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Adjustment of Status Attorney | Harari Law

By Talia Harari, Attorney at Law. Updated September 2026.

Adjustment of status is how you get a green card without leaving the United States. If you are already here and a green card category is open to you, through family, a job or another path, you file Form I-485 with USCIS instead of going through a consulate abroad.

Key Takeaways

  • You generally must have been inspected and admitted or paroled into the U.S.
  • A visa number must be available to you when you file.
  • You can request a work permit and travel permission while the case is pending.

Who Qualifies

  • You are physically present in the U.S.
  • You have a basis, such as a family or employment petition, or asylum.
  • A visa number is available: always for immediate relatives, and for others when the priority date is current.
  • You were inspected and admitted or paroled, or qualify under a narrow grandfathering exception.
  • No ground of inadmissibility applies, or you qualify for a waiver.

Status violations can bar some categories; immediate relatives of citizens are treated more leniently. See the USCIS adjustment page.

How We Handle It

  1. Consultation. We learn your entries and current status.
  2. Strategy session with our legal team. We confirm your category and any bars.
  3. Evidence and preparation. We assemble the I-485 package and documents.
  4. Review and filing. You review every form with us, then we file.

Most adjustment cases start from a marriage green card petition, a K-1 wedding, or an employment petition such as the EB-1A.

Ready to talk through your green card case?

Request a Consultation

Flat fee, quoted in full before we begin. Admitted in New York, representing clients nationwide and abroad.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I travel while my I-485 is pending?

Usually only with advance parole. Leaving without it can abandon the application.

Do I need a medical exam?

Yes, on Form I-693 from a USCIS-designated civil surgeon.

Should I adjust status or use consular processing?

If you are here and eligible, adjustment lets you stay and work while you wait. Consular processing suits people abroad.

Related: all the visas we handle, marriage green card, K-1 fiancé visa.

This article is general information from Harari Law, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Immigration law and agency policy change; outcomes depend on individual facts. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.