The United States announced changes to apply for the green card: find out what they are

Last Tuesday, December 10, 2024, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced changes to the form that currently exists for those who They wish to obtain permanent residence in that country through the green card.

The organization assured that some sections of the document were deleted in the questions and instructions section to make the process faster.

“The formulary review is part of our agency-wide initiative to reduce the burden about people applying for immigration benefits and services,” reads a USCIS statement.

In the process to access the green card, those eligible must complete form I-485, application for registration of permanent residence or adjustment of status.

About this document, USCIS stated that the following adjustments will apply:

• For those applicants who need to submit a Form I-693 (Immigration Medical Examination Report and Immunization Record) or a partial Form I-693 (such as a vaccination record), They must submit Form I-693 or partial Form I-693 with their Form I-485. If the applicant does not send the Form I-693 with Form I-485 when required, the entity may reject Form I-485.
• For individuals who are exempt from the requirement to file Form I-864 (Affidavit of Support under Section 213A of the INA), You must apply for the exemption on Form I-485 instead of filing Form I-864W (Application for Waiver of Affidavit of Support for Prospective Immigrant). The agency discontinued the I-864W form.
• The USCIS clarified the questions on the form regarding the grounds for inadmissibility due to public charge. The questions now will require an applicant to identify their immigration category so that the entity can more easily determine whether or not they are exempt of this cause of inadmissibility and the application can be adjudicated accordingly.

With this change, the entity hopes to reduce confusion among applicants and streamline information collection by consolidating and clarifying instructions and requirements.

Adjustments made by USCIS are now available in the new edition of Form I-485, dated October 24, 2024.

It is worth mentioning that this version is the only one valid by the USCIS to apply for a green card. starting February 10, 2025. Meanwhile, Individuals can continue to submit either of the two previous editions of this form dated 08/28/24 M and 08/28/24.

This was ratified by the USCIS: “As of February 10, 2025, “We will only accept the edition of Form I-485 dated 10/24/24 and will reject previous editions.”

In the case of applicants who must submit form I-693 (Immigration Medical Examination Report and Vaccination Record) or another form related to partial vaccination, this is already current with the relevant updates. That is, if you are going to do the process without the I-485 form or the I-693 form, The process may be denied by the control body.