What Is Adjustment of Status? Getting a Green Card Without Leaving the U.S.

Plenty of people who qualify for a green card are already living in Connecticut. For them, the process has a name: adjustment of status.

Quick answer: Adjustment of status is the process for applying for lawful permanent residence, a green card, while you are physically present in the United States. You file Form I-485 with USCIS instead of returning to your home country for an immigrant visa interview. Most applicants need a qualifying petition, such as Form I-130, must have been inspected and admitted or paroled, and must not be subject to a bar to adjustment.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case is different.

How is adjustment of status different from consular processing?

Both end with a green card. The difference is where the case happens. Adjustment of status is handled by USCIS inside the United States. Consular processing is handled by the State Department at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad, after USCIS approves the petition. Which path fits depends on where the applicant is and how they entered.

	Adjustment of status	Consular processing
Where the applicant is	Inside the United States	Outside the United States
Agency	USCIS	USCIS for the petition, then the State Department
Main application	Form I-485	Immigrant visa application through the National Visa Center
Interview	USCIS field office, if one is scheduled	U.S. embassy or consulate
Work and travel while waiting	Can apply for Form I-765 and Form I-131	Waits abroad until the visa is issued

Who is eligible to adjust status?

For an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, USCIS lists these requirements: a properly filed Form I-485, inspection and admission or parole into the U.S., physical presence when filing, eligibility for an immigrant visa that is immediately available, a family relationship that still exists, no applicable bar to adjustment, admissibility or a waiver, and a favorable exercise of discretion.

What does “inspected and admitted or paroled” mean?

Generally, you must have come into the U.S. through a port of entry where an immigration officer inspected you and either admitted you, for example on a visa, or paroled you. Your passport stamp and Form I-94 usually show this. USCIS notes there are limited exceptions, which is why entry records are the first thing to review.

What are the bars to adjustment?

Section 245(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act lists bars, such as working without authorization or failing to maintain status. Several of them do not apply to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, which is why spouses who fell out of status can often still adjust. Others can apply to anyone. Some people barred under 245(a) may adjust under INA 245(i) if an older petition protects them.

What are the steps after you file?

USCIS lists the sequence: confirm eligibility, file the petition if one is needed, check visa availability, file the I-485, attend biometrics, attend an interview if scheduled, respond to any request for evidence, check your case status, and receive a decision.

At biometrics, an Application Support Center takes your fingerprints, photo and signature, and you sign an acknowledgment that your application is true and complete. Missing the appointment without rescheduling can lead to a denial. If USCIS schedules an interview, you, and the family member who filed the petition, bring the originals of everything you submitted, including passports, travel documents and Form I-94, even if expired. Marriage cases are covered in what happens at a marriage green card interview.

Can I work or travel while my I-485 is pending?

You may apply for a work permit on Form I-765 and an advance parole document on Form I-131. Advance parole lets you seek parole back into the U.S. after temporary travel. Generally, leaving without it while your I-485 is pending causes USCIS to consider the application abandoned.

What should you gather before filing?

USCIS lists the evidence an immediate relative files with Form I-485, and having it ready before you start saves weeks. Expect to need two passport-style photos, a government-issued photo ID, your birth certificate, your marriage certificate and proof that any earlier marriages ended, the passport page with your visa and your admission or parole stamp, and your Form I-94. Add Form I-864 from the sponsor and the Form I-693 medical report from a USCIS civil surgeon.

If you have ever been arrested or charged with anything, USCIS asks for certified police and court records for every charge, regardless of how it ended. Gather those early, because courts and police departments can take time to respond, and an old record is exactly the kind of detail an attorney should see before anything is filed.

Does the paperwork itself change?

Sometimes, and it matters. USCIS rejects editions of Form I-485 older than 09/18/26 for filings on or after September 18, 2026, and it changed the I-485 mailing addresses on October 7, 2026. A rejected filing is not just a delay: the date you file can matter for status and work authorization.

Where to go next

The most common adjustment case is a U.S. citizen’s spouse, walked through step by step in the marriage green card process for spouses already in the U.S.. The petition that usually comes first is explained in Form I-130 basics. The firm’s practice pages cover adjustment of status and marriage-based green cards.

Why talk to The Law Offices of Neal E. Guttenberg about adjustment of status in Branford?

Adjustment cases turn on details that are easy to miss: an entry record, an earlier filing, an expired form edition. Attorney Neal E. Guttenberg reviews those details with you one on one before anything is filed, by phone, by video or in person at the office in Branford, and the firm is available 7 days a week. If you are in the U.S. and think you may qualify, book a consultation and talk to an immigration attorney.