The purpose of Form I-485 Supplement A is to allow an alien's adjustment of status to that of a lawful permanent resident while the alien remains within the United States.

To be eligible to apply for adjustment of status using Form I-485 Supplement A, the alien must:

(1) be physically present in the United States when the Form I-485 Supplement A application is submitted; (2) have an immigrant visa number available immediately upon filing of Form I-485 Supplement A; (3) be admissible to the United States for permanent residence; (4) be the beneficiary of an approved-when filed visa petition, or an application for labor certification filed on or before April 30, 2001; and (5) pay a $1000 penalty fee upon with the filing of Form 1-485 Supplement A.

Form I-485 Supplement A also requires the alien to show that he or she fits within one of the following categories:

(1) an alien crewman; (2) an alien who worked in the United Sates without authorization; (3) an alien who has an unlawful immigrant status; (4) an alien who fails to continuously maintain a lawful status since entry into the United States; (5) an alien who was admitted without a transit visa; (6) an alien who was admitted as a non-immigrant under section 212(1) (7) or under the Visa Waiver Program; or (8) an alien seeking employment-based adjustment of status who is not currently in a lawful immigrant status.

Additional documentation for Form I-485 Supplement A is not required unless the alien is the beneficiary of a visa petition or labor certification filed between January 14, 1998 and April 30, 2001. In those cases, Form I-485 Supplement A requires documentation demonstrating physical presence in the United States on December 21, 2000.