What is needed to complete my I-485 petition?

In the I-485 petition you must provide biographic data, birth and marriage certificates, medical exams, photos of all relevant persons. The instructions for form I-485 has comprehensive and detailed instructions as to what you will need for such petition.

The documentation required for the I-485 filing is outlined in the forms instructions which are readily available on the USCIS website. If there are concerns regarding admissibility you should consult with an immigration attorney as well.

Form I-485 must be completed and you must show that you are in the United States in lawful nonimmigrant status. You must provide photos, biographic data, birth/marriage certificates, medical exam from a USCIS-certified physician. All of the supporting documents are listed in the instructions to the form. You should consult with an experienced immigration attorney to assist you in this process.

Form I-485, Application to Adjust Status, requires that you prove that you are admissible to the U.S. The content and supporting evidence depends on your answers to the questions on the form. Admissibility is a separate analysis from the I-526. There are numerous grounds of inadmissibility. Criminal convictions and immigration violations are the most common grounds of inadmissibility. If you are inadmissible, you will not be granted conditional permanent residency even though your I-526 was approved. Certain grounds of inadmissibility can be waived if you are eligible. You should determine whether anything in your past may trigger a ground of inadmissibility before you file the I-526 petition. If you would like to know more about Form I-485, supporting evidence, the laws of admissibility, and whether you are admissible to the U.S., please do not hesitate to contact me.

I-485 is called Adjustment of Status, which allows you to change from your current status in U.S. (F-1, H1B or whatever) to green card after receiving your I-526 approval. The immigration lawyer who helped you file the I-526 should be able to help you with this filing fairly easily.

The same as any I-485 application. Please read the form instructions. They are very clear about what comes with the application.

Follow the directions that come with the form. They are self explanatory. You will need a certified copy of your birth certificate and translation, marriage and divorce certificates, if applicable, 4 passport style photographs, medical examination - there is a list of certified doctors on www.uscis.com.

Once the I-526 Petition for Immigrant Investor is approved, the rest as far as the I-485 (Application for Adjustment of status to a permanent resident) is pretty much routine. It requires the completion of the Application plus support forms (G-325A, I-131, I-765), getting your medicals done, and photos, along with the filing fee ($1,080). You just need to show that you have nothing preventing you from being admitted as a permanent resident (i.e., criminal history, medical history, violation of immigration status, etc).