Adjustment of Status Attorneys
Adjusting Status Inside the U.S.? File the Whole Package Right the First Time.
The I-485 isn't one form — it's your eligibility analysis, work permit, travel document, financial sponsorship, and medical exam moving together. One gap stalls everything. Faragalla Law files complete packages built to pass in one round.
- Family, marriage, K-1, employment, and asylee-based adjustment
- Work permit and travel document filed together with the I-485
- Overstays, status gaps, and prior denials analyzed before filing
Request Your Adjustment Case Review
Tell us your basis and how you entered. We'll flag any eligibility issues and reply with a filing plan.
What decides these cases
Adjustment cases stall on details that were knowable before filing
Eligibility lives in your entry and status history
Adjusting inside the U.S. generally requires a lawful entry, and — outside the immediate-relative rules — maintained status. Old overstays, unauthorized work, Visa Waiver entries, and prior filings each change the analysis. Twenty minutes of history review decides whether you can adjust here or must process abroad — where a wrong guess can trigger a 3- or 10-year bar.
It's five-plus filings moving as one
The I-485 travels with the petition (I-130 or I-140), the work permit (I-765), the travel document (I-131), the financial sponsorship (I-864), and — under current rules — the medical exam (I-693), which must be submitted with the filing or risk rejection. A missing signature or an outdated fee on any one of them can bounce the entire package.
Mid-case moves are where approvals die
Leave the country without advance parole and most pending adjustments are considered abandoned (H-1B and L-1 holders get a narrow exception). Change jobs too early in an employment case and portability rules decide your fate. The case has rules of the road for the entire year-plus it's pending — we brief you on all of them at filing.
Qualify yourself in 30 seconds
Does adjustment of status fit your case?
This service is likely a fit if…
- You're in the U.S. and married to (or petitioned by) a U.S. citizen or resident
- Your employer's I-140 is approved or ready and your priority date is current
- You entered on a K-1, married within 90 days, and need the green card stage
- You were granted asylum at least one year ago
- You entered legally but overstayed — immediate relatives of citizens usually can still adjust
It's probably not the right fit if…
- You're outside the U.S. — that's consular processing, which we also handle end to end
- You entered without inspection and have no 245(i) or parole basis — the path likely runs through a waiver and a consulate; we'll map it honestly
- Your priority date isn't current yet — filing now would be rejected; we'll calendar the moment it opens
Why Faragalla Law
Counsel that pressure-tests your case before the government does
Complete-package discipline
Every filing cross-checked against every other — names, dates, addresses, histories — so your case reads as one consistent story and doesn't invite the RFE that adds months.
Big-firm training, boutique attention
Founding attorney Sam Faragalla trained at Baker McKenzie, one of the world's largest global law firms, where adjustment packages are filed to compliance standards daily.
Eligibility answered before a dollar is spent
If your entry or status history means consular processing, a waiver first, or waiting for a priority date, we tell you at the review — filing an adjustment you can't win only funds a denial.
Flat-fee clarity
One flat fee for the full package — petition, I-485, work permit, travel document, interview prep — quoted before we start, with government fees itemized.
How it works
A defined process — you always know the next step
Case review
Submit the form. We review your basis, entry, and status history, then reply within one business day with our eligibility read and consultation options.
Strategy consultation
We confirm adjustment vs. consular processing, check your priority date where one applies, resolve any history issues, and hand you a document checklist.
The complete package
We prepare and file everything together — petition, I-485, I-765 work permit, I-131 travel document, I-864 sponsorship, and the I-693 medical coordinated with a civil surgeon.
Interview through green card
We prepare you for the USCIS interview, respond to any RFE, keep you legal on work and travel throughout, and see the case to the green card in hand.
Costs, addressed head-on
What does an adjustment of status case cost?
Legal fees are flat and depend on the basis (family, employment, K-1 stage-two, asylee) and whether your history needs extra work — a waiver, a 245(i) analysis, or repair of a prior filing. USCIS fees for a typical adjustment package run well over a thousand dollars, plus the medical exam. We put the whole budget — legal and government — on one page at the consultation.
Client reviews
What clients say
I have had a very positive experience with Faragalla Law. They are very friendly and knowledgeable of the US Immigration policies and procedures. They always keep me informed of the progress with applying for the Citizenship and/or Green Card extensions. The Lawyer, Sam Faragalla always makes himself available to speak with me and gives me proper advice on the entire process. His Paralegal Jahy Khier always answers the call to help or answer the questions and give me great advice. The other secretaries always take messages and pass it on to the correct parties. I highly recommend this firm for all your immigration work in the USA because you will be in good hands.
I had a great experience working with Sam on my E-2 visa from Canada. After dealing with two unresponsive attorneys, Sam was a huge relief—always responsive, professional, and reliable. He consistently answered my calls or followed up within a few hours. His fees were reasonable, and the level of service was truly five-star.
Thank you, Sam, for your outstanding support and guidance throughout the process. I highly recommend him to anyone in need of an immigration attorney.
Reviews shown are from the firm's public Google Business Profile, reproduced verbatim with permission. Individual results vary; prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Your attorney
Sam Faragalla
Founder & Lead Immigration Attorney
Sam Faragalla trained at Baker McKenzie, one of the world's largest global law firms, before founding Faragalla Law. The firm represents entrepreneurs, investors, professionals, and families in U.S. immigration matters nationwide.
Licensed to practice law in New York. Immigration is federal law, which allows the firm to represent clients in all 50 states and abroad.
Common questions
Questions we answer every week
What's the difference between adjustment of status and consular processing?
Adjustment (I-485) gets you the green card without leaving the U.S. — you stay, and can get a work permit and travel document while it's pending. Consular processing finishes at a U.S. consulate abroad. Adjustment is usually preferable when you're eligible for it; the catch is that eligibility depends on how you entered and your status history, which is exactly what the review determines.
Who is eligible to adjust status inside the U.S.?
The main groups: spouses, parents, and minor children of U.S. citizens who entered lawfully (even after an overstay); family- and employment-based applicants who maintained status with a current priority date; K-1 entrants who married their petitioner; asylees a year after grant; and some people grandfathered under old 245(i) rules despite entry problems. Each group has its own traps — the label matters less than your specific history.
Can I work and travel while my I-485 is pending?
Yes — the package includes the I-765 work permit and I-131 travel document, typically arriving within a few months, and the work permit is valid for any employer. Critical warning: leaving the U.S. without advance parole abandons most pending adjustments (H-1B and L-1 holders traveling on valid visas are the main exception). We file everything together on day one so nothing waits in a second line.
I overstayed my visa. Can I still adjust?
If you entered lawfully and you're the spouse, parent, or unmarried under-21 child of a U.S. citizen — usually yes: the overstay and even unauthorized work are forgiven for immediate relatives. Preference-category and employment applicants face stricter status rules. And if you entered without inspection, adjustment generally isn't available without a special basis — do not file anything before that analysis.
How long does adjustment of status take?
Marriage and family cases at most field offices currently run roughly 9–16 months to the green card, with the work permit arriving well before. Employment cases depend on your priority date and service center. The bigger lever is avoiding the RFE: a complete, consistent package moves through in one pass; a patched one can drag past two years.
What happens at the adjustment interview — and will I even have one?
Marriage cases almost always interview — both spouses, questions about the relationship, originals in hand. Employment and some family cases are increasingly waived into approval without one. If you're called in, preparation is straightforward: know your own file, bring what the notice lists, and stay consistent with everything previously filed — which is easy when the filing was built consistently to begin with.
Ready when you are
File your adjustment once, completely, correctly
One form. One business day. Your eligibility read and the full filing plan.
Request Your Adjustment Case Review
Tell us your basis and how you entered. We'll flag any eligibility issues and reply with a filing plan.
Prefer to talk? Call (866) 655-3729 — tell us you're calling about the Adjustment of Status (I-485) page.