Apply for a Green Card (I-485) · United States

Bring these documents

• Underlying petition approval or pending receipt[1]Required

  Usually Form I-130 (family) or I-140 (employment) — your I-485 attaches to a petition.

• Two passport-style photos[1]Required
• Birth certificate + certified English translation if not in English[1]Required
• Form I-94 arrival/departure record[7]Required

  Free at i94.cbp.dhs.gov — proves legal entry.

• Form I-693 Medical Examination (in a sealed envelope from a USCIS civil surgeon)[3]Required
• Form I-864 Affidavit of Support (family-based) signed by sponsor[8]If applicable
• Marriage certificate + evidence of bona fide marriage (if spouse-based)[1]If applicable
• Filing fee or I-912 waiver[2]Required

Step by step

1. 1

   Confirm a visa is immediately available[5]

   Check the State Department Visa Bulletin — for some categories there's no wait, for others you must wait years before filing I-485.

   Visa Bulletin → Source: travel.state.gov
2. 2

   Get your medical exam (Form I-693)[3]

   Must be done by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon and submitted in a sealed envelope. Now valid indefinitely once signed.

   Find a civil surgeon → Source: uscis.gov
3. 3

   File I-485 online or by mail with the current fee[1]

   Bundle I-765 (work permit, often free with I-485) and I-131 (advance parole) so you can work and travel while waiting.

   File at myUSCIS → Source: uscis.gov
4. 4

   Confirm the exact current fee BEFORE paying

   Wrong fee is the #1 reason packages get returned. Check the Fee Calculator the day you mail or submit.

   Fee Calculator →
5. 5

   Attend biometrics, then interview[6]

   Biometrics ~4–6 weeks after filing. Interview at your local field office for most family/marriage cases.

   Open official page Source: uscis.gov

Common reasons this gets rejected

• Filing when no visa is current

  If your priority date isn't current in the Visa Bulletin, the I-485 will be rejected. Family preference categories often have multi-year waits.

• Stale or unsigned I-693 medical

  Old policy required I-693 within 60 days of signing; current rules allow signed I-693 indefinitely — but it must be sealed by the civil surgeon, never opened by you.

• Missing translation certifications

  Any foreign-language document needs a full English translation + a translator certification statement. Photocopies of foreign-language docs alone get rejected.

• I-864 sponsor income below 125% of federal poverty

  Family-based AOS requires a financial sponsor at 125%+ of poverty (100% for active military). Use a joint sponsor if the primary doesn't qualify.

• Travel without advance parole

  Leaving the U.S. while I-485 is pending without an approved I-131 means the I-485 is abandoned. File I-131 with the package.

Talk to a human

Sources

1. [1]Form I-485 — USCIS
2. [2]USCIS Fee Calculator
3. [3]Form I-693 (Medical)
4. [4]Find a Civil Surgeon
5. [5]Visa Bulletin
6. [6]Find a Field Office
7. [7]https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/
8. [8]https://www.uscis.gov/i-864