Form I-485 Processing Time – Complete Guide

Last updated: August 12, 2025.

By Asel Williams, Esq. · Columbia Law School · Licensed immigration attorney

You can expect the total I-485 processing time to be around 12-13 months.

It may take two weeks for USCIS to accept your application and send you a confirmation receipt.

You then will receive notice of your biometrics appointment, which you must attend. Sometimes USCIS can reuse the previously collected biometrics which means that you do not need to appear for appointment.

If you applied for a work permit and a travel document, it takes about 2-12 months to receive them after filing the application.

Next, you will have an interview at a local USCIS office. Some applicants are not required to attend the interview.

The length of time that it takes for you to have an adjustment of status interview scheduled depends on several factors, including:

• The type of category in which you are applying,
• What dates and times are available for interviews, and 
• How busy the office is at that point in time.

In many cases, it can take at least 11-12 months to get an interview scheduled, but you may have a longer wait depending on your situation.

For some categories of applicants, USCIS might waive the interview which means you don’t need to attend the interview and your green card will be mailed to your US address.

What is Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status)?

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-485 is for foreign nationals who are living in the U.S. and want to apply for lawful permanent residence – a green card.

USCIS refers to this process as “Adjustment of Status.”

If USCIS approves your Form I-485, you will become a lawful permanent resident (green card holder).

This immigration status allows you to permanently live and work in the U.S.

After you have a green card for three or five years, you can apply for naturalization, which means that you can become a U.S. citizen.

When you submit Form I-485, you are providing USCIS with basic identifying information and documentation of your legal grounds for applying for a green card.

USCIS also will check to see if you are inadmissible for any reason.

Learn more:

How to Fill Out Form I-485

Form I-485 Checklist of Required Documents

Who Can File Form I-485?

You can apply for adjustment of status using Form I-485 if you entered the U.S. lawfully and meet some other requirements.

For example, if you are in the U.S. in lawful nonimmigrant status (such as a F-1 student or B-1/B-2 tourist visa), your visa number is available you might be eligible to apply for adjustment of status.

You must be physically present in the U.S. when you file Form I-485.

If you are eligible, you can get a green card without going back to your native country.

You must meet all the requirements of a particular immigrant category to qualify for Adjustment of Status.

These categories include:

• Marriage-based green card
• Family-based green card
• Employment-based green card
• Asylum or refugee status
• Victim of abuse (VAWA), crime, or human trafficking
• Special immigrants

You also might qualify to apply for adjustment of status if you meet the requirements in a few other categories, such as if you are a Cuban native or citizen or have special immigrant status as a religious worker.

Who Cannot File Form I-485?

Some people do not qualify to file Form I-485. These people include:

• Foreign immigrant applicants who are not present in the U.S.
• Those who entered the U.S. on C/D visas
• Those who entered the U.S. on their way to another country (stowaways)
• Those whom the U.S. admitted as witnesses or informants
• Persons who are deportable due to involvement in terrorist groups or activities

Some people also are inadmissible, which means that they cannot get a green card, even if they meet the other requirements.

Some situations that might disqualify you from getting a green card are:

• You have a communicable disease or mental health condition
• You have been convicted of certain crimes
• You are a threat to U.S. national security
• You have broken U.S. immigration laws in the past
• You are likely to become a public charge, or dependent on U.S. benefits

A few other situations also can bar you from getting a green card.

In some cases, you might be able to get a waiver that still allows you to get a green card:

Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility

Form I-601A, Application for Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver

Form I-485 Checklist

The documents that USCIS requires you to submit depend on your immigrant category: Form I-485 Checklist of Required Documents

However, some common documents are required for all applicants filing Form I-485, such as:

• A picture ID issued by a government to confirm your identity, like a passport, driver’s license, or military ID card
• Long-form birth certificate listing both parents’ names
• If a birth certificate is unavailable, other records that confirm your date and place of birth, such as church, school, or hospital records, or written statements from relatives
• Copies of documents showing that you were lawfully admitted to the U.S., such as a passport page with stamp or an arrival-departure record I-94
• Documents showing that you qualify for the immigrant category that you are using to file your petition, such as your immigrant petition that you are filing at the same time as your Form I-485 or your Form I-130 approval notice for a previously filed petition
• All documents in foreign language must be translated to English
• Two color US passport-style photographs

There are some exceptions to these requirements if you are applying through some immigrant categories.

Specific categories also require additional documents.

Some immigrant categories, such as the foreign spouse of a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident require you to provide a copy of marriage certificate and proof of bona fide marriage:

USCIS Marriage Interview, What to Expect and How to Prepare

Immediate Family Members of U.S. citizens

Immediate family members of U.S. citizens who are lawfully in the U.S. can apply for adjustment of status using Form I-485.

These family members include spouses, unmarried children under age 21, children adopted by U.S. citizens abroad or in the U.S., and parents of U.S. citizens who are age 21 or older.

To qualify for this category of Adjustment of Status applicant, you must also have a pending Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, which you can file at the same time as Form I-485. This process is called “Concurrent filing“.

Along with Form I-485, you also must submit Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, completed by your U.S. citizen relative, and Form I-693, Record of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record.

You also will need certified copies of all criminal records, including criminal charges, arrests, and convictions (if you have any).

Other forms also may be necessary, based on your situation.

Employment-based green cards

In some cases, employers may sponsor certain highly qualified citizens of other countries to remain in the U.S. as their employees.

In employment-based immigration, the US employer is called “Petitioner” and the employee is called “Beneficiary”.

Employers must submit Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, along with approved labor certification from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Some categories do not require labor certification (such as EB-1 and EB-2 National Interest Waiver).

If the beneficiary’s priority date on the most recent US Visa Bulletin is current, the beneficiary of Form I-140 can concurrently file Forms I-485, I-765 and I-131. You can check whether you are eligible for concurrent filing on current month’s USCIS chart. 

Learn more: How to Read the Visa Bulletin for Employment-Based Applications

In addition to the documents that all Adjustment of Status applicants must submit, employment-based applicants also must provide USCIS with:

• Evidence of continuous lawful status while in the U.S.
• Confirmation of their job offers
• If self-petitioning, proof that you will continue working in the same field after your green card is approved;
• Certified copies of all criminal records

In some cases, applicants seeking green cards through their employment may need to submit additional forms.

K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa Applicants

One basis for seeking a green card is marriage to a U.S. citizen.

The foreign fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens can come to the U.S. on K-1 visas after the U.S. citizens have filed a Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e).

These visas allow you to lawfully enter the U.S. if you marry your U.S. citizen fiancé(e) within 90 days after your arrival.

K-1 visa holders who want to apply for a green card after marriage to their US citizen spouse, must submit Form I-485.

Learn more: Adjustment of Status for Fiancé(e)s

K-1 visa holders must submit the following forms after the marriage to a US citizen:

• Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
• Form I-864, Affidavit of Support signed by the U.S. citizen sponsor
• Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
• Form I-131, Application for Travel Document
• Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (some K-1 visa holders are not required to submit this form)

Learn more:

How to Fill Out Form I-485

How to Fill Out Affidavit of Support – Form I-864

Form I-765 Instructions, How to Fill Out

Form I-131 Instructions, How to Fill Out

Asylee or Refugee Status

If you have been living in the U.S. for at least one year after receiving asylum, you can seek a green card if you have maintained your status and still qualify as an asylee.

The only additional document that you must submit with your Form I-485 is a document showing that you were granted asylum, such as a USCIS approval notice or an immigration judge order.

Likewise, if you were admitted to the U.S. as a refugee, you can apply for a green card one year after receiving refugee status, if you have maintained your status.

You must submit documents showing that you were granted refugee status, such as a Form I-94 or Form I-571, Refugee Travel Document.

Victims of Human Trafficking

If you are a victim of human trafficking, you must have T nonimmigrant status and documentation that you have resided in the U.S. for at least three years or throughout the investigation and prosecution of the human trafficking crimes.

You also must provide proof that adjustment of status is warranted as a matter of discretion and that you have good moral character.

Finally, you must have documents showing that either you assisted in the investigation or prosecution of human traffickers, were under the age of 18 at the time the crimes occurred, or would suffer extreme hardship involving unusual and severe harm if removed from the U.S.

Crime and Abuse Victims

If you are a victim of some crimes or abusive situations and hold U nonimmigrant status, you can apply for a green card if you have documentation that you have been living in the U.S. consistently for at least three years.

Like victims of human trafficking, you also must show proof that you assisted law enforcement agencies in the investigation and prosecution of these crimes.

Finally, you also must prove that adjustment of status is warranted as a matter of discretion in your cases.

Form I-485 Fees

Form I-485 application fee depends on your category:

Form I-485 Processing Time

Family-Based Form I-485 Processing Time

Employment-Based Form I-485 Processing Time

Asylum-Based Form I-485 Processing Time

Refugee-Based Form I-485 Processing Times

Under HRIFA, Indochinese Adjustment Act, Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act, or NACARA Form I-485 Processing Times

Based on an approved T Visa Form I-485 Processing Times

Filing Form I-485 After Visa Overstay

If you stay in the U.S. past the time that you are legally authorized to do so (“visa overstay”), you might still be able to seek an adjustment of status.

Various factors determine whether a visa overstay can negatively affect your ability to get a green card.

Overstaying your visa by 180 days or more can result in you being unable to reenter the U.S. for three years.

Overstaying your visa by one year or more can stop you from reentering the U.S. for ten years.

These situations can make it extremely difficult for you to get a green card.

If you are an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, you are more likely to get a green card after an overstay if you have committed no other criminal or immigration violations.

Your U.S. citizen relative can file a Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, on your behalf even if you overstayed your visa.

As an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, you may have the best chance of getting your green card if you have:

• A current visa overstay, but you have not left the U.S. since your arrival

Other relatives, however, who fall within the family preference instead of the immediate relative category and who have overstayed their visas are likely to have a hard time getting green cards.

These people include non-immediate relatives, such as children over the age of 21 and siblings of U.S. citizens.

Filing Form I-485 After Unauthorized Employment in the U.S.

If you are legally present in the U.S. as a nonimmigrant, you generally cannot lawfully work while in the U.S. (with some exceptions).

Engaging in unauthorized employment can cause difficulties for you if you later want to get a green card and remain in the U.S.

Even if you have work authorization while in the U.S., if you perform different work or work longer than your work permit allowed, you can have a harder time getting a green card.

Fortunately, there are some exceptions to these general rules.

These bars to getting a green card do not apply to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and some other immigrant categories.

You still may be able to get a green card if you are a member of any of the following categories:

• Applicants under the Violence Against Women Act
• Some doctors or other advanced-degree holders, as well as their spouses and children
• Some G-4 and NATO-6 employees, along with their family members
• Special immigrant juveniles
• Nationals of Afghanistan or Iraq who worked as translators with the U.S. Armed Forces of for the federal government

Section 245(k) also allows some people to get green cards, even after unauthorized U.S. employment.

If you fall within some specific categories, lawfully entered the U.S., and did not engage in unauthorized employment for a total of 180 days or more, you could qualify for a green card.

These categories of people who may be eligible for adjustment of status under Section 245(k) include religious workers and those who qualify as EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 workers.

You must meet several criteria to qualify as a religious worker, including being a member of a religion that has had a non-profit religious organization in the U.S. for at least two years and coming to work with such an organization in a full-time, compensated position.

You also must have been working in a similar position with that religion for at least two years before applying.

EB-1 workers include aliens of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and some multinational managers and executives.

EB-2 workers are those who work in professions that require advanced degrees or who have exceptional ability.

Finally, EB-3 workers include skilled workers, professionals, and some other workers.

Related Links:

Adjustment of Status Process

How to Fill Out Form I-485

Form I-485 Checklist of Required Documents

Form I-485 Instructions