What to do? While Your Green Card Application is Pending with USCIS

If you already submitted a Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and your case is pending with USCIS, here is some useful information to know.

Updating Your Address with USCIS

If you move, you must update your address with USCIS within 10 days of moving to the new address. If you do not update your address, you may not receive important notices about your case. Changing your address with the U.S. Postal Service will not update your address with USCIS. Go to our Change of Address Information page to learn how to update your address with us.

Case Processing Times

You can check the average time it takes for a particular USCIS office to process a Form I-485. Go to our USCIS Processing Time Information page for more information.

If you applied for an employment-based Green Card, you can also go to our Pending Employment-Based I-485 Inventoryand Questions & Answers: Pending Employment-Based Form I-485 Inventory pages for more information.

Case Status Updates

If you want a case status update about your application, you can:

Go to our Case Status Online page and use your Form I-485 receipt number to look up your case status.
Submit a case inquiry if you think your application is outside of our normal processing times.
Call our National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.
For customers who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf/blind or have speech disabilities which require accommodation:

(TTY) / ASCII: (800) 877-8339 Voice: (866) 377-8642 Video Relay Service (VRS): (877) 709-5798

Make an InfoPass appointment to go into a USCIS office and speak with us. You can find which USCIS office is closest to you by visiting our Find A USCIS Office page.

If You Need to Travel

If you need to leave the United States temporarily while your Form I-485 is pending, please see the instructions for Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, for more information. Generally, if you have a pending Form I-485 and you leave the United States without an advance parole document, you will have abandoned your application. For further information, see our Travel Document pages.