Marriage Green Card (Adjustment of Status) Step by Step

Who this is for: Applicants born in mainland China who are already in the U.S. (lawfully admitted, for example on F-1, H-1B or B-2), are married to a U.S. citizen, and want to apply for a green card inside the U.S. (filing the I-130 and I-485 together). If your spouse is a green card holder (F2A), the principles are the same, but first check whether the visa bulletin lets you file the I-485. If you are in China, see Consular processing step by step.

⚠️ Marriage green card rules, forms and the level of scrutiny changed a lot in 2025–2026. All fees and form editions below were checked against official pages on October 14, 2026; check the official links again before filing.

1. Overview and timeline

Overall flow: Gather documents and get a medical exam from a designated civil surgeon (I-693) → file the I-130, I-130A, I-485, I-864 and I-693 together (optionally the I-765 work permit and I-131 advance parole) → receipt notices → biometrics → work permit and advance parole approved → interview (both spouses attend; you may be questioned separately) → approval (a 2-year conditional green card if married less than 2 years) / Request for Evidence / second interview or denial

⚠️ Go by the USCIS processing times tool. Third-party compilations of September 2026 data show family-based I-485 processing times ranging from about 6.5 to 31.5 months by location; regional differences are huge.

2. Step by step: forms and fees

1. Forms filed together (concurrent filing)

Spouses of U.S. citizens are "immediate relatives," so a visa number is always available, and the I-130 and I-485 can be filed together.

How to file:

• By mail: ⚠️ since October 7, 2026 the mailing addresses for the I-130, I-485, I-765 and I-131 have changed; filings mailed to the old addresses before November 9, 2026 are still accepted. Check "Direct Filing Addresses" on the USCIS website.
• Online: USCIS opened online filing of the I-485 in July 2026. Attorneys and accredited representatives can file the I-130 and I-485 together online; if you file yourself, you can file the I-130 online first and, after getting the receipt, file the I-485 online (family-based cases with a filed I-130). When filing the I-485 online, open the medical exam envelope and upload the I-693, and keep the original form and envelope in case USCIS asks for them.

2. Current fees (USCIS G-1055, 10/07/26 edition)

The full paper package (I-130 + I-485 + work permit + advance parole) totals $3,005; without the work permit and advance parole, $2,115.

⚠️ Don't confuse the new 2025 fees: the initial EAD surcharge created by H.R.1 (the "One Big Beautiful Bill") in July 2025 ($560 before October 16, 2026, $570 from October 16, 2026) applies to asylum, parole, TPS and similar categories, not to the (c)(9) work permit for a marriage-based I-485. For the new H.R.1 "parole fee" ($1,020 before October 16, 2026, $1,050 from October 16, 2026), G-1055 lists "lawful adjustment applicants returning after brief travel abroad" as a statutory exception. These H.R.1 fees are adjusted for inflation each year, most recently effective October 16, 2026 (see USCIS fees). Go by the official G-1055.

3. The I-693 medical exam

• Only a USCIS-designated civil surgeon can do it; the doctor gives you a sealed envelope, which you must not open (for paper filing).
• Do the exam before filing and send it with the application. If the I-485 is denied or withdrawn and you refile, you need a new exam.

4. The I-864 affidavit of support

• The U.S. citizen spouse is the sponsor; income must generally be at least 125% of the HHS poverty guidelines. The 2026 figures (48 contiguous states): $27,050 for a household of 2, $34,150 for 3, $41,250 for 4 (from March 1, 2026).
• If income is short, you can use assets or a joint sponsor.
• Include the most recent federal tax return or IRS transcript and W-2s. The I-864 is a legally binding contract with the U.S. government.

5. Biometrics

After filing you receive an Application Support Center (ASC) appointment notice. Go on time for fingerprints, photo and signature, bringing the notice and photo ID.

3. Work permit (EAD) and advance parole (AP)

• While the I-485 is pending you can apply for a work permit and advance parole, usually issued together as a "combo card."
• ⚠️ Since December 5, 2025, I-485-based work permits are valid for at most 18 months instead of 5 years.
• ⚠️ Renewal applications filed since October 30, 2025 no longer get automatic extensions (previously up to 540 days). Renew early; once the card expires you must stop working.
• ⚠️ Be very careful about travel: leaving without advance parole while the I-485 is pending generally abandons it. On August 13, 2026 the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), in Matter of Delcarmen-Lara, overturned earlier precedent: leaving on advance parole also counts as a "departure." People who were unlawfully present for more than 180 days (for example, those who married after their visa expired) may trigger the 3-year or 10-year bar by leaving. If you have any overstay, talk to a lawyer before traveling.
• H-1B/L holders who maintain status can keep working and traveling on that status.

4. The interview

The process

1. You receive an interview notice; both spouses attend (the U.S. citizen spouse usually must come).
2. Security, check-in and waiting (sometimes more than an hour).
3. You take an oath and the officer checks IDs, passports and the I-94.
4. The officer first asks about the I-130 (whether the marriage is genuine), then goes through the I-485 (including yes/no questions on criminal records, immigration violations and organization membership).
5. Approval on the spot or later, a Request for Evidence (RFE), or a second interview.

Separate questioning (Stokes interview)

If answers don't match, evidence is thin or there are doubts, the officer may put you in separate rooms, ask each of you the same questions and compare answers. Being separated doesn't mean you've been found to have a sham marriage, but take it seriously.

Common questions (what to prepare)

• Meeting and dating: How did you meet? Where did you first meet in person? When did you become a couple? Who proposed, and how?
• The wedding: When and where did you legally marry (register the marriage)? Did you have a wedding ceremony? Who attended?
• Daily life: Your address, how many bedrooms, who sleeps on which side of the bed? Who usually cooks? Who gets up first? What did you do last weekend?
• Your spouse: Their job, employer, work hours, parents' names, siblings, birthday, phone number.
• Finances: Do you have joint accounts? Who pays rent or the mortgage? Do you file taxes jointly?
• The future: Do you plan to have children? Where will you live?

Principles: answer truthfully, say you don't know if you don't, don't make things up; keep it short and don't answer for your spouse.

Preparing relationship evidence

Typical evidence listed in the I-130 instructions:

• Jointly owned property or a joint lease (showing you live together)
• Joint bank accounts, joint tax returns, shared insurance, combined finances
• Birth certificates of children born to you together
• Affidavits from third parties who know about your marriage (with full name, address, date and place of birth, and how they know about your marriage)
• Other: photos (in chronological order, not just wedding photos), shared travel records, chat records, contact with each other's families

If you've been married only a short time, officers generally understand there isn't much evidence yet, but the stronger your evidence of "living together and combining your lives," the better.

5. Conditional green cards in brief

• If you have been married less than 2 years on the day you get the green card, it is a 2-year conditional green card (CR) that can't be renewed.
• You must file the I-751 jointly within the 90 days before the card expires to remove the conditions ($750 paper / $700 online); the receipt extends the green card's validity by 48 months.
• If you've been married 2 years or more at approval, you get a 10-year green card directly. In cases of divorce, the spouse's death or domestic violence, you can request a waiver and file on your own.

6. Major 2025–2026 policy changes (by date)

How it feels in practice: lawyers and forums widely report that almost every marriage-based I-485 now gets an interview and interview waivers are rare; separate questioning, financial review and social media review are all more detailed.

7. What applicants born in mainland China should know

• Birth certificate: following the State Department's country-specific document list, people born in mainland China usually submit a notarial birth certificate, a notarial certificate issued by a Chinese notary office (gongzhengchu), with an English translation. If your marriage was registered in China, also get a notarial marriage certificate. How to get them, and how to authorize someone in China while you're in the U.S.: Preparing Chinese documents.
• Translations: every Chinese document needs a complete English translation and a translator's certification (that the translation is complete and accurate and the translator is competent to translate).
• Communist Party / Youth League membership: the I-485 asks whether you have been a member of the Communist Party or another totalitarian party (INA 212(a)(3)(D)). The law has exceptions: involuntary membership, membership before age 16, membership needed for work or the necessities of life, or having left a certain number of years ago. In 2025–2026 many Chinese applicants on forums reported detailed questions at interviews about Communist Youth League, Young Pioneers and Party membership, and a few cases received requests for evidence. Answer truthfully on forms and at the interview, and see a lawyer before filing if this applies to you.
• Visa bulletin: spouses of U.S. citizens have no wait. Spouses of green card holders (F2A) look at the mainland China column: in the October 2026 Visa Bulletin the F2A Final Action Date is September 22, 2026, and the Dates for Filing chart shows "C" (current).
• Marrying after entering on a B-2: given the May 2026 memo, your "purpose at entry" and "whether you left on time" are treated as discretionary factors. Be truthful at entry, and talk to a lawyer if you have questions.

8. What applicants report (since 2025)

Summaries of individual experiences from public forums, not guarantees.

• Interviews are now the norm: applicants in many cities report that nearly every marriage case is called in for an interview. One Seattle applicant had biometrics in February 2026 and the interview in June; others heard nothing for more than six months after the interview until a congressional inquiry moved things along.
• Interview length: usually 20–45 minutes; in separate-questioning cases one applicant was questioned for nearly 2 hours, their spouse couldn't remember the proposal date or the other's phone number, and they were told the case needed further review.
• Frequent topics for Chinese applicants: people in LA, Santa Ana, Seattle and elsewhere were asked about Youth League or Party membership; some received RFEs afterward asking them to show they were not Party members. The consensus: prepare early and answer truthfully.
• Filing very soon after the wedding is believed to trigger a more detailed interview.
• Worries about expired status: one person was very anxious when their spouse's F-1 expired while the I-485 was pending, and the interview went fine. Since 2025 there have also been reports in some areas of immigration enforcement officers detaining visa overstayers at their interviews. If you have an overstay or gap in status, get a lawyer's assessment before the interview.
• Preparation tips: organize evidence chronologically in a binder and bring originals and copies; your address, job and marital history must match exactly on the I-130, I-485 and I-864; go over key dates together before the interview.

9. FAQ

1. Do I have to hire a lawyer? No. But if you have an overstay, unauthorized work, a criminal record, a previous marriage-based petition, Party/League membership or a prior visa refusal, a lawyer is strongly recommended.

2. Can I file only the I-130 without the I-485? Yes, but if you're in the U.S. and your status allows it, filing together gets you a work permit and advance parole sooner and means only one interview.

3. Can I travel abroad after filing? Leaving without advance parole usually abandons the I-485. Even with advance parole there is risk (see the August 2026 decision above). H-1B/L holders who maintain status are the exception.

4. How long is the medical exam valid? The I-693 is valid only for the I-485 it is filed with, for as long as that I-485 is pending; if it is denied or withdrawn and you refile, you need a new exam.

5. What if the sponsor's income isn't enough? You can add household members' income (I-864A), use assets, or find a U.S. citizen or green card holder as a joint sponsor.

6. Is being questioned separately very bad? Not necessarily. Answer truthfully and consistently. The result may be approval, a Request for Evidence or further review.

7. Will receiving benefits hurt me? I-485s filed on or after September 18, 2026 fall under the new public charge rule, and means-tested benefits applied for or received after that may be considered. Talk to a lawyer before applying for any.

8. What if my work permit is expiring? Renewals filed after October 30, 2025 no longer get automatic extensions, so you must stop working when the old card expires. Renew early.

9. What's different about a green card received when married less than 2 years? It's a 2-year conditional green card, and you must file the I-751 in the 90 days before it expires.

10. Official links

• I-130 / I-130A: https://www.uscis.gov/i-130
• I-485: https://www.uscis.gov/i-485
• Green cards for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens: https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-eligibility/green-card-for-immediate-relatives-of-us-citizen
• Fee schedule G-1055: https://www.uscis.gov/g-1055
• I-693 medical exam: http://uscis.gov/i-693
• I-864: https://www.uscis.gov/i-864 ; poverty guidelines I-864P: https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p
• I-765: https://www.uscis.gov/i-765 ; I-131: https://www.uscis.gov/i-131
• Online filing: https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/forms-available-to-file-online
• Conditional permanent residence: https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/after-we-grant-your-green-card/conditional-permanent-residence
• Public charge final rule: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/20/2026-14539/public-charge-ground-of-inadmissibility
• 18-month work permits: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-manual-updates/20251204-EmploymentAuthorizationValidity.pdf
• Processing times: https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/
• Visa Bulletin (October 2026): https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2027/visa-bulletin-for-october-2026.html

Related guides: Green card paths · K-1 visa · I-751 removing conditions · Preparing Chinese documents · USCIS fees · Checking your case status · After you get your green card · Paths overview

Disclaimer: This guide is general information only and not legal advice. Immigration rules and fees change often; follow the latest from USCIS and the State Department, and talk to a licensed immigration attorney about complicated cases. The "what applicants report" section reflects individual experiences on public forums and is not a guarantee.