I-485 Checklist: Forms, Fees, and Steps for a Marriage-Based Filing

Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, is the heart of a marriage-based green card filing from inside the United States. But it never travels alone: a complete adjustment of status package contains several forms, a stack of supporting documents, and the right fees, all assembled in an order USCIS can process. This checklist covers everything that goes into a marriage-based I-485 package and the steps to file it.

Before you start: confirm adjustment of status fits your case

Use this checklist if the foreign spouse is physically in the United States after a lawful entry (inspected and admitted or paroled) and is married to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. Spouses of U.S. citizens are "immediate relatives" and can usually file the whole package at once; see I-130 and I-485 concurrent filing. Spouses of green card holders must wait until a visa number is available before filing the I-485.

If the foreign spouse lives abroad, you want consular processing instead; our step-by-step overview explains both paths.

The forms checklist

A typical marriage-based AOS package includes:

• Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. Filed by the U.S. citizen or resident spouse. Establishes the qualifying marriage. Requires proof of the sponsor's status, the marriage certificate, and evidence the marriage is genuine.
• Form I-130A, Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary. Biographic information about the immigrant spouse, filed together with the I-130.
• Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. Filed by the immigrant spouse. The longest form in the package, covering address and employment history, entries to the United States, and dozens of eligibility questions. Official form and instructions: uscis.gov/i-485.
• Form I-864, Affidavit of Support. The sponsor's legally binding promise of financial support, with tax returns and income evidence attached. If the sponsor's income is below 125 percent of the poverty guidelines, add a joint sponsor's I-864.
• Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization (optional). Gets the immigrant spouse a work permit while the I-485 is pending.
• Form I-131, Application for Travel Document (optional). Advance parole, so the immigrant spouse can travel internationally without abandoning the pending I-485.
• Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination. Completed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon, sealed in an envelope. Current policy lets you file it with the package or bring it later; filing it up front avoids a request for evidence.

The supporting documents checklist

For the full list with explanations, see our marriage green card document list. In summary:

For the immigrant spouse:

• Copy of passport biographic page and the visa used to enter
• Form I-94 arrival record (downloadable from CBP's I-94 site)
• Birth certificate with certified English translation if not in English
• Two passport-style photos per form that requires them
• Any prior immigration paperwork (approvals, extensions, changes of status)

For the sponsoring spouse:

• Proof of U.S. citizenship (passport, birth certificate, or naturalization certificate) or green card copy
• Most recent federal tax return, W-2s or 1099s, and proof of current income
• Two passport-style photos for the I-130

For the couple:

• Marriage certificate
• Divorce decrees or death certificates ending any prior marriages
• Bona fide marriage evidence: joint accounts, lease or deed, insurance, photos, affidavits

The fees checklist

Fees change periodically, so verify every amount against the official USCIS fee schedule right before you file. Under the fee schedule effective April 1, 2024, the main components for a paper-filed marriage AOS package are the I-130 fee, the I-485 fee (biometrics included), and separate reduced fees for the optional I-765 and I-131 when filed with an I-485. The I-864 has no filing fee. Our cost guide adds the non-government costs like the medical exam and translations.

Pay each form's fee separately (separate checks or payment forms), because a single combined payment for multiple forms can get the package rejected.

Assembling the package

USCIS processes millions of paper filings; a clean package avoids delays.

1. Start with the fees or payment authorization for each form.
2. Follow with each form and its supporting documents in sequence: I-130 with its evidence, then I-485 with its evidence, then I-864 with financial documents, then I-765 and I-131.
3. Include the sealed I-693 envelope if your civil surgeon exam is done.
4. Label translations and attach them behind the original-language documents.
5. Keep a complete photocopy or scan of everything you mail.

Mail to the lockbox address listed in the I-485 filing instructions for family-based cases, and use a mail service with tracking.

After filing: the short version

Receipt notices arrive first, then a biometrics appointment, then (months later) the work permit, and eventually the interview at your local field office. The full sequence with typical durations is in our I-485 timeline guide, and the interview guide covers the final step.

The common mistakes this checklist prevents

• Missing or inconsistent answers across forms (the same address history told two different ways is a classic request-for-evidence trigger)
• Wrong or outdated fee amounts, or one combined payment for several forms
• Filing an outdated form edition (check the edition date on the USCIS form page)
• Forgetting certified translations for foreign-language documents
• Thin relationship evidence, which invites a tougher interview

Working through all of this by hand is doable, but it is exactly the kind of detail work software is good at. ezgreen.app asks you plain-language questions once, fills every form in the package consistently, generates your personalized document checklist, and assembles the print-ready package in the right order, with your data stored only on your device.