Filing form I-485 means assembling a stack of forms and evidence that changes depending on your green card category, family situation, and where your case is in the process. This tool generates a personalized checklist so nothing gets missed, plus the most common mistakes that trigger a request for evidence (RFE).
A missing document or inconsistent answer can trigger a request for evidence and add months of delay. An immigration attorney can review your full packet before you submit.
Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, is what someone already in the US files to become a green card holder without leaving the country. It's the alternative to consular processing, which is used when the applicant is outside the US. I-485 is always paired with an underlying basis, whether that's an approved or concurrently filed family or employment petition, asylee or refugee status, or another qualifying category.
Before filing, you need to confirm your priority date is current under the visa bulletin for your category, which our priority date checker can help estimate. If you're not yet sure which underlying category applies to you, our visa eligibility screener is a good starting point.
Some categories allow concurrent filing, meaning you submit the I-485 at the same time as the underlying petition, like I-130 or I-140, rather than waiting for separate approval first. This is only available when your priority date is already current. Other cases require the underlying petition to be approved first, with I-485 filed as a separate, later step once a visa number becomes available.
Most applicants also submit form I-765 to request employment authorization (a work permit) and form I-131 for advance parole, allowing international travel while the case is pending, since leaving the US without advance parole can be treated as abandoning the application. These companion forms use the same biographic and medical information already gathered for the I-485, so filing them together is efficient when you know you'll need them. Family members applying together each need their own complete I-485 packet, even when filed as part of the same household case.
Form I-693, the medical examination, must be completed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon and is required for nearly every I-485 applicant. Other standard evidence includes a copy of your birth certificate with certified translation if not in English, passport biographic pages, all prior visas and I-94 records, and 2 passport-style photos. Employment-based applicants typically need an updated job offer letter, and family-based applicants need a complete affidavit of support from their sponsor.