I am a refugee

or asylee D3

How do I become a 

U.S. permanent resident?

A refugee or asylee may apply for permanent resident status 

in the United States 1 year after being admitted as a refugee or 

being granted asylum status. If you are a refugee, you are required 

by law to apply for permanent resident status 1 year after being 

admitted to the United States in refugee status.

If you are an asylee, you are not required to apply for permanent 

resident status after being granted asylum for 1 year. However, it 

may be in your best interest to do so.

What are the basic requirements to obtain permanent 

resident status as a refugee or asylee ?

If you are a refugee, you may be able to apply for and obtain 

permanent resident status 1 year after you are admitted to the 

United States as a refugee and you:

•	Have been physically present in the United States for at least 1

year after being admitted as a refugee; 

•	Are admissible to the United States as an immigrant; and

•	Have not had your refugee admission terminated.

If you are an asylee, you may be able to apply for and obtain 

permanent resident status 1 year after you are granted asylum and 

you:

•	Have been physically present in the United States for at least 1

year after being granted asylum;

•	Continue to be a refugee (as defined in immigration law) or the

spouse or child of a refugee;

•	Are not firmly resettled in any foreign country; and

•	Are admissible to the United States as an immigrant.

How do I apply?

To apply for permanent resident status, file Form I-485, Application

to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status. Please read 

the instructions on the form and follow them carefully.

Filing instructions and forms are available on our Web site at www.

uscis.gov. For more information please visit our Web site or call

Customer Service at 1-800-375-5283.

What evidence or documents do I need to send in with my 

application for permanent resident status?

For information on the evidence and documents you need to send

in with the application, please follow the instructions on the I-485

application. For more information, please visit our Web site or call

Customer Service.

Will I need to be fingerprinted and photographed?

Yes. After filing the Form I-485 application, USCIS will notify

you in writing of the time and location where you must go to be

fingerprinted and photographed.

Will I need to obtain a medical examination report?

If you are an asylee when you apply, you must submit a completed

Form I-693, Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking Adjustment of

Status. If you are in refugee status when you apply, you need only 

submit a completed Vaccination Supplement Form (see supplement

to Form I-693) unless there were medical grounds of inadmissibility

that arose during the initial medical examination you had abroad.

Should I apply for employment authorization with the 

application for permanent resident status?

Even though you can apply for an Employment Authorization

Document (EAD), it may not be necessary to do so. Refugees

and asylees are authorized to work as soon as they are admitted

or granted such status. For more information about employment

authorization and what to show an employer as proof of your

eligibility to be employed, see Customer Guide D2, I Am a

Refugee or Asylee...How Do I...Show My Employer I Am Authorized

to Work in the United States?

What happens after I file Form I-485? 

After you file Form I-485, you will receive a receipt notice from us.

The receipt notice will give you a projected processing time and

other valuable information about what to expect and what you may

need to do. Once you get your receipt notice, it is important that

D3—I am a refugee or asylee...How do I become a U.S. permanent resident?

M-559B (October 2013) Y 1
2 D3—I am a refugee or asylee...How do I become a U.S. permanent resident?

M-559B (October 2013) Y

you keep it in a safe place so you can refer back to the receipt

number if you ever need to contact us about your case.

If we need more information from you regarding your case, we

will send you a Request for Evidence. It is important to send us

the requested evidence so we can complete the processing of your

application.

How long will it take to get a decision?

Processing time depends on a number of factors. You can check our

current processing times on our Web site.

What if I need to travel outside the United States while my 

adjustment application is pending?

As a refugee or asylee, if you wish to travel outside the United

States for a brief period of time but return to your refugee or asylee 

status and continue to pursue your application for adjustment of

status, you must apply for a Refugee Travel Document. To apply

for a travel document, you would file a Form I-131, Application

for Travel Document. If you decide to apply for a travel document,

please read the instructions on the form and follow them carefully.

To obtain Form I-131, please visit our Web site or call our Customer

Service number. For more information about getting a Refugee

Travel Document, see Customer Guide D4, I Am a Refugee or

Asylee...How Do I...Get a Refugee Travel Document?

Key Information

Key USCIS forms referenced 

in this guide

Form #

Application to Register Permanent Residence

or Adjust Status

I-485

Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking

Adjustment of Status

I-693

Application for Travel Document I-131

Other U.S. Government Services–Click or Call

General

Information

www.usa.gov 1-800-333-4636

New 

Immigrants

www.welcometoUSA.gov

U.S. Dept. 

of State

www.state.gov 1-202-647-6575

For more copies of this guide, or information

about other customer guides, please visit

www.uscis.gov/howdoi. 

You can also visit www.uscis.gov to 

download forms, e-file some applications,

check the status of an application, and more.

It’s a great place to start!

If you don’t have Internet access at home

or work, try your local library.

If you cannot find what you need, please call

Customer Service at: 1-800-375-5283 

Hearing Impaired TDD Customer Service: 

1-800-767-1833

Disclaimer: This guide provides basic information 

to help you become generally familiar with our 

rules and procedures. For more information, or 

the law and regulations, please visit our Web 

site. Immigration law can be complex, and it is 

impossible to describe every aspect of every 

process. You may wish to be represented by 

a licensed attorney or by a nonprofit agency 

accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals.