Green card through adjustment of status
Form I-485 · Official name: Adjustment of status (Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status)
Adjustment of status is how people already in the US apply for a green card without leaving. Most need an approved or pending immigrant petition (family, employment, asylum and others) and a visa immediately available in their category. Immediate relatives of US citizens can file the I-485 together with the I-130 if they were inspected and admitted or paroled. The I-485 fee is US$1,440 on paper (US$1,390 online); work permit and travel permit requests filed alongside cost extra.
3 entry rules for United States based on recent travel
These apply to people who were recently in certain countries. Sign in and add your trips to see whether any apply to you.
Entry refused after a stay in DR Congo, Uganda, South Sudan in the last 21 days
If you're not a US citizen and you've been in DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the last 21 days, you can't enter the United States. This includes green card holders. The US government renewed this on 11 October 2026 for another 30 days.
CDC Order: Suspending the Right to Introduce Certain Persons... (order history) Federal Register 2026-18948 (Sept 16, 2026 continuation) CDC: Information for Travelers Returning from Ebola-Affected Areas (updated Sep 11, 2026) Checked October 19, 2026
Entry refused after a stay in DR Congo in the last 21 days
Anyone who has been in DR Congo in the last 21 days, Americans included, can't board a commercial flight to the United States. US citizens are asked to wait outside DR Congo for 21 days before flying.
CDC: Information for Travelers Returning from Ebola-Affected Areas CDC Travel Health Notice Level 2: Ebola Bundibugyo in DRC and Uganda (reviewed Aug 28, 2026) Checked October 19, 2026
Health screening after a stay in Uganda, South Sudan in the last 21 days
US citizens who have been in Uganda or South Sudan in the last 21 days must fly into Washington-Dulles, Atlanta or New York JFK for a health check, and get text-message check-ins for 21 days.
CDC: Information for Travelers Returning from Ebola-Affected Areas CDC: Enhanced Ebola Airport Screening Begins at Washington-Dulles Checked October 19, 2026
Life in United States
Finance
3
Currency
US Dollar
USD
US Dollar
Cost of living
100
Price level · US = 100
World Bank price levels, 2025
Tax
10–37%
Income tax (national)
social security 7.65%
Federal rates; most states and some cities add their own income tax. 37% starts above USD 626,350 (single, 2025).
Living
1
Happiness
#22 of 145 countries
World Happiness Report 2025
Your edge here Premium
What gives you an edge here: passports, visas and permits you hold, work, study, language and family ties
Who it’s for
People in the US with a basis for a green card (family, employer, asylum, special immigrant and other categories).
Eligibility
Basis for permanent residence
Sign in to check this route against your profileYou need an immigrant category, usually with an approved petition; some categories allow filing together and some need no petition.
- Example petitions: I-130, I-140, I-730, I-589, I-360, I-526, I-918, I-929
- Some categories need no petition, for example Cuban Adjustment Act
Official wording
An immigrant category with, in most cases, an approved petition (for example I-130, I-140, I-730, I-589, I-360, I-526, I-918 or I-929). Some categories allow concurrent filing; some (for example Cuban Adjustment Act) need no petition.
Visa available
Sign in to check this route against your profileA visa must generally be available in your category before you can file the I-485, as shown in the Visa Bulletin.
- Immediate relatives are exempt: their visas are always available
Official wording
Generally the I-485 cannot be filed until a visa is available in the category (Visa Bulletin), except immediate relatives, whose visas are always available.
In the US and lawfully entered
Sign in to check this route against your profileYou must be physically present in the US when you file.
- Immediate relatives must have been inspected and admitted, or inspected and paroled
Official wording
The applicant must be physically present in the US when filing. Immediate relatives must have been inspected and admitted or inspected and paroled.
A sneak peek at what's inside
- Next requirement
- Document checklist
- Fees
The full requirements are for members
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- 2 more requirements
- 5 documents
- 3 fees
- 5 steps
- Processing times and conditions
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- Visit & tourismB-1/B-2 visitor visa
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