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

Form I-485 is the primary application used by immigrants adjusting status (applying for lawful permanent residence—a green card) in the United States. It collects basic information about the applicant's identity and checks for grounds of inadmissibility.

The information on this form all refers to the person who will get the green card, which we will assume is you, the reader. This form does not ask for any information about your petitioner or financial sponsor.

Form I-485 is available for free download on the Form I-485 page of the USCIS website. This article discusses the version of the form dated 01/20/2025. Be sure to always use the latest version of the form when submitting to USCIS, or the agency might reject your application.

Note: Our instructions below cover only some of the more complex questions regarding how to fill out the form itself. For broader information on whether you are eligible for a green card and the various steps involved in the application process, see How to Get a Green Card.

General Instructions for Filling Out USCIS Form I-485

You can fill in Form I-485 on your computer, and that's the best way to do it. If you need to fill it in by hand, print legibly and use black ink. Signatures must be by hand, in ink—do not type your name or use a stamp where it asks for a signature.

You might come across a question on the form that doesn't apply to you, or for which the answer is "none." For example, Part 1 asks for your middle name, and you might not have one. It's usually best to enter "N/A" or "None" in situations like these, otherwise USCIS might send the form back to you.

If you need extra space to completely answer a question, use Part 14 Additional Information, at the end of the form (which you can photocopy to make extra pages of, if needed). Take extra care to include your name, Alien Registration number (if you have one), and so on, in case this page gets separated from the rest of the form.

Answering Individual Questions on USCIS Form I-485

Here are tips on how to answer some of the less self-explanatory sections of this form.

Part 1. Information About You (Person applying for lawful permanent residence)

For Question 1, Your Current Legal Name, use the name that appears on your passport, unless you have since changed it since, for example by marriage or court order. Also supply other names that might appear on any of your legal, immigration, or other official paperwork.

For Questions 4 and 5, you might or might not have an Alien Registration Number; probably not, if you're still living outside the United States. It's given mostly to people whom USCIS or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) opened a file for because they applied for lawful permanent residence in the United States, requested a work permit while on an F-1 student visa, or been placed into deportation (removal) proceedings.

For Question 6, regarding gender identity, USCIS had added an "other" category in the last version of the form, but owing to Trump administration executive orders, only "male" and "female" will be acknowledged as possibilities, and they expect applicants to enter the gender they were known by at birth.

As for the USCIS Online Account Number (Question 9), you would have one only if you registered for this system in order to submit a previous application.

Question 10, "recent immigration history," asks for basic passport and visa information and for your Place and Date of Last Arrival into the United States. USCIS is looking for the place where you met and spoke to the CBP officer. (This would be the first airport where you landed on your most recent arrival, if you came by plane.) If you can't remember, this information can be found by clicking the Get Travel History button on the I-94 website. You might also find your arrival date stamped in your passport.

Question 11 asks a number of questions about your most recent U.S. entry and whether you were "inspected" (literally, met and questioned by an immigration official). Part of the intention here is to make sure you entered legally; in most cases, someone who entered without permission is not eligible to use USCIS's Adjustment of Status procedure as their method to get a green card. (They will instead have to do what's called "consular processing," at a U.S. consulate or embassy in their home country.) There are gray areas, however. For instance, someone who didn't individually show U.S. entry documents, but was "waved through" at the border (perhaps in a car full of people) will be considered to have made a legal entry, if they can convincingly prove this happened.

Questions 12 and following asks for information about your U.S. entry and your Form I-94, the entry document created for you by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). You'll need to provide the Expiration Date of Authorized Stay Shown on I-94, that is, the date your status in the U.S. will expire. This is almost always different from the date your visa expires. (See I-94 Date vs. U.S. Visa Expiration Date.) If you came to the United States before April 30, 2013, you will probably find a white I-94 card stapled in your passport. If you came after April 30, 2013 by sea or by air, you were most likely not given an I-94 card. You'll have to get your I-94 number online at CBP's I-94 retrieval website. Have your passport number ready.

Some people, mostly students and exchange program visitors, won't see an exact expiration date on their I-94—they are here for the "duration of status," noted by "D/S" on the I-94. If this applies to you, enter "D/S" in the answer box.

Where you're asked about your Immigration Status on Form I-94, this refers to when you last arrived. If you entered using a visa, the status is likely a combination of a letter and a number, such as F-1 (student), H-1B (if you're here as a temporary specialty worker, or B-2 (visitor for pleasure). Otherwise, or if you have no visa, describe your status with a term like "student," "visitor," "asylee," or "EWI" for "entered without inspection." (But again, if you entered EWI, it's doubtful you have a right to adjust status in the U.S.; see an attorney.) If you've changed your immigration status since the last time you entered the U.S., for example gone from F-1 student to H-1B worker, enter the newer status you have now.

In Question 14 regarding your current immigration status but only "if it has changed," give your new I-94 or other status code. Or, if you haven't obtained a new status, indicate that by entering "overstay" or "OOS" (out of status). Remember, this means you might not be eligible to adjust status unless you are the immediate relative of a U.S. citizen; see a lawyer to be sure. And you might need to enter "EWI" if you crossed the border illegally but somehow became eligible to use the adjustment of status procedure (unlikely).

Question 18 asks for your "current physical address." The "In Care Of Name" line is only for people who have asked others to receive mail for them—enter the name of the person who lives at the address if this is the case. It's best to provide an address where USCIS can send mail to you. However, there's a "Current Mailing Address (Safe or Alternate Mailing Address, as applicable)" option, especially useful for people applying for a green card based on being in an abusive or dangerous situation.

If you haven't lived at the same address for at least five years, you'll need to supply additional addresses in your history, for background checks. Fill this out as completely as you can, and go to Part 14 of the form to enter any addresses that won't fit here.

The question about your "Most Recent Address Outside the United States" is meant to cover situations where someone has lived in the U.S. for a number of years. If that doesn't describe you, you might be entering an address that you've already entered above here; that's okay.

Under Social Security Card (Question 19), if you have a valid Social Security number (SSN) from the Social Security Administration (SSA), enter it here. If you don't yet have a number, filling in the rest of this section supposedly lets you apply for one; or for a replacement card (appropriate if the one you have shows limitations based on your nonimmigrant status). But don't count on actually receiving a card after filling this out. The program by which USCIS would communicate with the SSA to arrange this was frozen in March of 2025, and it's unclear when it will resume. Plan on visiting an SSA office in person (and dealing with long waits).

Part 2. Application Type or Filing Category

Question 1 asks whether you are filing this form in any of various sorts of immigration court proceedings, requesting relief from an immigration judge. If you are just filing directly with USCIS of your own volition, and not as a defense to deportation, answer "No" here.

For Question 2, The "underlying petition" asked about is your I-130, I-140, I-360, I-526, I-918, or other petition a sponsor filed for you. You're looking for the receipt number that USCIS put on its I-797 approval notice. But if you're filing your petition at the same time as the I-485 (a few categories of people, such as spouses of U.S. citizens who entered the U.S. lawfully, are allowed to do this concurrent filing), leave this blank, since you won't get such a receipt. You can also leave this blank if applying in a category that didn't require a sponsor or petition, such as asylee.

Your Priority Date from Underlying Petition (if you're not in a category where visas were immediately available, such as immediate relative) will be found on your USCIS approval notice, indicating the exact date when the petition was first filed on your behalf (or by you). If you are an immediate relative, you can leave this blank.

Also in Question 2, you'll need to understand the difference between a "principal" and "derivative" applicant. The principal is literally the main person mentioned on a visa petition. A derivative is someone who didn't need a separate visa petition, but who was named in, and is riding on, another person's petition (probably that of a parent or spouse). (See, for instance, When Children Can Immigrate to the U.S. With Their Parents as "Derivatives".)

In Question 3, put an "X" in the box that applies to you. For example, you would choose one of the boxes in section 3.a if you are applying through family and are either an immediate relative or a preference relative with a current Priority Date and a right to use the adjustment of status procedure; and within 3.b if a U.S. employer has petitioned for you; and so on.

With regard to Question 4, it's doubtful that you are applying based on the Immigration and Nationality Act (I.N.A.) Section 245(i); that's only for people to whom some very old laws apply, allowing them to pay a penalty fee in order to adjust status despite an illegal entry to the United States.

For Question 5, you would say yes only if you're applying for a green card via a family petitioner, and your having turned 21 would normally knock you out of eligibility, but for adjustments to your "age" based on the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). To find out more, see How the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) Helps Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens or How the CSPA Helps Family-Based Preference Relatives and Derivative Beneficiaries.

Part 3: Request for Exemption for Intending Immigrant's Affidavit of Support

Although most family-based immigrants must supply a Form I-864 Affidavit in which their U.S. petitioner promises (and contracts with the U.S. government) to provide financial support, exemptions do exist. This is where you would indicate that you're claiming one. For details, see Who Is Exempt From Submitting Form I-864 Affidavit of Support and If Immigrating Spouse Worked Illegally in the U.S., Can Their Work Be Counted Toward 40 Quarters?.

If you're not in a family category and therefore not required to submit an I-864, check box 1.e. If you are in a family category and will be submitting an I-864, check box 1.f.

Part 4. Additional Information About You

Most of this part should be self-explanatory.

If you have applied for an immigrant visa (for permanent residency) at a U.S. consulate overseas any time in the past, check the "yes" box in Question 1. You'll then need to say where and when you applied, and what happened. The decision was either approved, denied, refused, or withdrawn (by you). There is no need to explain why this decision was made on this form.

Your Employment and Educational History are also required, for background check purposes. Enter "None" in the first box if you haven't been working or studying.

Part 5. Information About Your Parents

This asks for basic biographical information; again, for background check purposes. If you don't have any bits of information, enter "unknown."

Part 6. Information About Your Marital History

You must explain whether you are currently single, married, divorced, and so on, and list information about your current spouse, if any. This information, and that under Information About Prior Marriages (if any), is particularly important if you are immigrating to the United States based on marriage. USCIS wants to ascertain whether you are eligible or not. (Being married to two or more people at once is a legal problem and can lead to inadmissibility.)

Part 7. Information About Your Children

List all of your children (including adult children and stepchildren), even if they are not immigrating at this time. This is especially important if they might wish to immigrate later, because failure to mention them will create doubt as to whether they exist at all.

Part 8. Biographic Information

For purposes of confirming your identity, you must choose an ethnicity and race, and supply other physical information.

Part 9. General Eligibility and Inadmissibility Grounds

A big part of the purpose of this section is to weed out terrorists. If you have been connected to an organization that has a violent wing or advocates violence, even if you were only in its nonviolent subgroup, consult a lawyer. On the other hand, you can improve the USCIS officer's opinion of you by listing organizations that you have volunteered with, such as religious organizations, to show that you are a moral person. And if you are an asylee who described being a member of an organization, you will need to list it here.

This section is long, and covers every possible way that an immigrant could be "inadmissible" to the United States (meaning that, despite meeting the basic visa requirements, you aren't eligible for U.S. entry at all, due to past crimes, immigration violations, serious health (mental or physical) or financial trouble, and so on.

For Questions 10 to 55 in Part 9, your answers are hopefully "no."

Question 19 is an unusual case; it's meant for J-1 visa holders who are seeking a way around the usual requirement that they spend two years outside the U.S. before returning. If your answer is yes, then unless you can answer "yes" to the following two questions (20 and 21), you will be found inadmissible. (Learn more about J-1 waivers.)

In answering the questions, you have to disclose all arrests, even if the arrest was a mistake and you were never charged with a crime. You can ignore tickets you got while driving except if drugs or alcohol was involved, or your fine was over $500. You will have to provide documentation showing what happened with every arrest, charge, conviction, or sentence.

Question 56 asks whether you are "exempt" from the "public charge" ground of inadmissibility. Most family and employment-based visa applicants will not fall into any of these categories and will therefore need to check the final box; in other words, they will, by law, need to show the U.S. government that they aren't likely to need financial assistance from the government in order to live above the poverty line.

If you checked that last box, you'll need to answer several more questions (57 - 66) about your household size, educational background, financial situation, and overall prospects for supporting yourself. Past receipt of certain public benefits could be used as an indication that you are likely to become a public charge. While receiving public assistance isn't illegal, it could be viewed as a sign that your income, assets, access to health insurance, and so on won't save you from relying on need-based government help. If there's any doubt about your financial resources, consult with an attorney before submitting this application.

Form I-485 then (in Questions 67 through 86) returns to various other grounds of inadmissibility for which your answer will in most cases hopefully be "no."

If the true answer to any of the questions regarding whether you are inadmissible is "yes," do not lie (which is not only unethical, but could, if discovered, destroy any hope you have of immigrating to the United States). Instead, see a lawyer for a full analysis of the situation.

Part 10: Applicant's Statement, Contact Information, Declaration, Certification, and Signature

This is where you, the immigrant applicant for the green card, sign. You'll also need to assure USCIS that you understand what you're signing and stand by the authenticity of the document copies you've submitted, and supply ways to reach you.

Part 11: Interpreter's Contact Information, Certification, and Signature

This is the place for your interpreter to provide contact information and sign, if you relied on an interpreter to answer the questions. If you don't speak English well or at all, it's best to get an interpreter (or a lawyer) to help you with the form and to sign.

You don't have to speak English to get your green card, but if you need an interpreter at your green card interview, the officer is probably not going to approve your I-485 application if you didn't have an interpreter sign it.

Part 12. Contact Information, Certification, and Signature of Person Preparing this Application, If Other Than the Applicant

If you filled out Form I-485 yourself, leave this part blank. Otherwise, this is where the lawyer or other person who filled out the form for you signs and provides contact information.

Part 13. Signature at Interview

Leave this blank for now. You'll sign it when you meet with a USCIS officer for your green card interview.

Part 14. Use this if you need to add information to complete or expand on one of your previous answers.

What Documents Must Be Submitted With Form I-485

You will need to submit a variety of documents proving your eligibility, identity, financial capacity, and more along with your USCIS Form I-485. Find a list and additional instructions at How to Prepare and Send Adjustment of Status Application to USCIS.

What Is the Fee to Submit Form I-485?

USCIS implemented a new fee structure on April 1, 2024. Most applicants filing a Form I-485 must now pay a $1,440 filing fee, as well as (if they want a work permit) an I-765, Application for Employment Authorization fee of $260 and (if they want the ability to travel and return to the U.S.) a Form I-131, Application for Travel Document fee of $630 (for Advance Parole).

Applicants who are under the age of 14 and submitting a Form I-485 at the same time as ("concurrently with") a parent pay a reduced fee of $950.

If paying by check, you'll need to submit three separate ones ($1,440 or $950, $260,and $630) with your adjustment of status application.

There are fee exemptions, including for refugees (but not asylees, though they can request a fee waiver) and for other survivors/humanitarian applicants, such as T and U visa and VAWA adjustment applicants.

Where to Submit Form I-485

Mail your completed adjustment of status packet to the address listed on USCIS's I-485 web page. Be sure to choose the right address if you use a courier service (like FedEx) rather than the U.S. Postal Service, because they might not be able to deliver to a P.O box.

Be sure to ask for a return receipt or similar tracking, so that you will have proof that it got to USCIS, in case the agency misplaces it.

Getting Legal Help

If in doubt about whether you can safely answer any of the questions on this form, definitely consult an experienced immigration attorney. The attorney can assist in evaluating eligibility, preparing the I-485 and other paperwork and monitor the application through the long process of gaining approval for U.S. lawful permanent residence.