Prepare Your USCIS Form I-485Adjustment of Status Application

Adjustment of status is the process of applying for a permanent resident card, commonly called a green card, while living in the United States. Adjustment of status grants someone legal permission to live and work in the U.S. permanently. This application will take time to process, so be sure to file promptly.

Applicants will have to meet eligibility requirements and pay immigration fees. The process may be confusing, but you may seek assistance if necessary. Language translators, immigration filing services, and lawyers may help you with your application

An application to adjust status and two green cards. Form I-485 is the application to register permanent status or adjust status.

Who Is Eligible for Adjustment of Status?

A foreign national living in the United States for an allowed reason can use Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status to ask to live here permanently and obtain a green card.

Relatives of U.S. citizens who showed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) a family relationship using Form I-130 and received a visa can use Form I-485 to ask for a green card. This includes:

• Children
• Spouses
• Parents
• Siblings

U.S. visas are always available to a U.S. citizen’s spouse, unmarried children less than age 21, and parents. Form I-130 and Form I-485 may be filed concurrently. A citizen’s spouse who used a fiancée visa to enter the US and married within 90 days can also use Form I-485 to request a green card.

Relatives of Green Card Holders

Spouses and unmarried children of green card holders who showed USCIS a family relationship using Form I-130 and received a visa can use Form I-485 to ask for a green card. If you have a visa when your relative applies for a green card, then you can submit these forms together.

Workers

If you are in the United States with a temporary work visa and have been offered a permanent job in the U.S., you could use Form I-485 to ask to stay in the U.S. permanently. Your U.S. employer can start the process for your green card using Form I-140, Petition for Alien Worker.

Cuban Citizens

A Cuban who received permission to enter the U.S. after January 1, 1959, and has been inside the U.S. for at least one year can use Form I-485 to apply for a green card. As can their spouse and unmarried children who entered the United States under the same conditions.

Refugees and Asylees

Refugees and asylees can use Form I-485 to obtain a green card. In Form I-485, you must prove that you are still an asylee, refugee, or refugee’s spouse or child and that you’ve been inside the U.S. for one year since arriving for that reason.

What Is the Process for Adjustment of Status?

To apply for adjustment of status, fill out Form I-485 and include all the requested information. Your application will need to be supported by proof of eligibility, such as:

• Birth certificates
• Proof of income
• Joint bank statements
• Proof of family relationship
• Proof of sponsor’s citizenship or green card
• Proof of petitioner’s legal U.S. entry
• Form I-864, Affidavit of Support

Green card petitioners will also need to undergo a medical exam by a USCIS-approved doctor and attend a biometrics appointment. USCIS will review your application and schedule an interview for the petitioner and sponsor to confirm the information on your application. Bring any relevant documents to your interview, including copies and the original documents.

How Long Does Adjustment of Status Take?

How long adjustment of status takes to process depends on your application type. Family-based applications sponsored by a U.S. citizen can take up to 14 months to process. You may wait 38 months if the sponsoring relative is a green card holder.

One thing you can do to prevent an unnecessarily long wait time is to make sure your application is complete and accompanied by all supporting documents. An incomplete application that doesn’t provide enough information to make a decision will result in a request for evidence (RFE). Errors could lead to application denial.

Cost

For most people between the ages of 14 and 78, the I-485 costs $1225, including fingerprinting.

• Application fee for most adults – $1,140
• Application for kids 13 or less who applies with at least one parent – $750
• Biometrics fee: $85 (not required for some refugees, children under age 13, adults over age 78)