Form I-485 Supplement A (INA 245(i) Overlay)

Official PDF downloads

• Supplement A to Form I-485, Adjustment of Status Under Section 245(i), USCIS (PDF)
• Instructions for Supplement A to Form I-485, USCIS (PDF)
• Supplement A to Form I-485, Adjustment of Status Under Section 245(i), USCIS (PDF)

What this is

Form I-485 Supplement A, the 245(i) overlay form used only when a case relies on grandfathering under INA 245(i).

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

Who usually needs it

Applicants trying to adjust through a 245(i) grandfathering theory need it; it is not part of ordinary adjustment-of-status filing.

When it usually appears

Usually only at the adjustment filing stage after the case has already confirmed that a 245(i) grandfathering basis may exist.

What changes by process, path, or post

The document has almost no value outside the narrow 245(i) framework, so the threshold question is whether grandfathering exists at all.

Common format or evidence traps

• Treating Supplement A as a normal companion form for any difficult AOS case.
• Focusing on the supplement before proving the underlying grandfathering event and timing.

Related pages

• Adjustment of status guideSee the USCIS route inside the United States.
• Pathway explorerUse pathway families if you still need the legal route.

Related glossary terms

Adjustment of status · Pathway family

Examples from current exact-support flows

Coverage posture: Current public exact-support flows attach only one direct example to this document. Treat that example as narrow context, not as proof that the document only matters in that one scenario.

• Usually needed

  File Form I-485 Supplement A with the I-485 package. This supplement is required for INA 245(i) filers and documents grandfathering eligibility. The $1,000 statutory penalty fee must accompany Supplement A (unless an exemption applies for certain children or other qualifying persons). Important limitation: 245(i) is an overlay that does not itself create immigrant classification. Your eligibility depends on a qualifying underlying family-based or employment-based petition. This checklist covers only the 245(i) overlay items; run through the underlying-basis checklist (family-based AOS or employment-based AOS) for the complete document set. (Sources: uscis_245i_page, uscis_i485_supplement_a_instructions, ecfr_8_cfr_245_10)

  Shown when: scope.green_card_path: other · scope.processing_context: adjustment-of-status · other.subcategory: 245i-overlay