Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence)

Official PDF downloads

• Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, USCIS (PDF)
• Form I-485, Instructions for Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, USCIS (PDF)

Also searched as

adjustment application, green card application

What this is

Form I-485, the main application used to adjust status to permanent residence from inside the United States.

Case-specific: Whether this document matters depends on category, facts, or relationship to the case.

Who usually needs it

Applicants eligible to finish the case through adjustment of status need it; it does not replace consular immigrant-visa forms.

When it usually appears

Usually once the immigrant basis, admissibility posture, and visa-availability timing permit an AOS filing.

What changes by process, path, or post

It is an AOS-only filing artifact, and the surrounding packet changes depending on the category, visa-availability rules, medical timing, and supporting evidence.

Common format or evidence traps

• Treating I-485 as interchangeable with DS-260.
• Ignoring monthly filing-window rules when the case is quota-controlled.
• Assuming every category uses the same supporting forms and evidence.

Related pages

• Adjustment of status guideSee the USCIS route inside the United States.
• Petition stage guideUnderstand what petitions decide and what they do not.

Related glossary terms

Form I-485 · Adjustment of status · Visa availability

Examples from current exact-support flows

Coverage posture: Current public exact-support flows include multiple direct examples for this document, but exact requirements still depend on the route, process stage, and official instructions.

• Usually needed

  File Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) with USCIS. Include the correct filing fee or an approved fee waiver (Form I-912). (Sources: USCIS I-485 instructions, USCIS Policy Manual Vol. 7)

  Shown when: scope.green_card_path: family-based · scope.processing_context: adjustment-of-status

• Usually needed

  File Form I-485 using the eligibility category and current USCIS filing address that apply to the family petition. Submit all required initial evidence at filing.

  Shown when: green_card_path: family-based · processing_context: adjustment-of-status

• Usually needed

  File Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) with USCIS. Include the correct filing fee or an approved fee waiver (Form I-912). Employment-based AOS applicants typically file once a priority date is current and an immigrant visa number is available. (Sources: USCIS I-485 page, USCIS Policy Manual Vol. 7 Part A, USCIS employment-based adjustment of status overview)

  Shown when: scope.green_card_path: employment-based · scope.processing_context: adjustment-of-status

• Usually needed

  File Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) with USCIS. Humanitarian AOS filers generally pay the standard I-485 filing fee; fee waivers (Form I-912) may be available depending on the basis and financial circumstances. Verify the current fee schedule and any basis-specific fee exemptions in the I-485 instructions before filing. (Sources: uscis_i485_page, uscis_i485_instructions, uscis_policy_manual_volume_7)

  Shown when: scope.green_card_path: humanitarian · scope.processing_context: adjustment-of-status

• Usually needed

  File Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) with USCIS. Include the correct filing fee or an approved fee waiver (Form I-912). Special immigrant applicants file under the EB-4 visa category (or the applicable statutory basis for Section 13 and SIJ). (Sources: uscis_i485_page, uscis_i485_instructions, uscis_i360_page)

  Shown when: scope.green_card_path: special-immigrant · scope.processing_context: adjustment-of-status

• Usually needed

  File Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) with USCIS. Include the applicable filing fee unless a fee waiver (Form I-912) is approved. The I-485 package must include all required supporting documents. (Sources: uscis_i485_page, uscis_i485_instructions)

  Shown when: scope.green_card_path: other · scope.processing_context: adjustment-of-status