Form I-485 guide: adjustment of status inside the U.S. (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status)

Wang Law Firm, LLC · David Wang, Managing Attorney · Attorney-reviewed · Updated October 2026

The official title of Form I-485 is Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, commonly called the "adjustment of status application," and it is handled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). A foreign national who is already inside the United States and has an immigrant category to rely on (for example, family-based, employment-based or investment immigration, or one year in asylee or refugee status) can use the I-485 to apply for permanent residence, that is, a green card, without leaving the United States.

In the overall immigration process, the I-485 is usually the "last step." It generally needs an approved or concurrently filed immigrant petition as its basis, such as an I-130, I-140 or I-526E. The I-485 itself examines whether you as a person can receive a green card: your manner of entry, your status history, whether any grounds of inadmissibility apply, whether a visa number is available, and so on. If you are outside the United States, or do not qualify to adjust status inside the country, you will usually go through consular processing instead (see DS-260). This page focuses on the form itself; for an overall introduction to adjustment of status, see the adjustment of status guide.

At a glance

Who can file an I-485

Common bases for adjustment of status include:

• Family-based immigration: immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of citizens who are at least 21), and beneficiaries in the family preference categories (F1, F2A, F2B, F3, F4) whose priority date is current;
• K-1 fiancé(e)s and their children: who marry the petitioning U.S. citizen within 90 days of entry (see K-1 visa);
• Employment-based immigration: EB-1, EB-2 (including NIW), EB-3 and others, where the I-140 has been approved or can be filed together with the I-485, and the priority date is current;
• Investment immigration: EB-5 investors who are inside the United States with a current priority date can file concurrently with the I-526E or I-526, or after it is approved (see the EB-5 guide);
• Asylees and refugees: those who have been granted asylum or admitted as refugees at least one year earlier and meet the other requirements;
• Special immigrants and other categories: such as religious workers, special immigrant juveniles (SIJ), certain VAWA self-petitioners, and U/T visa holders, each with its own requirements.

In the following situations you generally cannot use the I-485, or must resolve other issues first:

• You are outside the United States (you should go through consular processing);
• You entered without inspection and do not qualify under 245(i);
• You fall under a bar such as 245(c), described below, and no exception applies;
• You are in immigration court proceedings (the immigration judge generally handles the case, with limited exceptions for certain categories); in this situation you should consult a lawyer first.

Legal basis and eligibility requirements

INA 245(a): the basic requirements

Under section 245(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA 245(a)), an applicant generally must meet all of the following:

1. Have been inspected and admitted, or paroled, into the United States;
2. Have filed an application for adjustment of status;
3. Be eligible to receive an immigrant visa and be admissible (no grounds of inadmissibility, or a waiver has been granted; see I-601);
4. Have an immigrant visa number immediately available at the time of filing. Immediate relatives are not subject to numerical limits; for categories with a waiting line, look at the Department of State's monthly Visa Bulletin, and follow whichever chart USCIS designates for that month ("Dates for Filing" or "Final Action Dates"). See How to read the Visa Bulletin.

INA 245(c): common bars

Even if you meet 245(a), the following generally bar adjustment of status under 245(c) (main exceptions in parentheses):

• Entry as a crewman;
• Being out of lawful status at the time of filing, having worked without authorization, or having violated the terms of a nonimmigrant status (immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are exempt; employment-based applicants may be covered by 245(k); people who qualify under 245(i) are also exempt);
• Entry in transit without a visa (TWOV);
• Entry under the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA/VWP) (except immediate relatives);
• Employment-based applicants who are not in lawful nonimmigrant status at the time of filing (245(k) may apply);
• Other listed situations, such as S visas and terrorism-related grounds of deportability.

There are also several common standalone restrictions: a person who entered on a K-1 can adjust only on the basis of marriage to the original petitioner; a person subject to the J-1 two-year home residency requirement who has neither fulfilled nor obtained a waiver of it cannot adjust; and a marriage entered into while immigration proceedings are pending must be shown to be bona fide by "clear and convincing evidence."

INA 245(k): the 180-day allowance for employment-based applicants

245(k) applies to EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 and certain EB-4 religious worker categories. An eligible applicant is not barred under 245(c)(2), (c)(7) or (c)(8) as long as, since the most recent lawful admission, the time spent out of lawful status, working without authorization, or violating the terms of nonimmigrant status totals no more than 180 days. The applicant must have been lawfully admitted for this to apply; if the total exceeds 180 days, or the problem lies in the manner of entry itself, 245(k) does not help. Counting the 180 days involves details such as the date status ended and periods while an extension was pending, so check your I-94 and status documents period by period.

INA 245(i): the old "grandfather clause"

245(i) allows some people who otherwise could not adjust because they entered without inspection or had status problems to adjust inside the United States after paying a statutory additional penalty. The requirements are strict:

• The applicant is the beneficiary (including eligible derivative family members) of a family-based petition (I-130), employment-based petition (I-140) or labor certification application filed on or before April 30, 2001;
• That filing was "approvable when filed," not a frivolous or fraudulent filing;
• If the filing was made after January 14, 1998, the principal beneficiary must also prove physical presence in the United States on December 21, 2000;
• Supplement A is filed with the I-485 and the statutory additional sum is paid (amount as currently published by USCIS).

245(i) solves only the question of whether you can adjust inside the United States; it does not waive other grounds of inadmissibility, such as multiple unlawful entries, misrepresentation or certain criminal issues. Establishing 245(i) eligibility often requires tracing documents from more than twenty years ago and should be verified by a lawyer.

Concurrent filing

• Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens: can file the I-130 and I-485 together, without waiting for the I-130 to be approved.
• Family preference categories: can file together with the I-130 when the priority date is current (under the chart USCIS designates for that month).
• Employment-based immigration: can file together with the I-140 when the priority date is current; this includes self-petitioned EB-1A and NIW I-140s.
• EB-5: the 2022 EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act (RIA) expressly allows investors who are inside the United States with a current priority date to file the I-526E/I-526 and the I-485 concurrently.

The benefit of concurrent filing is that you can apply earlier for a work permit and advance parole, and the AC21 180-day clock starts running. The risk is that if the underlying petition is denied, the I-485 is usually denied with it, and by then your previous nonimmigrant status may be difficult to restore. Whether to file concurrently should be decided by looking at your status and the movement of the priority dates together.

Completing the form (by main section)

The I-485 is a long form. The new edition in use since September 2026 changes some questions; the points below follow the main content, and specific item numbers should be checked against the current edition you download.

Information about the applicant

• Your name, date of birth and place of birth must match your passport; list every name you have used (including maiden names and alternate spellings).
• Your most recent entry information (date of entry, port of entry, status at entry, I-94 number) is a key focus of review and must match your CBP I-94 record.
• If you have an A-Number, you must enter it; if you have filed immigration applications before but do not remember the details, consider requesting your file first (see G-639).

Application type

• Select the correct adjustment category and enter the receipt number and priority date of the underlying petition. For concurrent filings, follow the form instructions.
• If 245(i) applies, Supplement A must be filed at the same time.

Address, employment and family information

• Your address and employment history for the past five years must be continuous with no gaps; periods of unemployment, study or full-time parenting must also be stated truthfully.
• Spouse and children information must be complete, including children who are not applying with you and those outside the United States. How and when prior marriages ended must match the divorce decrees or death certificates.

General eligibility and inadmissibility questions

• This part is a long series of "yes/no" questions covering criminal records, immigration violations, misrepresentation, public charge, security issues and more. Any "yes" answer needs an explanation and evidence; do not answer "no" out of worry. Inconsistencies or concealment are more dangerous than the underlying issue itself and may amount to misrepresentation.
• Arrests or citations generally must be disclosed truthfully, with the court disposition records attached, even if they were later dismissed or expunged.
• Questions on the new edition relating to public charge are designed around the 2026 rule; answer them in light of the current USCIS instructions.

Signature

• The applicant must sign personally; unsigned forms are rejected. A parent or legal guardian may sign for a child under 14.
• If an interpreter or preparer was used, the corresponding sections must be completed.

Evidence and documents to include

• Two passport-style photos that meet the requirements (per the form instructions);
• A copy of a government-issued photo ID and your passport biographic page;
• Birth certificate (applicants from China, for example, usually use a notarial birth certificate), with an English translation;
• Proof of your most recent entry: I-94, passport entry stamp, visa page;
• Proof of maintained status (especially important outside the immediate relative category): I-20s, I-797 approval notices, pay stubs, etc.;
• The receipt or approval notice for the underlying petition, or the concurrently filed I-130 / I-140 / I-526E package;
• The sealed I-693 medical exam report (see below);
• The I-864 affidavit of support and its evidence (for family-based cases, and for employment-based cases where a relative owns 5% or more of the petitioning employer, among others);
• Employment-based applicants: Supplement J and the employer's job offer, as the instructions require;
• If you have arrests or convictions: the final court disposition documents;
• Civil documents for marriage, divorce, name changes, etc.

Every non-English document must include a complete English translation and a translator's certification of competence. For notarization and translation requirements for Chinese documents, see Translation and notarization requirements for immigration documents. For a document list, see the I-485 document checklist; for an initial eligibility screen, use the I-485 eligibility check tool.

The I-693 medical exam: now required at filing

Since December 2, 2024, USCIS has required most I-485 applications to include, at the time of filing, a sealed I-693 completed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon; applications without it may be rejected outright. The civil surgeon's signature date generally must also be within 60 days before filing. In addition, under the USCIS policy updated in June 2025, an I-693 signed on or after November 1, 2023 is valid only for the application it was submitted with; if an I-485 is withdrawn or denied and then refiled, a new medical exam is usually needed. Certain categories, such as some refugees and K/V visa entrants, have their own rules. See the Form I-693 guide and What to know about the immigration medical exam.

How to file and fees

• Filing address: varies by category; follow the official USCIS "Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-485" page. Addresses change, so confirm them again every time you file.
• Fees: follow the current USCIS fee schedule (G-1055). Under the fee rules in effect since April 2024, an I-765 and I-131 filed with the I-485 generally each require a separate fee and are no longer included in the I-485 fee. For how to check fees, see How to check fees and processing times.
• Form edition: from September 18, 2026, only the new I-485 edition is accepted, and filings on older editions will be rejected. Any accompanying Supplement A or Supplement J must also be an edition listed as acceptable on the official page.

What happens after filing

1. Receipt notice (I-797C): keep it safe. It proves your case is pending and is one of the bases for your authorized stay while the case is pending.
2. Biometrics: go to the Application Support Center (ASC) as scheduled in your notice for fingerprints, photo and signature.
3. Request for evidence (RFE) or notice of intent to deny (NOID): respond completely before the deadline; see How to respond to an RFE.
4. Interview: marriage-based cases usually require an interview; for other categories, USCIS decides whether to interview.
5. Decision: after approval, the green card is mailed to your address on file; if you move, you must report the change of address to USCIS within 10 days (see AR-11).

Check processing times on the USCIS processing times page; for how to check case status, see How to check your USCIS case status. Also note: starting in December 2025, USCIS paused and re-reviewed pending applications filed by nationals of certain countries (the list changes with presidential proclamations), and the list was expanded further in January 2026; in August 2026 a federal court issued a preliminary injunction against the related policy, but the litigation is ongoing. Applicants from the affected countries should verify the latest rules before filing and have a lawyer assess the impact.

While your case is pending: maintaining status, working and traveling

"Pending" does not mean "in status"

While a properly filed I-485 is pending, you are generally in a "period of authorized stay" and usually do not accrue unlawful presence as a result. But that does not mean you are still maintaining your original nonimmigrant status. If the I-485 is denied and your original status expired long ago, you may immediately be without lawful status and could even be issued a Notice to Appear (NTA). For that reason, if you can maintain your original status, it is usually advisable to keep doing so; for example, H-1B holders should extend on time and keep working for their H-1B employer.

Working

While the I-485 is pending, you can apply for a (c)(9) category work permit with Form I-765. Since December 5, 2025, USCIS has shortened the maximum validity of work permits in (c)(9) and certain other categories to 18 months, and renewal applications filed on or after October 30, 2025 no longer receive an automatic extension. Plan renewals well in advance; see the I-765 guide. Those holding valid H-1B or L-1 status can continue working on that status.

Traveling

Under 8 CFR 245.2(a)(4)(ii), leaving the United States while an I-485 is pending without first obtaining advance parole is generally treated as abandoning the application. The main exception is for people maintaining valid H-1B or L-1 status (and their H-4 or L-2 dependents) who return on a valid visa and resume that status; K-3/K-4 and V visa holders have a similar exception. For applying for advance parole and its risks, see the I-131 guide; before traveling, you can also use the travel-while-pending check tool for an initial assessment.

Changing jobs in employment-based cases

Once an employment-based applicant's I-485 has been pending for 180 days and the I-140 has been approved (or is later approved), the applicant can move to a new job in the "same or similar occupational classification" under INA 204(j), explained through Supplement J. See the I-485 Supplement J guide and the AC21 job change check tool.

Children's ages

A derivative child must be under 21 to apply as a dependent. The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) may allow some children who have turned 21 to keep their "child" status; for the calculation, see the CSPA calculator.

Common reasons for denial and options after a denial

• The manner of entry or status history does not meet the requirements of 245(a)/245(c);
• No visa number was available at filing (the priority date was not actually current);
• The underlying petition (I-130, I-140, I-526E) was denied or withdrawn;
• A ground of inadmissibility applies and has not been waived (criminal, misrepresentation, public charge, etc.);
• The marriage could not be shown to be bona fide;
• Failure to respond to an RFE on time, or to attend biometrics or the interview;
• Leaving without advance parole, so the application was treated as abandoned.

Options after a denial depend on the reason: you can file a motion to reopen or reconsider within the deadline (see I-290B; note that an I-485 denial generally cannot be appealed to the Administrative Appeals Office); if the problem can be fixed, you can refile (with a new medical exam); and if you are placed in immigration court proceedings, you may be able to renew the adjustment application before the immigration judge. If you no longer have lawful status after a denial, consult a lawyer as soon as possible.

How the I-485 differs from related forms

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• USCIS: Form I-485 official page (form, instructions, accepted editions, filing addresses)
• USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 7: Adjustment of Status
• Federal Register: 2026 public charge final rule (Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility)
• USCIS: Form I-693 official page
• U.S. Department of State: Visa Bulletin
• USCIS: processing times

Related reading

• Adjustment of status (I-485): eligibility, process and travel risks
• Marriage green cards
• I-485 Supplement J guide
• Form I-693 medical exam guide
• I-485 filing eligibility check

This article is general information and is not legal advice. Laws and policies can change; rely on the latest official information and on an attorney's advice for your specific situation.