What 'adjustment of status' means in plain English
If you are physically inside the US on any kind of non-immigrant status - work visa, student visa, dependent visa - and you become eligible for a green card, you can apply for permanent residence from within the country. You do not have to leave. The process is called adjusting your status from non-immigrant to immigrant. Outside the US the equivalent is called consular processing.
Who is eligible to file I-485
- Employment-based: H-1B, L-1, E-2, O-1, TN holders with an approved I-140 and a current priority date.
- Family-based: spouse, parent, or unmarried child of a US citizen (immediate relative), or sponsored relative whose I-130 priority date is current.
- F-1 students moving to a marriage-based or employment-based green card.
- Asylees and refugees one year after grant.
- Diversity visa winners selected in the lottery, present in the US in lawful status.
When you can file
USCIS announces each month whether I-485 applicants can use Chart A or Chart B of the Visa Bulletin. Chart B (Filing Date) opens earlier - usually months before the green card can actually be approved. Chart A (Final Action Date) is when the approval can happen. If USCIS designates Chart B that month and your priority date is current there, you can submit your I-485 and unlock EAD and advance parole benefits while waiting.
What you get while waiting
- EAD (employment authorization document) - work permit independent of any sponsor.
- Advance parole - travel document to leave and re-enter the US.
- Job portability under AC21 once I-485 is pending 180+ days.
- Section 245(k) protection for some lapses in status (up to 180 days, employment-based only).
Cost in 2026 (post-OBBBA)
After the One Big Beautiful Bill Act took effect, the total cost of filing I-485 with concurrent I-765 and I-131 is approximately $1,440 per applicant. Biometrics fees were folded into the I-485 fee. Children under 14 pay a reduced fee.
AOS vs consular processing
Two paths to the same green card:
- AOS - stay in the US, but lose freedom to travel without AP, longer overall timeline, but immediate EAD.
- Consular processing - interview at a US embassy abroad, no EAD or AP while waiting, but generally a single decisive interview at the end.