Guides / Family green card and adjustment of status

Family-based green card and adjustment of status: the I-130, I-485 bundle

What goes into a concurrent I-130 and I-485 filing, who completes and signs each form, what changed in 2026, where filings get rejected, and how Aion fills the bundle from one document upload. Written for immigration attorneys, paralegals and DOJ-accredited representatives.

Last updated: 17 October 2026

This guide is general information for firms, not legal advice. Forms, fees and filing rules change, so check the linked USCIS pages before you file.

The bundle at a glance

• Who it is for: a beneficiary who is physically present in the United States and is applying for a green card through a relative. Concurrent filing is only available to applicants in the U.S.; beneficiaries abroad go through consular processing (USCIS).
• Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens: spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of citizens aged 21 or over. These visas are unlimited, so one is always available. The I-485 can be filed with the I-130, while the I-130 is pending, or after it is approved (USCIS).
• Family preference categories: F1, F2A, F2B, F3 and F4. The beneficiary can file the I-485 together with the I-130 only if an immigrant visa is immediately available. Otherwise the I-485 waits until the I-130 is approved and a visa is available (I-485 instructions).
• The core forms: I-130, I-130A for a spouse beneficiary, I-485 and I-864. Most cases add the I-765, I-131, I-693 and a G-28, and Supplement A if the applicant is adjusting under INA 245(i).
• One package: concurrent forms go in together, with all fees and supporting documents, to the same filing location (USCIS).

Who files which form

Sources: I-130 and I-130A instructions, I-864 instructions, I-864 page, I-693 page, G-28 page.

Eligibility basics

Immediate relatives and preference categories

A U.S. citizen can petition for a spouse, children, parents, siblings and married sons and daughters, with the age limits in the I-130 instructions. A permanent resident can petition for a spouse, unmarried children under 21, and unmarried sons and daughters aged 21 or over.

The preference categories are limited each year. F1 is unmarried sons and daughters aged 21 or over of citizens. F2A is spouses and unmarried children under 21 of permanent residents. F2B is unmarried sons and daughters aged 21 or over of permanent residents. F3 is married sons and daughters of citizens. F4 is siblings of citizens aged 21 or over (USCIS).

Spouses and children of an immediate relative cannot be derivatives on that person's I-485. Each must qualify and file their own application.

Visa Bulletin and priority dates

For family-based cases the priority date is the date USCIS receives the I-130. A visa is available when the priority date is earlier than the cut-off date for the category and country in the Visa Bulletin (USCIS). The visa must be available when the I-485 is filed and again when USCIS decides it.

The Visa Bulletin has two charts, and USCIS states on its filing charts page which one applicants must use. In its October 2026 notice, USCIS told applicants in all family-sponsored preference categories to use the Dates for Filing chart (USCIS). That notice changes with each bulletin, so check it for the month of filing. Immediate relatives are exempt from these limits.

Other requirements for adjustment

• Presence and entry: the applicant must be physically present in the U.S. to file and, in general, must have been inspected and admitted or inspected and paroled.
• Bars: an applicant is generally ineligible if an adjustment bar in INA 245(a), (c), (d) or (e) applies. INA 245(i) is an exception, and it is requested on Supplement A (I-485 instructions).
• Inadmissibility: an applicant who is inadmissible cannot adjust without a waiver or other relief, which are separate filings such as the I-601 and I-212.
• Children: an applicant who turns 21 may still count as a child under the Child Status Protection Act (USCIS).
• Who cannot be petitioned: the I-130 instructions list relationships and situations where a petition is barred, including some marriages entered into while the spouse was in removal proceedings, and a spouse petition by a permanent resident who gained status through an earlier marriage, with exceptions.

What changed in 2026

• I-485 edition 09/18/26, no grace period. USCIS rejects the 01/20/25 and 09/04/26 editions if they are postmarked or submitted on or after September 18, 2026. If you print the form, every page must show the same edition date (I-485 page). Supplement A moved to its 09/18/26 edition on the same date.
• Public charge final rule. DHS published the final rule on July 20, 2026, effective September 18, 2026, and it rescinds the 2022 public charge regulations. Officers weigh age, health, family status, assets and financial status, and education and skills. They may also look at the I-864 (USCIS alert, Policy Manual, Volume 8, Part G).
• Public charge questions on the I-485. USCIS revised the form to align with the final rule (USCIS alert). Unless the applicant's category is exempt, Part 9 asks for household income, assets and liabilities, education, skills, and any means-tested public benefits received. Applicants are generally not required to submit initial public charge evidence, but USCIS can issue a Request for Evidence (I-485 instructions).
• I-864 edition 08/24/26. From October 1, 2026, USCIS accepts only this edition of the I-864. It includes a privacy release that lets USCIS request information from consumer reporting agencies. USCIS says it does not reject an I-485 filed with an earlier I-864 edition, but it applies its initial evidence rules (8 CFR 103.2(b)(8)) to an I-864 on any other edition submitted on or after that date (I-864 page).
• New fee schedule edition 10/16/26. The G-1055 now includes fiscal year 2027 H.R. 1 fees, effective October 16, 2026, including for the I-131 and I-765. Requests postmarked on or after that date without the required fee are rejected (G-1055). Whether an H.R. 1 fee applies depends on the form and category.
• New filing locations. On October 7, 2026, USCIS changed the mail filing locations shown on the I-485, I-130, I-765 and I-131 pages. Forms sent to a prior location are accepted if postmarked on or before November 9, 2026. Check the direct filing addresses page for each form.
• I-765 edition alert. A September 14, 2026 notice on the I-765 page says USCIS continues to accept the 08/21/25 edition and is not accepting the 09/15/26 edition, following a court order (I-765 page).
• Advance parole and travel. An August 13, 2026 Board of Immigration Appeals decision, Matter of Delcarmen-Lara, holds that leaving the U.S. after obtaining advance parole is a departure for inadmissibility purposes. USCIS says people with more than 180 days of unlawful presence may be inadmissible on return (I-131 page). Review it before you advise an I-485 client to travel.

What each form draws on

• I-130: proof of the petitioner's status (birth certificate, naturalization or citizenship certificate, FS-240, an unexpired U.S. passport, or both sides of a green card); the marriage certificate and proof that any earlier marriage of either spouse ended; two identical passport-style photos of the petitioner and of the spouse, taken within 30 days of filing; and legal name change documents. The instructions also ask for evidence of a bona fide marriage, such as joint property, a shared lease, combined finances, children's birth certificates or affidavits from people who know the couple (I-130 instructions).
• I-130A: the spouse beneficiary's own details and signature.
• I-485: two passport-style photos; a copy of a photo ID; the birth certificate, which must list at least one parent; evidence of inspection and admission or parole, such as a passport stamp, visa page or I-94, unless the applicant is using 245(i); the I-797 for the I-130 unless it is filed together; the I-693; the I-864; and certified police and court records for every arrest, charge or conviction, including dismissed ones. Preference-category applicants also show they have continuously maintained lawful status. Immediate relatives do not (I-485 instructions, checklist).
• I-864: the sponsor's income or assets at 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for the household (100 percent for an active-duty military sponsor of a spouse or child), the most recent federal tax return or IRS transcript, a joint sponsor if the petitioner falls short, and Form I-864A for a household member whose income is counted. A sponsor living abroad has to document U.S. domicile (I-864 instructions).
• I-765 and I-131: both can be filed with the I-485. An I-765 filed later needs a copy of the I-485 receipt notice.
• I-693: a civil surgeon's signed report in the sealed envelope. Since December 2, 2024, a full or partial I-693 must be submitted with the I-485. A signed I-693 is generally valid only for the application it was submitted with (Policy Manual).
• Any foreign-language document: a full English translation with the translator's signed certification.

Where firms lose time

The same facts on eight forms

Names, A-Numbers, passport numbers, dates of entry and addresses appear on the I-130, I-130A, I-485, I-864, I-765, I-131, I-693 and G-28. They come from passports, I-94s, marriage and birth certificates, tax returns and a client questionnaire. A caseworker types each one into each form and checks it against the source. A transposed digit on one form that does not match the others is easy to miss.

Evidence split between two people

The petitioner supplies proof of status, tax returns and marriage evidence. The beneficiary supplies passports, entry records, a birth certificate and any police and court records. The documents arrive separately, often in different formats, and gaps usually show up only when a form asks for the answer.

Entry history and arrest records

Admission evidence has to relate to the most recent arrival. Any arrest or charge, even if it was dismissed, needs certified records, minor traffic fines aside. Sorting through old passports and court paperwork is slow, and it is where files stall.

Edition and rule changes

Several forms in this bundle changed edition, fee or filing location in 2026. Using a form that was current last month can mean a rejection at intake.

Common errors that cause rejections and RFEs

• Outdated or mixed editions. USCIS rejects a form completed on an outdated edition, or one with pages from different editions. In fiscal year 2025 its lockboxes rejected 11 percent of more than 10 million applications (USCIS).
• Wrong fee amount. This is the most common rejection reason. USCIS recommends paying each fee separately, because a single combined payment for several forms can lead it to reject the whole package (USCIS). Take every amount from the current G-1055.
• Missing or invalid signatures. A stamped or typed name does not count on the I-130, I-485 or the preparer's section. Check that the spouse signed the I-130A unless the spouse is overseas.
• No I-693 with the I-485. USCIS may reject the I-485. If you mail it, the I-693 goes in the original sealed envelope.
• No I-864 when one is required. USCIS denies the I-485. Check the exceptions, such as 40 qualifying quarters of work, before assuming it is not needed.
• I-130 Part 4 left blank or answered twice. The petition asks you to complete only one of Questions 61 and 62, adjustment in the U.S. or consular processing. Leaving both blank or completing both can get the form rejected (I-130 page).
• Unanswered questions. The I-130 instructions say to answer every question, and to write "N/A" or "None" instead of leaving a field blank.
• Missing evidence of a prior marriage ending. Both spouses' earlier marriages need a divorce decree, annulment or death certificate.
• Incomplete Part 9 on the 09/18/26 I-485. Applicants who are not in an exempt category have to complete the public charge items.
• Traveling without advance parole. USCIS treats the I-485 as abandoned if the applicant leaves the U.S. without it (USCIS).
• Sending to an old filing location. The grace period for the October 7, 2026 changes covers forms postmarked on or before November 9, 2026.

How Aion handles the bundle

1. Start one application in Aion and pick every form the case needs. For a spouse of a U.S. citizen who is already in the U.S., that is typically the I-130, I-130A, I-485, I-864, I-765, I-131, I-693 and G-28, plus Supplement A where 245(i) applies. Your attorney or accredited representative details come from your firm profile.
2. Upload the client's documents as files, a folder or a .zip: passports, I-94s, marriage and birth certificates, prior filings, tax returns and the client questionnaire. Aion reads them once into a single summary and flags anything missing or contradictory.
3. Your team reviews and edits that summary before anything is filled. The original documents are deleted as soon as extraction succeeds, and everything else within 24 hours.
4. Aion fills the official, current-edition USCIS PDF for each form, field by field, one after another. Each form comes back as its own PDF and uses one credit. The attorney details are copied exactly from the firm profile, so they match the G-28.
5. Fields the documents cannot answer are outlined in red on the PDF and listed in the app with a note. You can type the answer in the app or mark a value "correct as is" and download a corrected PDF, or edit in Acrobat.
6. The attorney reviews the package. The petitioner, applicant, sponsor and preparer sign, and your firm files. Aion never signs or files, and it never logs into myUSCIS or any USCIS account.

The I-130, I-130A, I-864, I-485 with Supplement A, I-765, I-131, I-693 and G-28 are all among the 28 forms Aion supports. The civil surgeon's examination and sealed envelope stay outside Aion. Aion does not fill the State Department's DS-260 for consular processing, or the I-751 to remove conditions on a two-year green card.

What stays with your firm

• Advice on category, visa availability, adjustment bars, inadmissibility and public charge.
• Choosing the sponsor and any joint sponsor, and checking the I-864 against the current poverty guidelines.
• Evidence of a bona fide marriage, the cover letter and the assembly of the package.
• Fees, signatures, the filing location and the filing itself.
• Interview and biometrics preparation, and any later I-751.

Filing for a fiancé(e)? See K-1 fiancé(e) petitions, Form I-129F. Worried about putting client data into an AI tool? Read Is it safe to use AI for US immigration forms? and our security summary. Comparing tools? See Aion vs Docketwise.

Sources: USCIS: Form I-485 · I-485 instructions · Form I-130 · I-130 and I-130A instructions · Form I-864 · I-864 instructions · Concurrent filing · Visa availability and priority dates · Fee Schedule (G-1055) · I-485 edition alert. Requirements, editions and fees change. Check uscis.gov before relying on anything here.