O-1: after the petition is approved
Once USCIS approves the petition, the O-1 holder can apply for the visa at a United States Embassy or Consulate.
Source: USCIS, O-1 visa: individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement, checked .
The Department of State, not USCIS, sets the visa application processing and issuance fees.
Source: USCIS, O-1 visa: individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement, checked .
Filing Form I-485 from inside the United States
An immigrant visa must be immediately available when Form I-485 is filed and when USCIS makes its final decision.
Source: USCIS, Green Card for employment-based immigrants, checked .
When a visa is immediately available, Form I-485 may be filed while the Form I-140 is pending or after it is approved.
Source: USCIS, Green Card for employment-based immigrants, checked .
A self-petitioner must plan to work in the same or a similar occupational field as in the Form I-140.
Source: USCIS, Green Card for employment-based immigrants, checked .
One condition for keeping an approved Form I-140 valid after a change of job is that the Form I-485 based on it remains undecided for 180 days or more.
Source: USCIS, Green Card for employment-based immigrants, checked .
Work permit, travel and medical report
While a Form I-485 is pending, a person may generally apply for work authorization on Form I-765.
Source: USCIS, Green Card for employment-based immigrants, checked .
A work permit based on a pending Form I-485 (category (c)(9)) is valid for up to 18 months.
Source: USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 10, Part A, Chapter 4 (employment authorization, adjudication and validity periods), checked .
The Form I-765 fee while a qualifying Form I-485 is pending is $260, on paper or online.
Source: USCIS, Form G-1055 Fee Schedule (edition 10/26/26), checked .
A person with a pending Form I-485 who leaves the United States without an advance parole document has generally abandoned the application.
Source: USCIS, Green Card for employment-based immigrants, checked .
The Form I-131 fee for an advance parole document while a Form I-485 is pending is $630 on paper and $580 online.
Source: USCIS, Form G-1055 Fee Schedule (edition 10/26/26), checked .
A medical report on Form I-693, when it is required, is submitted together with the Form I-485.
Source: USCIS, Green Card for employment-based immigrants, checked .
The priority date and the Visa Bulletin
A person finds the priority date on Form I-797, Notice of Action.
Source: USCIS, Visa availability and priority dates, checked .
When the preference category needs no labor certification from the Department of Labor, the priority date is the day USCIS accepts the Form I-140 for processing.
Source: USCIS, Visa availability and priority dates, checked .
Unless USCIS says otherwise on its filing charts page, the Application Final Action Dates chart decides when a Form I-485 can be filed.
Source: USCIS, Visa availability and priority dates, checked .
The country of chargeability is usually the country of birth.
Source: USCIS, Visa availability and priority dates, checked .
Employment-based preference visas are limited to 140,000 a year.
Source: USCIS, Visa availability and priority dates, checked .
Form I-485 filing fee
The USCIS fee for Form I-485 is $1,440 on paper and $1,390 online for an applicant over the age of fourteen.
Source: USCIS, Form G-1055 Fee Schedule (edition 10/26/26), checked .
Changes and corrections
No changes since it was first published.
Editorial status
Written by Talent Visa Journey from the official pages cited above and approved by an editor. It has not been reviewed by a lawyer or a regulated immigration adviser.
How this page was made
An AI tool wrote the first draft from the official pages linked on this page. Automatic checks then compared each statement with the text of its official source. A person named above read the figures, dates and fees and approved the page before it was published. We check the sources again every week and note every change at the bottom. This page says what the official source says. It is not legal advice and cannot say what applies to your case.