A Step-by-Step Guide to Completing Form I-485 for Adjustment of Status

Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, is used by individuals in the United States to adjust status and apply for lawful permanent residence (a green card). "Adjustment of Status" means changing from a "nonimmigrant" status to an "immigrant" status.

If you are applying on your own, the following explains each question and how to complete it.

Part 1: Information About You

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1.a. – 1.c. This section asks only for your legal name. Be sure to include your current full legal name. If you have multiple family names, include all of them.

2.a. – 4.c. This section asks about other names you have used in your life. This may include your maiden name, a former spouse's surname, your birth surname, and any nicknames, aliases, or pseudonyms.

5. Enter your date of birth in MM/DD/YYYY format. 6. Select your sex. 7. Enter the city or town of your birth. No address is needed.

8. Your country of birth. 9. Your country of citizenship or nationality. 10. Your Alien Registration Number (if you have one; it can be found on your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card). 11. Your USCIS online account number. This is available only if you have created an account on USCIS.gov. 12. Your U.S. Social Security number (if you have one).

13.a. – 13.f. Your current U.S. mailing address. If someone else receives mail for you, enter that person's name in 13.a.

Items 14.a. through 14.f.: This section is for a safe address for immigrants filing under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), special immigrant juveniles, victims of trafficking (T nonimmigrants), or qualifying crime victims (U nonimmigrants). If you do not want USCIS to send notices to your home, you should complete this section.

15. – 19. If you entered the United States with a passport or travel document, you need to answer these questions.

15. Your passport number. 16. If you entered with a travel permit, enter the travel permit number. 17. The expiration date of your passport or travel document. 18. The country that issued your passport or travel document. 19. If your passport contains a nonimmigrant visa number, enter it here.

20.a. – 20.b. The city or town where you last entered the United States. If you arrived by air, enter the city where the airport at which you passed through U.S. Customs and Border Protection is located. If you entered by land or sea, enter the city with the port of entry or the city of the port of entry nearest your arrival location. Please visit the CBP website to find your most recent I-94. 21. The date you last arrived in the United States.

Items 22.a through 22.d: Select here whether you were inspected by an immigration officer. Being inspected by a U.S. immigration officer means an officer stamped your passport when you last arrived in the United States. If you were inspected, indicate your admission status, such as F-1 (student) or B-2 (visitor). If you do not know the visa code, you can find it on the U.S. visa in your passport, or describe your status as "visitor" or "student." If your status is humanitarian parole or Cuban parole, select 22.b and specify. If you entered the United States without permission, select 22.c. For any other situation, select 22.d and explain.

If you do not remember the above information, most of it can be found on the latest Form I-94 on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website. Unless you arrived before April 30, 2013, your passport should contain Form I-94.

23.a. Enter your I-94 arrival-departure record number.

Item 23.b: Enter the authorized period of stay expiration date shown on your I-94. This date may differ from the U.S. visa date in your passport, so be sure to use the date on the I-94. Some statuses do not have an exact expiration date, and your I-94 will show "D/S," meaning duration of status. If your I-94 shows "D/S," write "D/S" instead of a specific date.

23.c. Enter the status shown on your I-94, such as "class of admission" or "paroled."

If you currently do not have lawful status, you should indicate that. If your I-94 has expired, you should write "overstay." If you entered without permission, indicate "EWI" (entry without inspection). If this applies to you and you are an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, you may not be eligible to adjust status, and you should seek legal advice.

Item 24: If your immigration status changed after arrival, enter your current immigration status here. Items 25.a through 25.c: Enter your name exactly as it appears on your I-94.

Part 2: Application Type or Filing Category

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This section asks in detail about your eligibility to adjust status. If you have an approved immigrant petition, you should attach the Form I-797 receipt or approval notice to Form I-485. 1.a. – 1.g. list different eligibility categories; select the one that applies to you.

Item 2: This may not apply to you. Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is an old law that applies only to certain people who entered the United States without permission. To find out if it applies to you, visit USCIS.gov.

Information about your immigration category:

Item 3: If you have an approved petition, enter its receipt number here. The petition may be Form I-130, I-140, I-360, I-526, or I-918. The receipt number appears on Form I-797 approval notice mailed by USCIS. If you are filing concurrently (i.e., filing the petition together with Form I-485), items 3 and 4 do not apply to you; leave them blank. Item 4: If your petition has been approved, enter its priority date here. Items 5 through 9: Only for derivative applicants. A derivative applicant is an immigrant who does not need a separate petition but relies on the principal applicant's petition, such as a parent or spouse. Provide the principal applicant's information in this section.

Part 3: Additional Information About You

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1. – 4. If you have ever applied for an immigrant visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate, complete this section. In the third question, enter "approved," "refused/denied," or "withdrawn." There is no need to explain why the decision was made; that is not necessary.

5. – 7. Provide your actual address history for the past five years here. Start with your current address. If you have more than two addresses, you can add them in Part 14, "Additional Information." This information is provided so USCIS can conduct background checks, so make sure it is as accurate as possible.

9.a. – 10.b. Provide your most recent address where you lived outside the United States for more than one year. If you already provided it above, you do not need to include it here.

Items 11 through 18.b: This section is also used for USCIS background checks. Provide your employment history for the last 5 years, and make sure it is as accurate as possible. If you have additional information, you may also provide it in Part 14, "Additional Information." If you were not employed, write "None" or "N/A."

Items 19 through 22.b: If not already provided in items 11 through 18, provide your most recent employment outside the United States here (even if you worked there for less than one year).

Part 4: Information About Your Parents

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Items 1.a through 16: Part 4 asks for background information about your parents. If they are deceased, you should answer "deceased" to questions 7, 8, 15, and 16.

Part 5: Information About Your Marital History

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1. – 16.c. Part 5 collects information about your marital history. This section is especially important for applicants immigrating through marriage; USCIS wants to verify that you are indeed eligible. You need to provide information about prior marriages. If there is not enough space, use the additional information section in Part 14 again.

Part 6: Information About Your Children

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Items 1 through 16: Part 6 requires information about your children. First, give the total number of your living children, then provide their basic information, including adult children and stepchildren. If they wish to immigrate to the United States in the future and you do not complete this section, USCIS may question your relationship. If you need more space, use Part 14, "Additional Information."

Part 7: Race Information

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1. Select whether you are Hispanic.

2. Select your race.

3. – 6. For the remaining questions, enter your height, weight, eye color, and hair color.

Part 8: General Eligibility and Inadmissibility Grounds

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This section is long, but do not be stressed. Its purpose is to ensure you have not done anything that would make you inadmissible to the United States. Being inadmissible means you are not eligible to enter the United States at all due to criminal conduct, immigration violations, or other reasons. If you have been involved with any organization that advocates violence, you should seek advice from an attorney.

Items 1 through 13.b: In this section, list any organizations, associations, funds, foundations, political parties, clubs, etc., you have been involved with. This is mainly to determine whether you have been involved with violent organizations, but including volunteer or religious organizations can help show USCIS officers that you are a person of good moral character.

Items 14 through 80.b: Most answers in this section should be "No." However, if you overstayed your visa, you should answer "Yes" to question 17 and then explain in Part 14, "Additional Information." For questions 24.a through 24.c, you may also answer "Yes" and explain the circumstances regarding the two-year requirement for J-1 visas.

You should also disclose all arrests, even minor offenses. You do not need to include diving tickets unless drugs, alcohol, or a fine over $500 is involved. If you have ever been arrested, you need to attach supporting documents.

If you have received public assistance, you may be found inadmissible. In that situation, you should consult a lawyer before mailing Form I-485.

Remember: never lie on any immigration form. If USCIS discovers that you lied on a form, you may be barred from entering the United States.

Part 9: Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities and/or Impairments

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Part 9 asks whether you have any disability or impairment that requires an accommodation for the interview, such as a sign language interpreter. You should explain your needs in this section.

Part 10: Applicant's Statement

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Congratulations, you are almost done! You can sign Form I-485 here. You will also check whether you can read and understand English so they know you understand what you are signing. You will also provide your contact information.

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

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If you do not speak English and rely on an interpreter to complete Form I-485, he or she will sign here. You do not need to know English to obtain a green card, but you will need an interpreter at the USCIS interview.

Part 12: Contact Information, Declaration, and Signature

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This is where an attorney completes their certification. Since you have been using this step-by-step guide, you will likely leave this item blank.

Part 13: Signature at Interview

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This is the section you will sign at the USCIS interview. Leave it blank before the interview.