I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
Alert: USCIS has prioritized employment-based adjustment of status applications during every step of its processing and adjudication during this fiscal year. We continue to make processing and resource allocation decisions to increase the pace of adjudications and limit the potential for employment-based visa numbers to go unused. If you are applying for a Green Card in an employment-based category and we issued you a Request for Evidence (RFE) for your Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, you should respond as soon as possible so we can finalize a decision on your adjustment application.
ALERT: If you are concurrently filing a Form I-140 and Form I-485, do not combine your supporting documents. Clearly separate each package using fasteners or heavy clips to hold together each set. We recommend assembling each form package in the following order:
- Check or money order or Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions;
- Form G-1145, Request for e-Notification (if applicable);
- Form G-28 (if applicable);
- The form you are filing; and
- Supporting documentation.
For additional information visit: Tips for Filing Forms by Mail
ALERT: Effective April 4, 2024, any Form I-693 that was properly completed and signed by a civil surgeon on or after Nov. 1, 2023, does not expire, and can be used indefinitely as evidence to show that the applicant is not inadmissible on health-related grounds. For more information, see the Policy Alert.
ALERT: Below are ways you can help prevent an unnecessary delay in the adjudication of your Form I-485:
Use this form to apply for lawful permanent resident status if you are in the United States.
Form Details
Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format.
If you complete and print this form to mail it, make sure that the form edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages and that all pages are from the same form edition. If any of the form’s pages are missing or are from a different form edition, we may reject your form.
If you need help downloading and printing forms, read our instructions.
Where you file your Form I-485 depends on your eligibility category. Go to our Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-485 page to see where you should file your application.
If you file at a USCIS lockbox, you may not receive an A-Number on your Form I-797, Notice of Action, due to a change in our business process. In these cases, we will send your A-Number in a second notice a few days after accepting your application.
In general, you may not file your Form I-485 until a visa is available in your category. For information on the process of adjusting status as a permanent resident, and how to determine whether and when you are eligible to adjust status and file Form I-485, see our Visa Availability and Priority Dates and Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin pages. For exceptions to the visa availability requirement, please check the Form I-485 instructions for your specific immigrant category for additional information.
You can find the filing fee for Form I-485 by visiting our Fee Schedule page.
You can pay the fee with a money order, personal check, cashier's check, or pay by credit card or debit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions. If you pay by check, you must make your check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
When you send a payment, you agree to pay for a government service. Filing fees are final and non-refundable, regardless of any action we take on your application, petition, or request, or if you withdraw your request. If you pay by credit card or debit card, you cannot later dispute the payment. Use our Fee Calculator to help determine your fee.
If you are submitting multiple forms, pay each filing fee separately. We are transitioning to electronically processing immigration benefit requests, which requires us to use multiple systems to process your package. We may reject your entire package if you submit a single, combined payment for multiple forms.
Save time by submitting all required initial evidence and supporting documentation at the same time you file Form I-485.
View the checklist of required initial evidence.
The checklist is an optional tool to use as you prepare your form, but does not replace statutory, regulatory, and form instruction requirements. Submitting all required initial evidence and supporting documentation at the same time you file Form I-485 may eliminate the need for us to issue a Request for Evidence to obtain additional documentation and evidence. This may also help avoid adjudication delays if we decide that you do not need to be interviewed.
You may also save time by submitting Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, with your Form I-485. We generally consider a completed Form I-693 to remain valid for two years after the date the civil surgeon signed it.
Filing Tips: Review our Tips for Filing Forms by Mail page for information on how to ensure we will accept your form.
Don’t forget to sign your form. We will reject any unsigned form.
E-Notification: If you want to receive an e-mail and/or text message that we have accepted your form at a USCIS lockbox, complete Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, and clip it to the first page of your form.
Afghan SIV
Effective July 20, 2022, we transitioned the responsibility to adjudicate Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) petitions filed by Afghans to the U.S. Department of State (DOS). Afghans who start the SIV application process on or after July 20, 2022, may seek classification as a special immigrant with DOS by filing Form DS-157 with the application for Chief of Mission approval. For more information, see instructions on the DOS website on Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans – Who Were Employed by/on Behalf of the U.S. Government.
When filing Form I-485, you must supply evidence of an approved Form I-360 or a copy of the COM approval letter that also indicates approval of your Form DS-157.
INA 245(i)
If you are seeking to adjust status under the provisions of section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, see Supplement A for additional instructions.
Filing I-485 Supplement J
If you are filing Form I-485 together with a Form I-140 that names you as the principal beneficiary, you do not need to file Supplement J.
However, you must file Supplement J if you are filing Form I-485 based on a previously filed Form I-140 or if you are requesting job portability to a new, permanent job offer under INA section 204(j). Visit our Form I-485, Supplement J page for specific instructions on when and how to file Supplement J.
Filing Form I-765 and Form I-131 with Form I-485
If you submitted Form I-485 on or after July 30, 2007, and before April 1, 2024, and paid the required fee, you do not have to pay an additional fee to also file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, and/or Form I-131, Application for Travel Document. However, if you file Form I-485 after April 1, 2024, you must pay additional fees to file Form I-765 or Form I-131, as listed on our Fee Schedule page. In either case, you may submit these forms together. If you choose not to file Form I-765 and/or Form I-131 with your Form I-485, then you must submit a copy of your I-797C, Notice of Action, (also known as your receipt) as evidence that you filed Form I-485.
Which Box to Check in Part 2 of Form I-485
Before filing a Form I-485 based on a family-sponsored or employment-based preference category, check our Visa Bulletin page to see if your priority date makes you eligible to apply.
If you are the principal applicant, check the appropriate box in Part 2, Item 1., of Form I-485 and check the appropriate box in Part 2, Item 2.a. through 8.e.
If you are the derivative spouse or child of the principal applicant, check the appropriate box in Part 2, Item 1., of Form I-485 and check the appropriate box in Part 2, Item 2.a. through 8.e.
For more information on the Visa Bulletin or the charts, please go to our Visa Availability and Priority Dates page.
Premium Processing
You may file Form I-485 and Form I-140 together at the USCIS Dallas Lockbox.
If you are requesting premium processing for Form I-140, you must also file Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service. Refer to our Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, page if you want to file Forms I-485, I-140, and I-907 together. Do NOT file Form I-907 at a USCIS lockbox.
If you are filing Form I-485 based on a pending or approved Form I-140, go to our Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-485 page to see where to file your application.
Read the Employment-Based Preferences chart in the Department of State’s Visa Bulletin page to ensure your priority date is current before you file your application.
Afghan Parolees
If you are an Afghan parolee with an approved Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, as an Afghan employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government or International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, or an approved Form DS-157, Petition for Special Immigrant Classification for Afghan SIV Applicants, and you did not complete Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, we encourage you to file Form I-485 as soon as possible to apply to become a lawful permanent resident and get a Green Card if eligible.
If you are an Afghan parolee with an approved Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, as an Afghan employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government or International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and you did not complete Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, at a safe haven, we encourage you to file Form I-485 as soon as possible to apply to become a lawful permanent resident and get a Green Card. You must provide a U.S. address to file Form I-485. If your address changes, you must notify us of your new address within 10 days by submitting Form AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card. The fastest way to submit your Form AR-11 is online. Special filing instructions apply to those filing Form I-485 in this category. You do not have to pay the filing or biometric services fees for Form I-485 if you were paroled into the United States due to the humanitarian crisis and are applying for adjustment as an Afghan Special Immigrant.
When filing Form I-485, include evidence of an approved Form I-360 petition or a copy of the Chief of Mission approval letter which also indicates approval of your Form DS-157 petition.
Review filing instructions at our Green Card for an Afghan Who Was Employed by or on Behalf of the U.S. Government page, and see the instructions for Form I-485 (PDF, 584.24 KB) for complete filing information.
Attorney or Representative
You may be represented, at no expense to the U.S. government, by an attorney or other authorized representative. Your representative must submit Form G-28, Notice of Entry or Appearance as Attorney or Representative, with your Form I-485. Your representative may also submit Form G-28 at the time of your interview.
- Adjustment of Status
- Green Card Processes and Procedures
- How USCIS Determines Same or Similar Occupational Classifications for Job Portability Under AC21
- I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
- Public Charge
- Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
- USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 7, Adjustment of Status
- Filing Directions to Obtain Employment Authorization and Advance Parole Card Where Adjustment of Status Application is Pending
- Immigration Benefits in EOIR Removal Proceedings
- Card Delivery Tracking