What is Adjustment of Status?

Adjustment of Status is changing your legal status from one to another. It's generally done from one visa to permanent residence. It can not be done from all visas, and some require adjustment of status to maintain legal presence in the USA.

I came into the US on a K-1 Fiancee visa. It requires me to marry within 90 days and then file as soon as possible. You can also apply for Employment Authorization and Advance Parole at the same time. Employment Authorization allows you to work before you get your green card, Advance Parole allows you to come back into the USA if you have to leave for emergency reasons... since if you leave before adjusting status you are not allowed back in. K-1 is a single entry visa.

Anyway. AOS as it's called, is generally a bit more simple than K-1. No gathering of evidence, no huge packages to send. Just 4 sets of forms (If you want Employment Authorization and Advance Parole) and a few photocopied things.

Like in K-1, you have to fill out a financial support form. It's a different one, it's much longer than the last one. It's not very hard to fill out, none of the forms are.

Yup. Hopefully the processing shouldn't take very long. There's no real specific order for things in this either... so I can't do much of a timeline. Oh well, I'll do one anyway.

Oh. And it costs $1010 dollars, nice eh?

AOS Timeline

Current Step = Red and bolded, Past Steps = Blue and Strikeout

1. Adjustment of Status, EAD and AP Filed at Chicago Lockbox

2. Check Cashed

3. NOAs for AOS, EAD and AP Recieved in Mail

4. Biometrics Appointment Paper Recieved in Mail
5. Biometrics Completed at Local Office

6. EAD Approval and Paper Recieved in Mail

7. AP Approval and Papers Recieved in Mail

8. Case Forwarded to CSC (This doesn't always happen and may happen before steps 6/7)

9. Green Card Interview (This doesn't always happen.)

10. AOS Approval

11. Green Card Recieved In Mail