I-485 Initial Evidence Checklist: Medical Exam, Affidavit, and Fees

The I-485 required documents checklist covers eight things: two passport-style photos, a copy of a government-issued photo ID, your birth certificate with a certified English translation if needed, proof you were inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States, evidence tying you to an immigrant visa category, Form I-864 Affidavit of Support with the sponsor’s tax and income records, a sealed Form I-693 medical exam, and the filing fee. For most applicants age 14 and older that fee is $1,440 on paper or $1,390 online; children under 14 filing with a parent pay $950 on paper or $900 online, and biometrics are already built in.¹

Every non-English document in the package needs a full English translation with a signed certification from the translator stating the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate from that language into English.² Certified translation services for immigration documents typically run around $25 per page.

Identity and Civil Documents

Include two identical color passport-style photos taken recently enough to reflect your current appearance. Use a white or off-white background, face the camera directly, and keep your head uncovered unless you cover your head for religious reasons.³

Add a photocopy of a government-issued photo ID. A passport works even if expired. A driver’s license or military ID is also acceptable.³

Birth Certificate

Submit a birth certificate from the civil authority in your country of birth. It has to list at least one parent.³

If your birth certificate does not exist or you cannot get one, USCIS uses a three-tier substitution rule. First, obtain a letter of non-existence from the civil authority on official government letterhead, explaining why the record is unavailable and whether similar records exist for that time and place. You can skip this letter if the Department of State’s Reciprocity Schedule already indicates birth certificates generally do not exist for your country. Second, submit secondary evidence such as church or school records documenting the same facts. Third, if secondary evidence is also unavailable, submit at least two sworn affidavits from people with direct personal knowledge of your birth, such as relatives who were present. Each affidavit should include the person’s full name, contact information, date and place of birth, relationship to you, and how they know the facts.⁴

Proof of Lawful Entry

USCIS needs to confirm you were inspected and admitted, or paroled, into the country. Include copies of the passport page with your admission stamp, the page with your nonimmigrant visa, and your Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record. You can download the electronic I-94 from the CBP website. The evidence must relate to your most recent arrival.³

Evidence Tied to Your Immigrant Category

You need documentation linking you to a specific immigrant visa category. Most applicants include a copy of Form I-797, the Notice of Action, showing that an underlying petition (Form I-130 for family-based or Form I-140 for employment-based) is pending or approved.⁵

Note that eligibility to file also depends on visa availability. Family-sponsored and employment-based preference applicants can only file when their priority date is current under the month’s Visa Bulletin chart designated by USCIS; filing early results in rejection and loss of the filing fee.⁶

Family-Based Applicants

If you’re adjusting through a spouse, include the marriage certificate from the civil authority where the marriage took place. If either spouse was previously married, add divorce decrees or death certificates showing every prior marriage ended legally.³

Employment-Based Applicants

If your I-485 is based on an approved or pending Form I-140 in a category that requires a job offer, file Form I-485 Supplement J in place of an employer letter. Supplement J confirms the job offer is still valid or requests portability to a new position. Applicants with a national interest waiver or extraordinary ability classification do not need Supplement J because those categories are not tied to a specific job offer.⁷

Current or Former J-1 or J-2 Holders

If you now hold or ever held J-1 or J-2 nonimmigrant status, include documentation showing you either fulfilled the two-year foreign residence requirement or obtained a waiver. USCIS flags J status specifically during initial evidence review.⁸

Affidavit of Support and Financial Records

Most family-based applicants and some employment-based applicants must submit Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support. The sponsor (usually the petitioner) promises to maintain the incoming immigrant at or above 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Active-duty military members sponsoring a spouse or child qualify at the lower 100 percent threshold.⁹

For 2026, the Federal Poverty Guideline for a two-person household in the 48 contiguous states is $21,640, which puts the 125 percent threshold at $27,050.¹⁰ Each additional household member raises the threshold. The sponsor attaches their most recent federal income tax return, W-2s or 1099s, and proof of current employment or self-employment. If the sponsor’s income alone falls short, a joint sponsor or the applicant’s own assets can help fill the gap.

On public benefits, the public charge analysis considers only public cash assistance for income maintenance and long-term institutionalization at government expense. USCIS does not consider SNAP, Medicaid (other than long-term institutional care), CHIP, housing benefits, school lunch programs, WIC, the Earned Income Tax Credit, unemployment insurance, or benefits received by your U.S. citizen children or other family members.¹¹

Sealed Medical Examination (Form I-693)

Form I-693 documents your immigration medical exam, and only a USCIS-designated civil surgeon can perform it. Results from your regular doctor will not be accepted. The civil surgeon checks for communicable diseases of public health significance and reviews your vaccination history.¹² You can search for designated civil surgeons by zip code on the USCIS website.

After the exam, the civil surgeon gives you the completed and signed Form I-693 in a sealed envelope. Submit that sealed envelope with your I-485 package. Do not open it.¹³ Failing to include the I-693 with your filing can cause outright rejection of the entire package.⁸

Budget $150 to $600 for the exam depending on your area and how many vaccinations you need. For any I-693 signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023, the form remains valid only while the I-485 application it accompanies is pending. If your application is denied or withdrawn, the I-693 expires with it, and you’ll need a new exam to refile.¹⁴

Criminal Records If You Have Any

If you have ever been arrested, cited, charged, or convicted, include certified police and court records for every incident, regardless of how the case ended.⁸ Answer Part 9 of the form honestly even if a record was sealed or expunged. USCIS runs FBI background checks and will find discrepancies. Providing false information on these questions can result in a permanent bar from immigration benefits.³

Optional Concurrent Filings: Work and Travel

Processing often stretches beyond a year. You can request work authorization on Form I-765 and a travel document called advance parole on Form I-131. File them concurrently with your I-485 or later while it’s pending; if later, include a copy of your I-485 receipt notice (Form I-797C).¹⁵ Both forms carry separate filing fees. Before April 2024, those fees were bundled into the I-485 filing fee. They are no longer included.

If you leave the United States while your I-485 is pending without first obtaining advance parole, USCIS will generally deny your application, treating it as abandoned. Even with an approved advance parole document, a CBP officer at the border makes the final decision on whether to let you back in. Some nonimmigrant statuses, such as H-1B and L-1, allow reentry on the visa itself without needing advance parole; confirm your specific situation before booking any flights.¹⁶

Fee, Lockbox, and How to Package the Filing

Fee waivers are available only for applicants exempt from the public charge ground of inadmissibility, such as certain refugees, asylees, and VAWA self-petitioners.¹⁷

If you file by paper, the correct USCIS Lockbox address depends on both your eligibility category and the state where you live. USCIS maintains a filing address lookup page for Form I-485 that lists separate Lockbox locations in Phoenix, Chicago, Dallas, and Elgin (Illinois) based on those factors.¹⁸ Sending your package to the wrong Lockbox means it gets returned. Use a trackable delivery service so you have proof the package arrived.

Organize the package with the filing fee on top, followed by Form G-1145 if you want electronic notification of receipt, then the I-485 itself, then the supporting documents in the order they appear on the USCIS initial evidence checklist. Within a few weeks of acceptance, you’ll receive Form I-797C, your receipt notice. USCIS then schedules a biometrics appointment for fingerprints and a photograph.

Common Mistakes That Trigger Rejection or Delay

Missing or unsealed I-693. One of the few omissions that causes outright rejection rather than a delay. Submit it sealed, with the I-485 package, every time.
Foreign-language documents without a certified translation. Every non-English document needs a full translation plus the translator’s signed certification of accuracy and competence. An informal translation by a friend will not do.
Incomplete criminal records. If you have ever been arrested or charged, submit certified court and police records for every incident. A dismissal does not exempt you.
Wrong Lockbox address. The correct one depends on your category and state. Sending it elsewhere returns the whole package.
Outdated form edition. USCIS rejects filings on superseded versions. Download the form from uscis.gov immediately before filing.
Filing before your priority date is current. Check the Visa Bulletin and the USCIS “When to File” page the same month you plan to submit. Priority dates can move backward.

If USCIS issues a Request for Evidence, respond by the deadline. Missing it usually results in denial based on the record as it stands.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1055, Fee Schedule
2
eCFR. 8 CFR 103.2 – Submission and Adjudication of Benefit Requests
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 7 Part A Chapter 4 – Documentation
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797 Types and Functions
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application for Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based Preference Visas
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-485 Supplement J, Confirmation of Valid Job Offer or Request for Job Portability Under INA Section 204(j)
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Checklist of Required Initial Evidence for Form I-485
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-864 Instructions for Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
10
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines – 48 Contiguous States
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Consideration of Current and/or Past Receipt of Public Cash Assistance for Income Maintenance or Long-term Institutionalization at Government Expense
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Changes Validity Period for Any Form I-693 Signed on or after Nov. 1, 2023
15
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
16
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Travel Documents
17
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 4 – Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions
18
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status