Adjustment of status to permanent resident (green card)It's done on the USCIS portal (or on paper depending on your case) and usually involves more than one form, each with its own fee. You need an underlying eligible route (family, employment) and a medical exam. It's a process of months, not days. The detail causing the most rejections: using an expired edition of the form, because USCIS changes them often.Confirm your eligible route — you need an underlying petitionAdjustment of status isn't filed on its own: it needs a route that makes you eligible, usually a family petition (spouse, child, or parent who is a citizen or resident) or an employment petition. That petition is the foundation of everything. If it doesn't exist yet, that's your real first step,…Decide between adjustment of status and consular processingThis is a fork worth resolving before filling out anything. Adjustment of status is done from inside the United States and requires no departure. Consular processing is done from your home country. Which suits you depends on how you entered, your immigration history, and your route. If you entered…Check each form's current edition on the day you fileUSCIS changes its form editions frequently and sometimes without a grace period: using an expired one is a direct cause of rejection. Download the form fresh right before filing and check the edition date at the foot of EVERY page, because mixing pages from different editions also causes rejection.Complete the medical exam with a civil surgeonNot just any doctor will do: it must be a USCIS-authorized physician, called a civil surgeon. They give you the result in a SEALED envelope you must not open; if you open it, it's void. Book this appointment early because availability isn't always immediate.Gather evidence and pay for each form separatelyAssemble the evidence of eligibility, identity, and status your route requires. And a detail that gets whole packages returned: if you send several forms together, EACH ONE carries its own payment. A single check or authorization for the whole package gets it sent back. Fees change: verify current…File, and keep a copy of everything you sentYou can file through the USCIS portal by creating an account, or on paper by mail depending on your case; some filings require paper. Before sending anything, photograph or scan every page. If USCIS requests additional evidence or something goes missing, having your exact copy saves weeks of…Biometrics, interview, and decisionAfter filing, USCIS schedules you for biometrics, and in many cases for an interview. If your case is marriage-based, the interview usually focuses on the authenticity of the relationship. Keep your address updated with USCIS throughout: notices arrive by mail and missing one can cost you the case.