Green Card for an Asylee
If USCIS granted you asylum status, you are eligible to apply for a green card (permanent residence) 1 year after receiving your grant of asylum. Your spouse and children are also eligible to apply for a green card if they were admitted to the United States as asylees or were included in your grant of asylum.
You are not required to apply for a green card; however, it may be in your best interest to do so. You may no longer qualify for asylum status with the right to remain permanently in the United States if:
country conditions change in your home country or
you no longer meet the definition of an asylee due to changed circumstances.
Eligibility Criteria
If you are an asylee, you may apply for a green card 1 year after being granted asylum if you:
Have been physically present in the United States for at least 1 year after being granted asylum
Continue to meet the definition of a asylee (or continue to be the spouse or child of such asylee)
Have not abandoned your asylee status
Are not firmly resettled in any foreign country
Continue to be admissible to the United States (A waiver may be available to you if you are now inadmissible)
Application Process
To apply for a green card, you must file the Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status.
Note: When your green card is granted, you (and your derivative family members) will have your date of adjustment of status rolled back 1 year from the date your green card is granted.
Supporting Evidence For Form I-485
If your asylum status is granted, you should file a Form I-485 with the following supporting documentation (in this order):
Completed and signed Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
Completed and signed Form I-693, Report of Medical Exam and Vaccination Record, if required. For more information, see
the Instructions for Form I-693
the Immigration Medical Examination page
Applicable fees
Asylees must pay the Form I-485 application fee and the fingerprint fee
Applicants under the age of 14 do not need to submit a fingerprint fee
Completed and signed Form I-602, Application by Refugee for Waiver of Grounds of Excludability (if applicable)
Copy of your I-94 card
Asylees may also submit a copy of their approval notice granting asylum or a copy of the immigration judge’s orders showing that you were granted asylum
A completed Form G-325A, Biographic Information Sheet, if you are between 14 and 79 years of age
Certified copies of court records (if you have been arrested)
Two passport-style photos
Note: You must submit any foreign language documents with a certified English translation. The translator must certify that he/she is competent to perform the translation and that the translation is accurate. Note that translations submitted without a legible copy of the foreign document are not sufficient.
Family Members of Asylees
The USCIS asylum program accepts new Form I-589 applications from derivative asylees (spouses or children of a principal asylee) who no longer meet the definition of a spouse or child of the principal asylee in order to provide such individuals with a way to become a permanent resident. For more information, see our Humanitarian page.
Note: In certain cases, the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) may allow you to retain the classification of “child” even if you have reached age 21. To determine if the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) applies to you, see our Child Status Protection Act page.
Family Application Process
You must prepare a separate Form I-485 application packet for yourself (the principal asylee) and for your spouse and each child who received derivative asylee status if they also want to obtain a green card.
You may submit several different application packages in the same mailing package. To hold each application packet together, please use a single staple or a paper clip.
Change of Address
If your address changes, you must inform USCIS in writing within 10 days of moving.
You may meet this requirement by:
Mailing Form AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card, to the address on the form
Completing “Step 1” on the Online Change My Address form
You should NOT mail the AR-11 to the correct address AND complete the online change of address.
While your asylum application is pending with the Asylum Office, you must ALSO notify the Asylum Office within 10 days after you change your address in one of the following ways:
Complete “step 2” of “on the online form (see the “Change My Address” link to the right)
Mail an original or copy of Form AR-11 to the Asylum Office
Mail a letter with your old and new address information to the Asylum Office
Provide your new address to the Asylum Office in-person
Provide your new address to the asylum officer at your interview
Call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283
