United States, the original stamp no longer reflects your situation.

The third is Form I-797A, Notice of Action. If your status was changed or extended, your I-797A includes a replacement I-94 at the bottom of the notice, and that replacement supersedes any older stamp or electronic record.⁴ Use whichever of these is most recent.

If your I-94 does not appear on the CBP website or your paper card was lost, you can file Form I-102 to request a replacement before filing your I-485.

What to Write for Each Common Situation

The current immigration status field appears in Part 1 (Information About You). Match your entry to your most recent record:

Valid nonimmigrant status: write the classification code exactly as it appears on your most recent I-94 or I-797A, for example “H-1B,” “F-1,” “L-1,” “B-2,” “J-1,” “O-1,” or “K-1.”
Changed status: write your current classification, not the one you entered on. If you arrived as a B-2 and later changed to F-1, write “F-1.”
Refugee: write “Refugee” or the code “RE” from your I-94.⁵
Asylee: write “Asylee” or the code “AY.”
Parolee: write “Parolee” or the specific parole category shown on your records (humanitarian parole, Advance Parole, and similar).
Visa Waiver Program entrant: write “WT” (visitor for pleasure) or “WB” (visitor for business), whichever appears on your I-94.⁶

F-1 students often see “D/S” (Duration of Status) on their I-94 in place of a fixed expiration date. That is a valid classification. Write “F-1.”⁷

If You Are Out of Status or Entered Without Inspection

Not every applicant has valid status at the time of filing. The form still requires an accurate answer.

Your Status Has Expired

If the “Admit Until” date on your I-94 has passed and you did not file to extend or change your status, your nonimmigrant classification is no longer valid and you are in unlawful immigration status.⁸ Write your former status followed by a note that it has expired, or write “None” as the instructions direct.

You Violated the Terms of Your Admission

You can be out of status before your I-94 date expires if you violated the conditions of your admission, such as an F-1 dropping below full-time enrollment or an H-1B worker whose employment ended. The violation itself terminates status regardless of the date on your I-94.⁸

You Entered Without Inspection

If you came into the country without going through a port of entry and a border officer, you are classified as Entry Without Inspection (EWI). The I-485 instructions direct you to write “None” for your current immigration status if you are in the United States without inspection or parole.¹ Most EWI applicants cannot use Form I-485 at all, with limited exceptions such as VAWA self-petitioners and applicants grandfathered under Section 245(i).⁹

A Pending Application Does Not Give You Status

A pending asylum application (Form I-589) or a pending adjustment application does not, by itself, place you in lawful status.⁸ Do not write “asylum pending” as if it were a status classification.

Special Entries the Instructions Require

Adjusting Under Section 245(i)

Section 245(i) lets certain applicants adjust status even if they entered without inspection or are otherwise barred, so long as an immigrant petition or labor certification was filed on their behalf on or before April 30, 2001. The I-485 instructions specifically tell applicants using this provision to write “245(i)” in the current immigration status field.¹ A $1,000 penalty fee applies through Supplement A.¹⁰

Visa Waiver Program Entrants Adjusting as Immediate Relatives

Visa Waiver Program entrants are generally barred from filing Form I-485.¹¹ A narrow exception applies to immediate relatives of a U.S. citizen (spouse, unmarried child under 21, or parent of a citizen aged 21 or older) and to VAWA self-petitioners. If you qualify under that exception, list your VWP status as it appears on your I-94, which will be “WT” or “WB,” not “B-1” or “B-2.”

Timely-Filed Extension Pending

If you filed a non-frivolous extension request before your status expired, such as an H-1B extension, you are in a period of authorized stay while the extension is pending, even after the original “Admit Until” date passes.¹² Write your status (“H-1B,” for example) and note that an extension is pending.

Immediate Relatives Who Are Out of Status

The bar for being in unlawful status at the time of filing does not apply to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens who were originally inspected and admitted or paroled.⁸ You still report your actual current status accurately. If your former nonimmigrant classification has expired, describe it that way or write “None”; being out of status does not prevent USCIS from approving your case in this category, but writing something inaccurate can.

Make Sure Your Entry Matches USCIS Records

Before you sign, cross-check the exact wording you plan to use against your most recent I-94, I-797A, or other official document. USCIS and CBP systems record your classification using specific codes, and a mismatch between what you write on the I-485 and what those systems show can trigger a Request for Evidence or delay your case. Use the current form edition posted on the USCIS website; the questions and their placement can change between editions.

If your history includes multiple statuses, an expiration that may or may not have been cured by a timely extension, an EWI entry, or a possible 245(i) or 245(k) claim, work through the answer with an immigration attorney before you file. The word you write in this one field commits you to a version of your immigration record, and correcting it later is harder than getting it right the first time.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-485, Instructions for Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record Information for Completing USCIS Forms
3
Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94/I-95 Website – Official Site for Travelers Visiting the United States
4
International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) – University of Minnesota. H-1B Immigration Documents
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 7.3 Refugees and Asylees
6
OHSS. Nonimmigrant Classes of Admission
7
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 – Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 3 – Unlawful Immigration Status at Time of Filing INA 245(c)(2)
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1255 – Adjustment of Status of Nonimmigrant to That of Person Admitted for Permanent Residence
10
USCIS. G-1055 Fee Schedule
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 7 – Other Barred Adjustment Applicants
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. FAQs for Individuals in H-1B Nonimmigrant Status