The green card finish line, inside the United States: no consulate trip, no family separation, and typically a work permit while the case is pending. Here’s the whole I-485 guide to immigration adjustment of status, in plain English.
Consulate trips. Adjustment of status is completed entirely inside the United States.
One application: filed with the underlying petition, civil documents, and the Affidavit of Support where required.
Optional filings with the package: Form I-765 for a work permit, Form I-131 for advance parole travel.
Five things make or break an adjustment case. These adjustment of status requirements and adjustment of status eligibility rules decide it, so get them right before filing.
An approved, or concurrently filed, immigrant petition: family, employment, or humanitarian.
Lawful admission or parole into the U.S., with limited exceptions such as INA 245(i) grandfathering and VAWA.
A visa number that is current. Immediate relatives are always current.
The applicant must be admissible, or eligible for a waiver of the ground at issue.
Applicants must generally have maintained status. Family-based immediate relatives are forgiven many status lapses.
File Form I-485 with the underlying petition or its approval notice, civil documents, and the I-864 Affidavit of Support where required.
Optionally file Form I-765 (work permit) and Form I-131 (advance parole travel document) with the package.
Attend biometrics, and respond promptly to any Request for Evidence.
Complete the medical exam (Form I-693) with a civil surgeon.
Attend the USCIS interview (spouse cases are usually interviewed together) and receive the decision. The green card follows approval.
The green card application, filed inside the U.S. with the underlying petition.
Affidavit of Support, the sponsor's financial commitment, where required.
Optional work permit application, filed with the package.
Optional advance parole travel document, filed with the package.
Medical examination report by a civil surgeon.
Removes conditions on a marriage-based green card after 2 years.
Lawful admission or parole is generally required, with limited exceptions such as INA 245(i) grandfathering and VAWA. Eligibility mistakes here are expensive.
Government numbers change monthly. These official tools are always current:
USCIS Case Processing Times ( I-485, I-765, I-131)
USCIS Fee Schedule
USCIS unbundled adjustment pricing in 2024, so the work permit and the travel document are no longer free add ons, and a full package costs more than the headline fee. Two quiet savings remain: biometrics are included, and because no visa is issued at a consulate, adjustment cases never pay the $250 visa integrity fee that now attaches to tourist and other nonimmigrant visas.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Green card application (Form I-485) | $1,440 per applicant | Biometrics included; children under 14 filing with a parent pay $950 |
| Work permit (Form I-765) | $260 | Optional; the reduced rate while an I-485 is pending |
| Advance parole (Form I-131) | $630 | Optional travel document; must be approved before any trip abroad |
| Medical exam (Form I-693) | Set by the doctor | No USCIS fee for the form; civil surgeons set their own prices, so call several |
| Affidavit of support (Form I-864) | No fee | Filed with the package in family cases; the cost is in getting it right |
When the work permit arrives, and timing moves with USCIS workloads. Filing the I-765 inside the original package, rather than months later, is the easiest way to shorten the wait. The processing times link above shows the current pace.
A properly filed I-485 puts you in a period of authorized stay, so unlawful presence is not building up while it is pending. It is not a status of its own, though: if the case is denied and nothing else protects you, the clock starts. That is why an adjustment of status attorney fixes weak cases before filing, not after.
Only with advance parole approved before you leave; departing without it abandons the case for most applicants. And anyone with old unlawful presence should get advice before traveling even with parole, because a departure can trigger bars the document does not cure.
A marriage case must rest on a real, legally intact marriage at approval. A divorce before the decision generally ends a spousal case, while a rough patch does not. If the relationship is wobbling, talk to an adjustment of status lawyer before the interview, not at it.
Ordinary life, verified: how you met, who pays which bill, what the apartment looks like. The officer compares answers to the file and, in marriage cases, to each other. Bring updated joint documents, because the file USCIS holds is months old by interview day.
Not automatically. Many records are survivable, but every arrest needs certified court records, and the admissibility rules punish guesswork. This is the one area where our I-485 lawyer team insists on a full review before anything is filed.
Every case is different. Tell us your story. The evaluation is free, and our I-485 attorney team tells you exactly which path fits.
