The rules for getting a green card have shifted on several fronts between 2024 and 2026. USCIS raised the cost of Form I-485 to $1,440 for most adults under a fee schedule that took effect April 1, 2024, and it stopped bundling work permits and travel documents into that fee. In 2025, the agency reversed a short-lived policy that made immigration medical exams valid indefinitely, and the CDC dropped the COVID-19 vaccine from the required list on March 11, 2025. The Department of Homeland Security has also proposed rescinding the 2022 public charge framework, though that rule remains in force for now. The new green card rules below are the ones most likely to change how you file, what you pay, and what you submit.
Higher Fees and Unbundled Work and Travel Permits
The fee schedule that took effect April 1, 2024 set Form I-485 at $1,440 for applicants age 14 and older. Children under 14 filing alongside a parent pay $950. The biometrics services fee that used to be billed separately is now folded into the main filing fee.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule Form I-130, the family petition, costs $625 online and $675 on paper.
The change that catches applicants off guard is the unbundling. Filing an adjustment of status application used to automatically cover Form I-765 for work authorization and Form I-131 for a travel document. Those are now separate fees. If you need to work or leave the country while your case is pending, budget for both on top of the I-485. Confirm current amounts on the USCIS fee schedule at uscis.gov/g-1055 before you file, since they can be adjusted.
Fee Waivers
If the filing costs create genuine financial hardship, Form I-912 lets you request a waiver.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver There are three ways to qualify. The first is receipt of a means-tested public benefit like Medicaid or SNAP by you, your spouse, or a qualifying family member, documented with proof the benefit is active. The second is household income at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines at the time of filing.3eCFR. 8 CFR 106.3 – Fee Waivers and Exemptions The third is documented financial hardship, such as unusual medical bills or sudden job loss, even if your income exceeds that threshold.
Form I-485 generally qualifies for a waiver, but not every USCIS form does. Check the I-912 instructions for each form in your package before assuming.
Medical Exam Validity Has Been Rolled Back
In April 2024, USCIS announced that any Form I-693 signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023 would be valid indefinitely. That policy has since been reversed. USCIS determined the indefinite-validity rule was “overly broad and could potentially threaten public health.”4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Validity of Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (Form I-693)
Under the current rule, your Form I-693 is only valid while the specific application it was submitted with is pending. If that application is denied or withdrawn, the exam is no longer valid, and any future filing will require a new one.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Changes Validity Period for Any Form I-693 Signed on or after Nov. 1, 2023 There is no two-year expiration clock to watch anymore, but you also cannot save an exam for a later petition.
What Vaccinations Are Required Now
A designated civil surgeon must certify your vaccinations before finalizing your Form I-693. The medical exam itself is required by 8 CFR 245.5 for anyone adjusting status.6eCFR. 8 CFR 245.5 – Medical Examination The CDC sets the specific list, which currently covers diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, varicella, meningococcal disease, pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, Hib, and influenza.7Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons Which ones apply to you depends on your age and medical history, and the civil surgeon decides that at the exam.
The COVID-19 vaccine was removed from immigration requirements effective March 11, 2025.8U.S. Department of State. CDC Removes COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for Immigrant Visa Applicants If you object to all vaccinations on sincere religious or moral grounds, you can request a waiver with Form I-601. The objection must extend to every vaccine rather than a specific one, and it must rest on genuine religious belief or moral conviction, not political or scientific disagreement.
Public Charge: 2022 Rule in Effect, Rescission Proposed
Under the 2022 final rule, you are considered a potential “public charge” only if you are likely to become primarily dependent on the government for basic living expenses. That dependence is measured two ways: receiving public cash assistance for income maintenance, or being institutionalized long-term at government expense. The cash programs that count are narrow: Supplemental Security Income, cash benefits under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and similar state or local cash welfare.9eCFR. 8 CFR 212.21 – Definitions
A long list of non-cash benefits is explicitly excluded. SNAP, Medicaid, housing assistance, children’s health insurance, child care, energy assistance, educational aid, and job training do not count against you.9eCFR. 8 CFR 212.21 – Definitions USCIS officers weigh the whole picture, including age, health, family size, and financial resources, rather than any single factor.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility Policy Alert
In November 2025, DHS published a proposed rule to rescind nearly the entire 2022 framework. If that becomes final, the standards above could change substantially. As of early 2026, the 2022 rule remains in effect, but check USCIS guidance for updates before filing.
Sponsor Income Thresholds for 2026
In most family-based cases, the petitioner files Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, to prove they can financially support the applicant. The threshold is 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines for your household size. Active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces sponsoring a spouse or child use 100 percent.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA The 2026 income thresholds at the 125 percent level for the 48 contiguous states are:12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864P, HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support
- Household of 2: $27,050
- Household of 3: $34,150
- Household of 4: $41,250
- Household of 5: $48,350
Alaska and Hawaii use higher figures. A household of two in Alaska needs $33,813, and the same household in Hawaii needs $31,113.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864P, HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support Household size counts you, your dependents, anyone you have previously sponsored, and the person you are sponsoring now.
If your income falls short, a joint sponsor can step in. That person must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, at least 18, and domiciled in the United States, and they file their own Form I-864 and take on the same legal support obligation. You can also count assets like savings, property, or retirement funds toward the threshold, though assets generally must be worth at least three times the gap between your income and the required amount. For sponsored siblings, that multiplier is five.
Fraud and Misrepresentation: The Stakes Have Not Changed
The rules around honest filings are worth restating because the newer requirements give people more places to slip up. Under federal law, anyone who uses fraud or willfully misrepresents a material fact to obtain a visa, admission, or any other immigration benefit is permanently inadmissible to the United States.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens Absent a waiver, that means no green card, no visa, and no lawful admission ever again.
A misrepresentation does not have to be dramatic. Omitting a previous marriage, inflating income on the affidavit of support, or failing to disclose a prior immigration violation can qualify. The test is whether the false statement was willful, meaning you knew it was untrue, and material, meaning it could have affected the outcome or shut down a line of inquiry that might have led to denial. An honest mistake generally does not trigger the bar, but the line is thinner than most applicants assume.
A discretionary waiver is available if you can prove that denying your admission would cause extreme hardship to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse, parent, or child. Extreme hardship is a high bar; it must go beyond the difficulty any family would face from separation. These waivers are not granted routinely, and the burden of proof sits entirely with the applicant.