Green Card for Immigrant Investors

If you are currently in the United States, in order to be eligible for a Green Card as an EB-5 immigrant investor, you must meet the following requirements:

• You properly filed Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status;
• You were inspected and admitted or inspected and paroled into the United States;
• You are physically present in the United States at the time you file your Form I-485;
• You are eligible to receive an immigrant visa based on an approved Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur;
• An immigrant visa is immediately available to you at the time you file your Form I-485 and at the time USCIS makes a final decision on your application. (For information on visa availability, see Visa Availability and Priority Dates, Adjustment of Status Filing Charts, and the Department of State website to view the Visa Bulletin.)
• None of the applicable bars to adjustment of status apply to you;
• You are admissible to the United States for lawful permanent residence or eligible for a waiver of inadmissibility or other form of relief; and
• You merit the favorable exercise of USCIS’ discretion.

Inspected and Admitted or Inspected and Paroled

Generally, to be eligible to adjust status, you must be present in the United States after being “inspected and admitted” or “inspected and paroled” by an immigration officer. There are some limited exceptions to this eligibility requirement. For more information on this requirement, see USCIS Policy Manual Volume 7, Adjustment of Status, Part B, Chapter 2, Section A, “Inspected and Admitted” or “Inspected and Paroled”.

Depending on how you entered the United States or if you committed a particular act or violation of immigration law, you may be barred from adjusting status. You are ineligible to apply for adjustment of status if one or more bars to adjustment listed in section 245(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) apply to you.  For more information, please see USCIS Policy Manual Volume 7, Adjustment of Status, Part B, 245(a) Adjustment.

Applying Under INA 245(i)

You may be able to adjust status under INA 245(i) even if you are subject to one or more adjustment bars and are therefore ineligible for adjustment of status under INA 245(a). See the separate Instructions for Form I-485 Supplement A, Adjustment of Status Under Section 245(i) (PDF, 375.63 KB) for more information.

To qualify for a Green Card, you must be admissible to the United States. Reasons why you may be inadmissible are listed in INA 212(a) and are called grounds of inadmissibility.

In general, USCIS can only approve your Green Card application if none of the grounds of inadmissibility apply to you. 

If you are inadmissible, the law may allow you to apply for a waiver of inadmissibility or other form of relief. See Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility and Form I-212, Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into the United States After Deportation or Removal. If a waiver or other form of relief is granted, USCIS may approve your application for a Green Card if you are otherwise eligible.

Whether a waiver or other form of relief is available depends on the specific inadmissibility ground(s) that applies to you and the category under which you are adjusting. Eligibility requirements for waivers and other forms of relief vary. For information on the grounds of inadmissibility and waivers, please see USCIS Policy Manual Volume 8, Admissibility, and Volume 9, Waivers.

If an immigrant visa is immediately available to you and you are currently in the United States, you may be eligible to file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, to apply for a Green Card without leaving the country. Review the Eligibility for Adjustment of Status part of this page to determine if you are eligible to adjust status in the United States.

If an immigrant visa is immediately available to you, you may file Form I-485 together with your Form I-526, while your Form I-526 is pending, or after your Form I-526 is approved. See our Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, page for information on where to mail your application.

To make sure that an immigrant visa is immediately available to you when you file your Form I-485, see the Visa Availability and Priority Dates and Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin pages on our website as well as the Visa Bulletin.

If you are the EB-5 immigrant investor on the Form I-526, you are called the principal applicant. As the principal applicant, you should submit the following documentation and evidence to apply for a Green Card as an EB-5 immigrant investor who is already in the United States:

• Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status;
• Copy of the Form I-797, Approval Notice, for your Form I-526 petition;
• Two passport-style photographs;
• Copy of your government-issued identity document with photograph;
• Copy of your birth certificate;
• Copy of your passport page with nonimmigrant visa (if applicable);
• Copy of your passport page with admission or parole stamp (issued by a U.S. immigration officer) (if applicable);
• Copy of Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, or copy of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) admission or parole stamp on the travel document (if applicable);

Note: If CBP provided you with an electronic Form I-94 upon your arrival/admission to the United States, you may print out a paper version of the Form I-94 from the CBP website at www.cbp.gov/I94;

• Proof that you have continuously maintained a lawful status since arriving in the U.S.;
• Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (you may submit this form together with Form I-485 or later, such as by mail when we request it or in person at your interview, if any);
• Certified police and court records of criminal charges, arrests, or convictions (if applicable);
• Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility (if applicable);
• Form I-212, Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into the United States After Deportation or Removal (if applicable);  
• Documentation of past or present J-1 or J-2 nonimmigrant status (if applicable), including proof of compliance with or a waiver of the 2-year foreign residence requirement under INA 212(e) (for more information, see Form I-612, Application for Waiver of the Foreign Residence Requirement);
• If you currently hold A, G, or E nonimmigrant status, include Form I-508, Request for Waiver of Certain Rights, Privileges, Exemptions and Immunities;
• Form I-566, Interagency Record of Request – A, G or NATO Dependent Employment Authorization or Change/Adjustment to/from A, G or NATO Status (only if you have A, G, or NATO nonimmigrant status); and
• Form I-485 Supplement A, Adjustment of Status Under Section 245(i) (if applicable).

Note: certain forms, including Form I-485, have a filing fee. You must submit the correct filing fee for each form, unless you are exempt or eligible for a fee waiver. Please see USCIS’ Filing Fees and Fee Schedule for more information.

For more information on applying for adjustment of status, see the Instructions for Form I-485 (PDF, 686.14 KB). Please also see our page on Tips for Filing Forms with USCIS.

If you are the spouse or unmarried child under 21 years of age of an EB-5 immigrant investor principal applicant, you may apply for a Green Card as a derivative applicant. For more information on derivatives and eligibility for adjustment of status, please see USCIS Policy Manual Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 6, Section C, Subsection 6 - Derivatives.

Eligibility Criteria for Adjustment of Status as Derivative Applicants

In order to be eligible for a Green Card as an immigrant investor derivative applicant, you must meet the following requirements:

• You properly file your Form I-485:
  • Together with the principal applicant’s Form I-485 (and the principal applicant’s Form I-485 is ultimately approved);
  • While the principal applicant’s Form I-485 is still pending with USCIS (and the principal applicant’s Form I-485 is ultimately approved);
  • After USCIS approves the principal applicant’s Form I-485 as long as:
    • The principal applicant is still a lawful permanent resident, and
    • You were the principal applicant’s spouse or child at the time USCIS approved his or her Form I-485; or
  • After the principal applicant obtained an immigrant visa and was admitted into the United States as a lawful permanent resident, as long as:
    • The principal applicant is still a lawful permanent resident, and
    • You were the principal applicant’s spouse or daughter at the time he or she was admitted into the United States.
• You are currently the principal applicant’s spouse or child;
• You were inspected and admitted or inspected and paroled into the United States;
• You are physically present in the United States at the time you file your Form I-485 and at the time of adjustment of status;
• An immigrant visa is immediately available to you at the time you file your Form I-485 and at the time USCIS makes a final decision on your application. (For information on visa availability, see Visa Availability and Priority Dates, Adjustment of Status Filing Charts, and the Department of State website to view the Visa Bulletin.)
• None of the applicable bars to adjustment of status apply to you;
• You are admissible to the United States for lawful permanent residence or eligible for a waiver of inadmissibility or other form of relief; and
• You merit the favorable exercise of USCIS’ discretion.

What to Submit (Derivative Applicants)

If you are a derivative applicant (a spouse or child), you should submit the following evidence to adjust status under the immigrant investor category:

• Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status;
• Copy of documentation showing your relationship to the principal applicant, such as a marriage certificate, birth certificate, or adoption decree;
• Copy of the Form I-797, Approval Notice, for the principal applicant’s Form I-526;
• Copy of the Form I-797, Approval or Receipt Notice, for the principal applicant’s Form I‑485 or a copy of the principal applicant’s Green Card  (not filing together with the principal applicant’s Form I-485);
• Two passport-style photographs;
• Copy of your government-issued identity document with photograph;
• Copy of your birth certificate;
• Copy of your passport page with nonimmigrant visa (if applicable);
• Copy of your passport page with admission or parole stamp (issued by a U.S. immigration officer) (if applicable);
• Copy of Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record or copy of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) admission or parole stamp on the travel document (if applicable) 

Note: If CBP provided you with an electronic Form I-94 upon your arrival/admission to the United States, you may print out a paper version of the Form I-94 from the CBP website at www.cbp.gov/I94;

• Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (you may submit this form together with Form I-485 or later, for example, by mail when we request it or in person at your interview, if any);
• Certified police and court records of criminal charges, arrests, or convictions (if applicable);
• Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility (if applicable);
• Form I-212, Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into the United States After Deportation or Removal (if applicable);
• Documentation of past or present J-1 or J-2 nonimmigrant status (if applicable), including proof of compliance with or a waiver of the 2-year foreign residence requirement under INA 212(e) (for more information, see Form I-612, Application for Waiver of the Foreign Residence Requirement);
• If you currently hold A, G, or E nonimmigrant status, include Form I-508, Request for Waiver of Rights, Privileges, Exemptions and Immunities;  
• Form I-566, Interagency Record of Request – A, G or NATO Dependent Employment Authorization or Change/Adjustment to/from A, G or NATO Status (only if you have A, G, or NATO nonimmigrant status); and
• Form I-485 Supplement A, Adjustment of Status Under Section 245(i) (if applicable).

Note: Certain forms, including Form I-485, have a filing fee. You must submit the correct filing fee for each form, unless you are exempt or eligible for a fee waiver. Please see USCIS’ Filing Fees and Fee Schedule for more information.

Generally, when you have a pending Form I-485, you may apply for employment authorization by filing a Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization.

You may also apply for an advance parole document by filing a Form I-131, Application for Travel Document. An advance parole document authorizes you to appear at a port-of entry to seek parole into the United States after temporary travel abroad. If you need to leave the United State temporarily while your Form I-485 is pending, please see the Instructions for 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 Employment Authorization and Travel Documents pages.

For more information, see the following:

• INA 203(b)(5) – Preference Allocation for Employment-Based Immigrants
• INA 212(a) – Classes of Aliens Ineligible for Visas or Admission
• INA 245 – Adjustment of Status of Nonimmigrant to that of a Person Admitted for Permanent Residence
• 8 CFR 245 - Adjustment of Status to that of a Person Admitted for Permanent Residence
• USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 7, Part A, Adjustment of Status Policies and Procedures
• USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 7, Part B, 245(a) Adjustment
• USCIS Policy Manual Volume 8, Admissibility
• USCIS Policy Manual Volume 9, Waivers