Form I-485 : Application for Green Card
Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status is in fact an application for a green card. This form is filed to receive a US permanent resident status. All the immigrants, who go though the immigration process on the territory of the USA (not in a Consular Department in their country), shall complete this form. Those, who cross the border with immigration visa or a package of immigration documents received in a Consular Department, do not need to complete the form (for example, DV lottery winners or relatives of US citizens).
If you were granted asylum, you should submit the form in a year after your asylum application was approved.
To submit the form you shall be physically present in the USA for a year cumulatively once you have been granted asylum.
If you came to the USA by fiancé visa, you should submit the form after a marriage registration. In addition, you complete Form I-864 (affidavit of support), which will appear on your account while you will be filling Form I-485 (free).
Terms
The Form is submitted on the US territory only. Processing time of your application depends on immigration way. For example, it takes 3-6 months for refugees, 69 months for children and spouses of US citizens and 6 months for those, who reunite with their families.
Document checklist
(copies or scan of good quality may be submitted)
- Birth certificate
- Copy of passport page with visas
- Medical examination. You should be examined by a doctor certified by USCIS. You can find them on the official site https://my.uscis.gov/findadoctor. Fiancés and their children (K1, K2 visas) may also submit a Vaccination Record.
- Additional documents according to a type of immigration (for example, refugee status approval, Form I-130 approved by immigration service (Petition for Alien Relative)).
Translation
All your documents in any language, except for English, must be translated. You need to bring originals of all the documents mentioned in your application to an interview.
Documentary evidence attached to an application shall be of good quality and translated into English. A translator shall confirm that he/she has a command of both languages and the translation is faithful. All the originals will be returned after the interview.
