USCIS Introduces Redesigned Form for Green Card Applicants

Agency Publishes Revised Form I-485 and Instructions

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today published a revised
Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Form I-485). The new
Form I-485 and instructions have been substantially updated to reduce complexity
after collecting comments from the public and stakeholders.

The revised version gives applicants better information to accurately complete Form
I-485, including clear navigation to the parts of the form and isntructions that are
relevant to the applicants’ specific situations. These updates should increase the
efficiency of the adjudication process by reducing errors and requests for evidence.

Applicants living in the United States file Form I-485 to adjust their immigration
status and become lawful permanent residents, which allows one to live and work
permanently in the United States. Adjusting status is a critical step for those
seeking U.S. citizenship.

USCIS also revised the Form I-485 Supplement A and Form I-485 Supplement J (as well
as each supplement’s instructions), to provide applicants with more detailed
information about how to properly complete, file, and submit evidence if those
supplements are applicable to their situation.

Beginning today, there will be a 60-day grace period during which USCIS will accept
both the 01/17/17 and 06/26/17 editions of Form I-485 and Supplement A and J.
Beginning Aug. 25, USCIS will only accept the revised Form and Supplement A and J of
Form I-485 and will no longer accept earlier versions of either form.

What’s New? USCIS improved Form I-485 to include:

· Better flow and organization of questions to make it user-friendly for both the
applicants and USCIS. In addition, readability has significantly improved due to new
spacing, columns, flow, white space, and formatting.
· The questions about biographic information (Form G-325A) so applicants will no
longer need to file a separate form;
· A list of 27 immigrant categories, which allows applicants to identify the
specific immigrant category under which they are applying; and
· A comprehensive, updated list of admissibility-related questions. The added
questions to ensure USCIS officers have the necessary information to better assess
the applicant’s admissibility and eligibility.

What Remains the Same

While both Form I-485 and its instructions may look different from earlier versions,
the process for filing Form I-485 and Form I-485 Supplement A and Form I-485
Supplement J remains the same. Applicants must still submit their paper applications
to the location listed in the form instructions.

Further information

Visit the Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
(https://www.uscis.gov/i-485) page and the Form I-485 Supplement A page for further
information about the new forms and instructions.

Applicants can visit the USCIS Green Card Eligibility Categories page
(https://www.uscis.gov/greencard/eligibility-categories) for information on
eligibility requirements for each immigrant category.

All USCIS forms are free on our website at www.uscis.gov/forms
(http://www.uscis.gov/forms) .

For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov
(http://www.uscis.gov/) or follow us on Twitter (@uscis (http://twitter.com/uscis)
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