EB-1A · Visa Bulletin

Adjustment of status (I-485)

If you are in the United States, you can apply for your green card on Form I-485 once an EB-1 visa number is immediately available to you. You may file it together with the I-140 or after it.^[1,2]

Each month, USCIS states whether employment-based applicants must use the Visa Bulletin's Final Action Dates chart or may use the Dates for Filing chart.^[2,3]

Self-petitioners can file Form I-140 and Form I-485 together online.^[4]

Submit the medical exam report (Form I-693) with the I-485; otherwise USCIS may reject the application.^[4]

Use the current edition of Form I-485. USCIS published a new edition on September 18, 2026, to implement a new public charge rule, and rejects older editions postmarked or submitted on or after that date.^[4]

EB-1A applicants do not file Form I-485 Supplement J, because the category is not tied to a job offer. You may change employers or become self-employed while the I-485 is pending, but you need to keep working in your area of expertise.^[5]

Adjustment of status is discretionary. A May 2026 USCIS policy memo reminds officers that meeting the requirements does not by itself mean approval, and that a discretionary denial must explain the positive and negative factors weighed.^[6]

Consular processing

If you live outside the United States, or choose to apply abroad, USCIS sends the approved I-140 to the Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC). It stays there until a visa number is available for you.^[7]

The NVC tells you when to pay visa fees and send documents. When your priority date is current, the consulate schedules an interview and decides whether to issue the immigrant visa.^[7]

After the visa is issued, pay the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee online, ideally before you travel. USCIS mails the green card after you are admitted and does not send it until the fee is paid.^[7,8,9]

Tell the NVC if you change your address or marital status, or if a child turns 21, because these changes can affect eligibility.^[7]