Form I-485Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status

In general, you may not file your Form I-485 until an immigrant visa is immediately 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 have 2 options for filing your Form I-485 with USCIS:

By mail (paper); or

Online

Filing Your Form I-485 by Mail

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 we accept your Form I-485.

Filing Your Form I-485 Online

First create a USCIS online account, or log in if you already have an account. To learn more, visit our How to Create a USCIS Online Account page.

Representatives can concurrently file Form I-485 online with an underlying Form I-140 or Form I-130.

Individuals who are filing a Form I-140 as a self-petitioner can concurrently file Form I-140 and Form I-485.

If you are filing without a representative and you are not a self-petitioner on Form I-140, you may not concurrently file Form I-485 with an underlying visa petition (I-130 or I-140). The Form I-130 or I-140 petitioner must submit their petition through their USCIS online account.  After the visa petitioner receives their visa petition acceptance notice, you may then submit your Form I-485 application through your USCIS online account, when eligible.

The following forms can now be submitted with Form I-485 when filing online using PDF upload:

Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative (if you have an attorney or accredited representative or if you are filing as an attorney or accredited representative)

Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative

Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records

Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers

Form I-485 Supplement A, Adjustment of Status Under Section 245(i)

Form I-485 Supplement J, Confirmation of Valid Job Offer or Request for Job Portability Under INA Section 204(j)

Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record

Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization

Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA

All other Forms I-485 must be filed by mail.

If you already have a pending Form I-485 with USCIS (with a receipt number that begins with IOE), you may file Supplement A or Supplement J online as a separate, stand-alone form.

If you file Form I-485 online and are require

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.

You can find the filing fee for Form I-485 by visiting our Fee Schedule page.

We provide free forms through the USCIS website. To view, print, or complete our forms, you should use the latest version of Adobe Reader, which you can download for free at http://get.adobe.com/reader/. Form G-325A, Biographic Information. Form G-325A is no longer required. You do not need to submit a separate Form G-325A with this Form I-485. Part 1. Information About You and Part 4. Additional Information About You of this Form I-485 meet the requirements of 8 CFR 245.3(a)(3)(i) by collecting the biographical information formerly required on Form G-325A. Signature. You (or your signing authority) must properly complete your application. USCIS will not accept a stamped or typewritten name in place of any signature on this application. If you are under 14 years of age, your parent or legal guardian may sign the application on your behalf. A legal guardian may also sign for a mentally incompetent person. (See the Additional Instructions that relates to Individuals Born to Foreign Government Employees in the United States, for one exception.) If your application is not signed, or if the signature is not valid, we will reject your application. See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii)(A). If USCIS accepts a request for adjudication and determines that it has a deficient signature, USCIS may reject or deny the request. Validity of Signatures. USCIS will consider a photocopied, faxed, or scanned copy of an original benefit request with a handwritten signature as valid for filing purposes. The photocopy, fax, or scan must be of the original request or document containing the handwritten ink signature. Filing Fee. See Form G-1055, available at www.uscis.gov/forms, for specific information about the fees applicable to this form. Evidence. When you file your application, you must submit all evidence and supporting documentation listed in the What Evidence Must You Submit with Form I-485 section of these Instructions. Evidence requirements may vary depending on the immigrant category you are applying under. See the Additional Instructions for information on whether any general evidence requirements do not apply to you, or if you have other evidence requirements specific to your immigrant category. Biometric Services Appointment. USCIS may require you to appear for an interview or provide biometrics (fingerprints, photograph, and/or signature) at any time to verify your identity, obtain additional information, and conduct background and security checks, including a check of criminal history records maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), before making a decision on your application or petition. If we determine that a biometric services appointment is necessary, we will send you an appointment notice with the date, time, and location of your appointment. If you are currently overseas, your notice will instruct you to contact a U.S. Embassy, U.S. Consulate, or USCIS office outside the United States to schedule an appointment. At your biometrics appointment, you must sign an oath reaffirming that:

1. You provided or authorized all information in the application;

2. You reviewed and understood all of the information contained in, and submitted with, your application; and

3. All of this information was complete, true, and correct at the time of filing. If you do not attend your biometric services appointment, we may deny your application. For applicants and dependents who appear before an immigration judge, failure to attend a biometric services appointment, without good cause, may result in the immigration judge finding that your application was abandoned, and USCIS may also deny any other application you filed with USCIS. Copies. You should submit legible photocopies of requested documents unless the Instructions specifically instruct you to submit an original document. USCIS may request an original document at any time during our process. If we request an original document from you, we will return it to you after USCIS determines it no longer needs the original. NOTE: If you submit original documents when they are not required or requested, USCIS or the Immigration Court may destroy them after we receive them. Translations. If you submit a document with information in a foreign language, you must also submit a full English translation. The translator must sign a certification that the English language translation is complete and accurate, and that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English. The certification must also include the translator's signature, printed name, the signature date, and the translator's contact information. USCIS Contact Center. For additional information on the application and Instructions about where to file, change of address, and other questions, visit the USCIS Contact Center at www.uscis.gov/contactcenter or call at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833). The USCIS Contact Center provides information in English and Spanish. Disability Accommodations/Modifications. To request a disability accommodation/modification, follow the instructions on your appointment notice or at www.uscis.gov/accommodationsinfo. Selective Service. Most males between 18 and 26 years of age are required by the Military Selective Service Act to register with the Selective Service System. For more information about the Selective Service System, go to www.sss.gov. If USCIS approves your application, we will send your name, current address, Social Security number, date of birth, and the date you filed the application to the Selective Service System for registration. How To Complete Form I-485

1. Type or print legibly in black ink.

2. If you need extra space to complete any item within this application, use the space provided in Part 14. Additional Information or attach a separate sheet of paper. Type or print your name and Alien Registration Number (A-Number) (if any) at the top of each sheet; indicate the Page Number, Part Number, and Item Number to which your answer refers; a

Please see our website at https://www.uscis.gov/forms/all-forms/direct-filing-addresses-for-form-i-485-applicationto-register-permanent-residence-or-adjust-status for the most current information about where to file your application, including if you are currently in exclusion, deportation, or removal proceedings. Unless otherwise noted, if you are in proceedings in Immigration Court (that is, if you have been served with Form I-221, Order to Show Cause and Notice of Hearing; Form I-122, Notice to Applicant for Admission Detained for Hearing Before an Immigration Judge; Form I-862, Notice to Appear; or Form I-863, Notice of Referral to Immigration Judge, that DHS filed with the Immigration Court), you should file Form I-485 with the appropriate Immigration Court. The DHS attorney will provide you with pre-order filing instructions regarding background and security investigations. You will be provided with instructions on providing biometrics and biographical information to USCIS, which you must follow, and direct you to submit a legible copy of the Form I-485 to USCIS that you filed with the Immigration Court.

You must notify USCIS any time you change your mailing address or your physical address. You must notify us no later than 10 days after making such change. For information on changing your address, go to our website at www.uscis.gov/addresschange or call the USCIS Contact Center. If you are already in proceedings in Immigration Court, you must also notify the Immigration Court on Form EOIR-33/ IC, Change of Address/Contact Information Form, of any changes of address within five days of the change in address. The Form EOIR-33/IC is available on the EOIR website at www.justice.gov/eoir/form-eoir-33-eoir-immigration-courtlisting or can be filed online at EOIR’s Respondent Access at https://respondentaccess.eoir.justice.gov/. NOTE: Do not submit a change of address request to the USCIS Lockbox.

Initial Processing. Once USCIS accepts your application, we will check it for completeness. If you do not properly complete this application, you will not establish a basis for your eligibility and we may reject or deny your application. Requests for More Information. USCIS may request that you provide more information or evidence to support your application. We may also request that you provide the originals of any copies you submit. If USCIS or the Immigration Court requests an original document from you, we will return it to you after USCIS or the Immigration Court determines it is no longer needed. Requests for Interview. We may request that you appear at a USCIS office for an interview based on your application. During your interview, USCIS may require you to provide your biometrics to verify your identity and/or update background and security checks. Decision. The decision on Form I-485 involves a determination of whether you have established eligibility for the immigration benefit you are seeking. USCIS or the Immigration Court will notify you of the decision in writing. If You Leave the United States While Your Application Is Pending If you are applying for adjustment of status under INA section 245, and you travel anywhere outside the United States (including brief visits to Canada or Mexico) while your application is pending, USCIS will consider your application as abandoned unless: • Before you leave the United States, you obtain an Advance Parole Document by filing Form I-131, you depart and return to a Port of Entry, and are inspected and admitted or paroled upon your return; • You are an H-1B/H-4, L, V , or K3/K4 nonimmigrant who is maintaining lawful nonimmigrant status and you return with a valid H-1B/H-4, L, V , or K3/K4 nonimmigrant visa (if required); or • You are a temporary protected status (TPS) beneficiary who travels with authorization under INA section 244(f)(3) and upon returning, you are inspected and admitted into TPS. If you are applying for adjustment of status under INA section 209 because you were admitted as a refugee or granted asylum, you may travel abroad and return to the United States with a refugee travel document. You may obtain a refugee travel document by filing Form I-131 as specified in the Form I-131 Instructions. However, see Form I-131 Instructions for a travel warning regarding voluntary re-availment. If you are applying for registry under INA section 249 and 8 CFR 249, you do not abandon your registry application by traveling abroad while it is pending. However, if you do not obtain an Advance Parole Document, you may not be able to return to the United States. You may obtain an Advance Parole Document by filing Form I-131 as specified in the Form I-131 Instructions.

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. It 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 get additional documentation and evidence. This may also help avoid adjudication delays if we decide that you do not need to be interviewed.

If you are required to submit Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, or a partial Form I-693 (such as the Vaccination Record), you must submit it with your Form I-485. Otherwise, we may reject your Form I-485.

If we reject an application package and return the application package with the Form I-693 envelope opened and you wish to file a new application package with the original opened Form I-693, you may do so. File the Form I-485 with the original opened Form I-693 and any supporting documentation that was previously included by the civil surgeon in its original envelope, along with a copy of the rejection notice.