Fillable Form I-485

What is Form I-485?

Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, is a legal document submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in order to apply for lawful permanent resident status.

Filing the I-485 form is a requirement if a person wishes to obtain a “Green Card”, a document that allows a person to reside in the US and be considered a permanent resident until it expires. This is important for several reasons, such as enabling a person to find more permanent employment in the country as well as start the process to become a naturalized citizen of the US.

How do I fill out Form I-485?

Form I-485 requires information about you, your reasoning for requesting permanent resident status, and your spouse and children (if applicable).

Part 1 - Information About You

This section requires that you input information about yourself.

Full Name

Enter your family name, given name, and middle name.

Address

Enter your current street address in the US.

Apartment Number

If you live in an apartment, enter your apartment number here. Otherwise leave this space blank.

In Care Of

If the address was given to you or is being managed by someone else, enter that person’s name.

City

Enter the city that you live in.

State

Enter the state that you live in.

ZIP Code

Enter your ZIP code.

Date of Birth

Enter your date of birth.

Country of Birth

Enter your country of birth.

Country of Citizenship/Nationality

Enter the country that you are currently a citizen of.

US Social Security Number

Enter your Social Security Number in the US, if applicable

A-Number

Enter your A-number, if applicable

Date of Last Arrival

Enter the date of the last time you arrived in the US

I-94 Arrival-Departure Record Number

Enter your Arrival-Departure Record Number

Current USCIS Status

Enter your current status with the USCIS.

Expires On

Enter the expiry date of your current USCIS status.

Part 2 - Application Type

Check only one of the following that applies to the application you’re making:

1. An immigrant petition giving me an immediately available immigrant visa number that has been approved.
2. My spouse or parent applied for adjustment of status or was granted lawful permanent residence in an immigrant visa category that allows derivative status for spouses and children.
3. I entered as a K-1 fiance of a US citizen whom I married within 90 days of entry, or I am the K-2 child of such a fiance.
4. I was granted asylum or derivative asylum status as the spouse or child of a person granted asylum and am eligible for adjustment
5. I am a native or citizen of Cuba admitted or paroled into the US after January 1, 1959, and thereafter have been physically present in the US for at least 1 year.
6. I am the husband, wife, or minor unmarried child of a Cuban described above in (e), and I am residing with that person, and was admitted or paroled into the US after January 1, 1959 and thereafter have been physically present in the US for at least 1 year.
7. I have continuously resided in the US since before January 1, 1972.
8. Other basis of eligibility. Explain in the space provided.

If you are already a permanent resident and are applying to have the date you were granted permanent residence adjusted to the date you originally arrived in the US as a nonimmigrant or parolee, or as of May 2, 1964 (whichever date is later), check the one that applies from the following:

• I am a native or citizen of Cuba and meet the description in (e) above.
• I am the husband, wife, or minor unmarried child of a Cuban and meet the description in (f) above

Part 3 - Processing Information

City/Town/Village of Birth

Enter the city, town, or village you were born in.

Current Occupation

Enter your current occupation.

Mother’s First Name

Enter your mother’s first name.

Father’s First Name

Enter your father’s first name.

Name as Written on Form I-94

Enter your name exactly as it appears on your Form I-94

Place of Last Entry

Enter the place that you last entered the US.

Status on Last Entry

Enter your status when you last entered the US.

Inspection

Check “Yes” if you were inspected by an immigration officer. Otherwise, check “No”.

Nonimmigrant Visa Number

Enter your nonimmigrant visa number.

Consulate Where Visa was Issued

Enter the consulate that issued your Visa.

Date Visa Issued

Enter the date that your Visa was issued.

Gender

Check the box that corresponds to your gender.

Marital Status

Check the box that corresponds to your current marital status.

Previous Application

Check “Yes” if you applied for permanent residency in the US in the past, then enter the date and place of filing and the final disposition. Otherwise, check “No”.

Information on Spouse and Children

Enter the following information about your spouse and each of your children:

• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• Country of Birth
• Relationship
• A-Number
• Check “Yes” if they are applying with you for permanent residency. Otherwise, check “No”.

Past Affiliations with Organizations or Other Groups

In the table provided, enter the following information about each organization or group you have been part of:

• Name of Organization
• Location and Nature
• Date of Membership From
• Date of Membership To

Questions

Answer each of the below questions by checking “Yes” or “No”. If you answer “Yes” to any of these questions, provide an explanation of why in a separate sheet of paper.

• Have you ever, in or outside the US:

• • Knowingly committed a crime of moral turpitude or a drug-related offense for which you have not been arrested?
  • Been arrested, cited, charged, indicted, convicted, fined, or imprisoned for breaking or violating any law or ordinance excluding traffic violations?
  • Been the beneficiary of a pardon, amnesty, rehabilitation decree, other act of clemency, or similar action?
  • Exercised diplomatic immunity to avoid prosecution for a criminal offense in the US?
• Have you ever received public assistance in the US from any source, including the US government or any state, county, city, or municipality?
• Have you ever:
  • Within the past 10 years been a prostitute or procured anyone for prostitution, or intend to engage in such activities in the future?
  • Engaged in any unlawful commercialized vice, including, but not limited to, illegal gambling
  • Knowingly encouraged, induced, assisted, abetted, or colluded in the illicit trafficking of any controlled substance
• Have you ever engaged in, conspired to engage in, or do you intend to engage in, or have you ever solicited membership or funds for, or have you through any means assisted or provided any type of material support to any person or organization that has ever engaged or conspired to engage in sabotage, kidnapping, political assassination, hijacking, or any other form of terrorist activity?
• Do you intend to engage in the US in:
  • Espionage
  • Any activity that opposes or seeks to control or overthrow the Government of the US, by force, violence, or other unlawful means
  • Any activity to violate or evade any law prohibiting the export from the US of goods, technology, or sensitive information
• Have you ever been a member of or in any way affiliated with the Communist Party or any other totalitarian party?
• Did you, during the period from March 23, 1933 to May 8, 1945, in association with either the Nazi Government of Germany or any organization or government associated or allied with the Nazi Government of Germany, ever order, incite, assist, or otherwise participate in the persecution of any person because of race, religion, national origin, or political opinion?
• Have you ever been deported from the US, or removed from the US at government expense, excluded within the past year, or are you now in exclusion, deportation, removal, or rescission proceedings?
• Are you under a final order of civil penalty for violating section 274C of the Immigration and Nationality Act for use of fraudulent documents, or have you, by fraud or willful misrepresentation of a material fact, ever sought to procure, or procured, a visa, other documentation, entry into the US, or any immigration benefit?
• Have you ever left the US to avoid being drafted into the US Armed Forces?
• Have you ever been a J nonimmigrant exchange visitor who was subject to the 2-year foreign residence requirement and have not yet complied with that requirement or obtained a waiver?
• Are you now withholding custody of a US citizen child outside the US from a person granted custody of the child?
• Do you plan to practice polygamy in the US?
• Have you ever ordered, incited, called for, committed, assisted, helped with, or otherwise participated in any of the following:
  • Acts involving torture or genocide
  • Killing any person
  • Intentionally and severely injuring any person
  • Engaging in any kind of sexual contact or relations with any person who was being forced or threatened
  • Limiting or denying any person’s ability to exercise religious beliefs
• Have you ever:
  • Served in, been a member of, assisted in, or participated in any military unit, paramilitary unit, police unit, self-defense unit, vigilante unit, rebel group, guerilla group, militia, or insurgent organization
  • Served in any prison, jail, prison camp, detention facility, labor camp, or any other situation that involved detaining persons
• Have you ever been a member of, assisted in, or participated in any group, unit, or organization of any kind in which you or other persons used any type of weapon against any person or threatened to do so?
• Have you ever assisted or participated in selling or providing weapons to any person who to your knowledge used them against another person, or in transporting weapons to any person who to your knowledge used them against another person?
• Have you ever received any type of military, paramilitary, or weapons training?

Part 4 - Accommodations for Individuals With Disabilities and/or Impairments

Check “Yes” if you are requesting an accommodation because of your disability(ies) and/or impairment(s), then select all boxes that apply from the following:

• I am deaf or hard of hearing and request the following accommodation(s).
• I am blind or sight-impaired and request the following accommodation(s)
• I have another type of disability and/or impairment (explain the nature of your disability/impairment in the space provided, and the accommodations you are requesting)

Part 5 - Signature

Applicant’s Statement

Check the box that applies between the following:

• I can read and understand English and I have read and understood each and every question and instruction on this form, as well as my answer to each question.
• Each and every question and instruction on this form, as well as my answer to each question, has been read to me in a language in which I am fluent by the person named in Interpreter’s Statement and Signature. I understand each and every question and instruction on this form, as well as my answer to each question.

Signature

Sign the form in the space provided, then enter the date that the form was signed as well as your full legal name.

Interpreter’s Statement and Signature

Enter the language that the interpreter shares with the applicant, that they used in order to interpret the questions and answers of the applicant for the purposes of filing this form.

Have the interpreter sign the form in the space provided then enter the date that the form was signed as well as their full legal name.

Part 6 - Signature of Person Preparing the Form, If Other Than Above

If another person prepared this form on behalf of the applicant, have them enter their full legal name, date, daytime phone number, the name of the firm they work for (if applicable), and email address in the spaces provided, then have them sign the form in the space provided and enter the date that the form was signed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When should Form I-485 be filed?

All I-485 applications are filed when I-140 is concurrently-filed, pending, or approved. Note that the foreign national must file I-485 prior to the expiration of Form I-94.

What is the filing fee of I-485?

The filing fee of I-485 is $1140. You need to add an $85 biometric fee for a total of $1225, where applicable. You must make your check payable to the Department of Homeland Security. There are exceptions in which the applicant is not required to pay the entire $1225, and you can check what these exceptions are through the USCIS site.

Do I need vaccination proof to file Form I-485?

Yes. The full list of diseases that the applicant must be vaccinated for is posted on the USCIS site, and documentation of their vaccination must be provided alongside the form.

What do I do after filing Form I-485?

Fingerprinting will generally be the next step taken, to be done at application support centers or wherever the USCIS recommends such processes to be conducted.

What is the processing procedure for I-485?

Initial processing of the application takes place at a USCIS Lockbox Facility or a service center. After the application has been filed, the applicant will next hear from the USCIS when a fingerprinting notice is sent. The applicant will either be scheduled for a fingerprinting at a local application support center (ASC) or be told to schedule an interview with the local ASC. The fingerprints will be submitted to the FBI for fingerprint checks through law enforcement databases.

What happens if my Form I-485 goes missing or if more information is needed?

In such a situation, a request for further evidence (RFE) will be issued. RFEs must be answered within twelve weeks of the request.

Do I have to submit an RFE if medical exam results are lacking or missing?

No. Such results may be submitted at the time of the adjustment interview.

What checks are conducted by the USCIS concerning an I-485 application?

USCIS conducts several checks in determination of I-485 application:

• A filed petition is checked against a USCIS fraudulent petition index in which a record is kept of prior petitions filed in which some element of fraud was involved.
• Background (name) checks are conducted against a multi-agency database containing lookout information on persons who have a history of past immigration problems or may pose security threats.
• Concurrently filed petitions may also be checked against files already in existence for the petitioner and/or beneficiary to determine whether the information in the petition is consistent with previous statements made by either party in papers already on file.
• The USCIS may also conduct a check of the authenticity of supporting documents against DOS descriptions contained in that agency's Foreign Affairs Manual. If there are any doubts regarding these documents, the USCIS may request the original documents.
• With regard to applications for ancillary benefits, the USCIS will conduct prima facie review of all I-140s concurrently filed with I-485s prior to adjudication of employment authorization applications (Form I-765's) or applications for advance parole (filed on Form I-131).

Is an interview required for Form I-485?

After March 6, 2017, all adjustment of status applicants must be interviewed by an officer unless the interview is waived by USCIS. The decision to waive the interview should be made on a case-by-case basis.

What do I need to bring for an interview?

Generally, you will need to bring the following:

• Results of required medical examination
• Your passport
• Your Form I-94
• All original documents
• An up-to-date letter of employment from your employer
• The appointment notice
• All documents pertaining to the petition

What if my application does not get approved at the interview?

If the application cannot be approved at the interview because you must provide additional information or because the proper clearances have not yet been received, then you must await the resolution of these issues before the approval notice will be sent to you.

When will I receive an approval notice?

You will be sent an approval notice, Form I-797, once the DOS has assigned the visa number.

Can I travel abroad or start to work after I receive an approval notice?

The approval notice is not adequate evidence of the alien's permanent residence for purposes of traveling outside the United States and being readmitted as a resident, or for purposes of demonstrating employment authorization.

What if my spouse and children are still in my home country?

Their visas will still be approved. If you have adjusted status, your spouse or unmarried children under 21 will obtain immigrant visas at a U.S. consulate in your home country. This procedure is called “following to join“ the principal alien.

What if my child ages over 21 during the period of adjusting status?

There won’t be a problem. New law provides for continued classification of certain aliens as children in cases where the aliens “age out“ while awaiting immigration processing.

Can I change employers when my I-485 is pending?

Yes, but only if your case has been pending for 180 days or more. Check the USCIS site for more details and guidelines.