A Guatemalan with a family or employment petition has two ways to become a US permanent resident: adjustment of status with Form I-485, filed with USCIS from inside the United States, or consular processing, an immigrant visa interview at a US consulate abroad, which for applicants processed in Guatemala is the immigrant visa interview in Guatemala City. This page covers who can adjust, the bars, section 245(i), the fees and the steps. The details come from USCIS pages and PDFs fetched October 15, 2026, plus two State Department captures fetched October 8, 2026.

This is general information, not legal advice. The bars, 245(i) and the travel rules turn on your full entry and status history. Confirm your own case with a licensed US immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative before you file or travel.

Quick summary:

  • Where you are decides the route. The I-485 instructions say: “You must be physically present in the United States to file this application”
  • Bars: adjustment under INA 245(a) is generally closed if a bar applies, such as last entering without inspection, unauthorized work, or no lawful status on the filing date. Section 245(i) is the exception, only for petitions or labor certifications filed on or before April 30, 2001.
  • Fees (G-1055 edition 10/07/26): I-485 $1,440 paper / $1,390 online (over age 14); Supplement A $1,000. The inflation increase effective October 16, 2026 does not touch any I-485 fee.
  • Form edition: use only the 09/18/26 edition; USCIS changed the filing location on October 7, 2026 (old locations accepted if postmarked on or before November 9, 2026).
  • Travel trap: leaving without advance parole abandons the I-485, and since August 13, 2026 leaving with advance parole counts as a departure for the unlawful presence bars.

Adjustment of status or consular processing

USCIS describes adjustment of status as the process to apply for permanent residence “when you are present in the United States”, and adds that it means you “may get LPR status without having to return to your home country to complete consular processing.” The I-485 page puts it plainly: “Use this form to apply for lawful permanent resident status if you are in the United States”

For people abroad, USCIS says: “If you are outside of the United States, you may apply at a U.S. Department of State consulate abroad for an immigrant visa in order to come to the United States and be admitted as a permanent resident” When a petition is approved for someone who lives outside the US, or lives in the US but wants to apply abroad, USCIS sends it to the State Department’s National Visa Center.

Adjustment of status (Form I-485)Consular processing
Where you must bePhysically present in the United States (I-485 instructions)Outside the US, or in the US but choosing to apply abroad (USCIS consular page)
Who decidesUSCISA State Department consulate; for Guatemala, see our Guatemala City interview page
Main USCIS fee (G-1055 ed. 10/07/26)$1,440 paper / $1,390 online, over age 14$235 USCIS Immigrant Fee
Medical examForm I-693 from a US civil surgeon (I-693 page)Embassy panel physician in Guatemala City (interview page)
Entry and status history245(a) and 245(c) bars apply unless 245(i) covers youLeaving the US after unlawful presence can trigger the 3- and 10-year bars; see the I-601A waiver page
Extra exposureTravel abroad while pending (see below)The State Department immigrant visa pause litigation; see our status page

Who can adjust: presence, visa availability and the bars

An immigrant visa must be available

The USCIS I-485 page says: “In general, you may not file your Form I-485 until an immigrant visa is immediately available in your category”

The I-485 instructions set out the timing against Form I-130:

  • Immediate relatives: “If you are an immediate relative, you may file your Form I-485 together with your Form I-130, while Form I-130 is pending, or after your Form I-130 is approved”
  • Everyone else in a family category can file together with the I-130 only if a visa is immediately available. “Otherwise, you may file your Form I-485 only after your Form I-130 is approved and an immigrant visa is immediately available”

For October 2026, the USCIS filing charts page says all family-sponsored preference categories must use the “Dates for Filing chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin for October 2026” In that chart, the F2A row shows C in the column for all chargeability areas not separately listed, which is the column Guatemala uses. When we checked on October 15, 2026, the USCIS page still referred to the October 2026 bulletin; check it again for later months. Our visa bulletin page has the full October tables for Guatemala.

The adjustment bars (INA 245(a) and 245(c))

The I-485 instructions say: “You are generally ineligible for adjustment of status under INA section 245(a) if one or more adjustment bars in the INA apply to you” The bars the Supplement A instructions list include:

  • “You last entered the United States without being admitted or paroled after inspection by an immigration officer”
  • “You are now employed or have ever been employed in the United States without authorization”
  • “You are not in lawful immigration status on the date of filing your application for adjustment of status”

Family and employment preference applicants must also prove continuous lawful status. The instructions name, among others: “Applicants applying under a family-based preference category or an employment-based preference category” Check whether your category is on that list in the instructions before you assume it does or does not apply to you.

Inadmissibility is a separate test. The Supplement A instructions say that if you are inadmissible, “you may not adjust to lawful permanent resident status” unless a waiver or other relief applies.

Section 245(i) and Supplement A

Section 245(i) is the exception the I-485 instructions name: “You may be able to adjust status under INA section 245(i) even if you are present in the United States without inspection and admission or parole, or are subject to one or more adjustment bars at INA section 245(c)” They also stress: “INA section 245(i) is not an immigrant category” You still need a qualifying petition and an available visa.

The Supplement A instructions (edition 09/18/26) list the qualifying filings:

  1. You are or were the principal beneficiary of an immigrant petition or labor certification application “properly filed on or before January 14, 1998, which was approvable when filed”; or
  2. One properly filed from January 15, 1998 through April 30, 2001, approvable when filed, and you were “physically present in the United States on December 21, 2000”

You must also be physically present in the US now, have an immigrant visa immediately available when you file, and be admissible or eligible for a waiver or other relief. The instructions warn: “If the bars do not apply to you or you are exempt, then you do not need to adjust under INA section 245(i) and you should not file Supplement A”

If you already have a pending I-485 with a receipt number beginning with IOE, USCIS says you can file Supplement A online as a stand-alone form.

Fees (USCIS fee schedule G-1055, edition 10/07/26)

USCIS announced on September 30, 2026 that inflation-adjusted fees take effect October 16, 2026. The G-1055 page says: “If you submit a request postmarked on or after Oct. 16, 2026, for a benefit that requires one of these fees, you must include the new fee for the specific benefit you are requesting” The alert’s table, which it says lists all the fee changes in the Federal Register notice, covers the annual asylum application fee, an I-131 immigration parole fee, an I-765 fee for initial asylum, parole and TPS work permits, and Form I-821. It lists no fee for I-485, Supplement A, I-130, or the I-131 and I-765 filed with a pending I-485. So the G-1055 edition 10/07/26 amounts below are the fees for requests postmarked on or after October 16, 2026.

Form and situation (G-1055 ed. 10/07/26)Fee
I-485, applicant over the age of 14, general filing$1,440 paper / $1,390 online
I-485, under 14 and filing together with one parent’s I-485$950 paper / $900 online
I-485, in removal proceedings and the immigration court waives the fee$0
I-485, Special Immigrant Juvenile, U, T or VAWA categories$0
I-485 Supplement A (section 245(i))$1,000 paper / $1,000 online
Supplement A, unmarried child under 17$0
I-131 advance parole with a pending I-485$630 paper / $580 online
I-765 work permit, I-485 filed with a fee on or after April 1, 2024 and still pending$260 paper / $260 online
I-864 Affidavit of Support$0
USCIS Immigrant Fee (consular route, for comparison)$235

An adult paper filer who needs 245(i) pays $2,440 to USCIS for the I-485 and Supplement A together. The State Department’s own immigrant visa fee for the consular route is not in our USCIS sources; it is on our Guatemala City interview page.

Steps to file Form I-485

  1. Confirm visa availability. Check the chart USCIS assigns for the month (above) and whether you can file with or only after the I-130.
  2. Check the bars and 245(i) with your attorney or accredited representative, using your full entry and work history.
  3. Medical exam. The I-485 page says: “You must submit Form I-693 with your Form I-485 application package, in the original sealed envelope provided by the civil surgeon” The instructions add that an I-485 may be rejected without a required I-693. Details on our I-693 page.
  4. Affidavit of Support. The instructions say the I-864 “is required for most family-based intending immigrants” See our I-864 page.
  5. Civil documents (Guatemala section below), each with a full English translation.
  6. Use the 09/18/26 edition. USCIS published it on September 18, 2026 and its I-485 page says it will reject the 01/20/25 and 09/04/26 editions. Sign it: “We will reject any unsigned form”
  7. File online or by mail. USCIS lists two filing options. On October 7, 2026 it changed the I-485 filing location; check the direct filing addresses page. USCIS says it will “accept forms postmarked on or before Nov. 9, 2026, that are sent to any prior filing location”
  8. Optional work permit and advance parole (I-765 and I-131, fees above).
  9. Biometrics. USCIS says that after filing “we will mail you a notice for your biometrics services appointment at a local Application Support Center (ASC)” If you file at a lockbox, your A-Number may come in a second notice a few days after acceptance. If you are before an immigration judge, the instructions warn that missing biometrics without good cause may lead the judge to find the application abandoned.
  10. Interview. USCIS says you, and the relative who petitioned for you if applicable, “must bring originals of all documentation submitted with the Form I-485 application”, including passports, travel documents and Form I-94, expired or not.

Travel to Guatemala while the I-485 is pending

The I-485 instructions say that if you are adjusting under INA section 245 “and you travel anywhere outside the United States (including brief visits to Canada or Mexico) while your application is pending, USCIS will consider your application as abandoned unless” you obtain an Advance Parole Document with Form I-131 before leaving and are inspected and admitted or paroled on return.

Advance parole no longer protects against the unlawful presence bars. USCIS’s unlawful presence page, updated August 14, 2026, opens with this alert: “As of Aug. 13, 2026, departing the United States after obtaining an Advance Parole Document is a departure for purposes of inadmissibility under section 212(a)(9)(B)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)” The alert names the Board of Immigration Appeals precedent Matter of Delcarmen-Lara, 29 I&N Dec. 830 (BIA 2026), which overruled Matter of Arrabally and Yerrabelly. USCIS warns that people leaving on advance parole “may be inadmissible under section 212(a)(9)(B)(i) of the INA upon their return to the United States if they have accrued more than 180 days of unlawful presence”

Note on the USCIS page: lower on the same page, an older paragraph still describes the Arrabally rule as if it applied. The dated alert at the top reflects the change; we follow the alert.

The bars USCIS describes apply to anyone who tries to:

  • “Seek admission again within 3 years of leaving the United States before removal proceedings begin, after you accrued more than 180 days but less than 1 year of unlawful presence during a single stay”
  • “Seek admission again within 10 years of leaving or being removed from the United States, after you accrued 1 year or more of unlawful presence during a single stay”

If you have ever been in the US without status for more than 180 days, do not plan a trip to Guatemala on advance parole without legal advice.

The consular route through Guatemala City

If you are in Guatemala, or cannot adjust, the path runs through the National Visa Center and the US Embassy in Guatemala City: panel physicians, the Ministerio Público police certificate and the interview are on our interview page. Before choosing this route from inside the US, read the I-601A provisional waiver page, because leaving can trigger the bars above, and check where the immigrant visa pause stands. We found no Guatemala-specific USCIS adjustment rule or hold on the USCIS pages we captured.

Documents from Guatemala

  • Birth certificate. The I-485 instructions ask for a photocopy issued by the civil authority of your country of birth, and say: “USCIS will only accept a birth certificate which lists at least one parent” The State Department’s Guatemala reciprocity page says to “request birth certificates from RENAP (National Registry of Persons)” and that “Both the front and back pages of the document are required”
  • Translations. “If you submit a document with information in a foreign language, you must also submit a full English translation”
  • Prior marriages. If either spouse was married before, the instructions require evidence that each prior marriage legally ended, such as a divorce decree or death certificate.
  • Your Guatemalan passport and Form I-94, which you bring to the interview as originals.

For Guatemalan documents issued in the US, find your Guatemalan consulate.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get my green card inside the US instead of interviewing in Guatemala City?

Possibly, through adjustment of status with Form I-485. The I-485 instructions (edition 09/18/26) say you must be physically present in the United States to file, and that you are generally ineligible under INA section 245(a) if an adjustment bar applies. The Supplement A instructions list bars such as last entering without being admitted or paroled, working without authorization, and not being in lawful status on the filing date. Section 245(i) is the exception the instructions name. If you are outside the US, USCIS says the pathway is consular processing at a State Department consulate abroad.

How much does Form I-485 cost after October 16, 2026?

USCIS fee schedule G-1055, edition 10/07/26, lists $1,440 for a paper filing and $1,390 online for an applicant over the age of 14, and $950 paper or $900 online for a child under 14 filing together with one parent’s I-485. USCIS’s September 30, 2026 alert on the inflation increase effective October 16, 2026 lists no I-485 fee among the changes, so these G-1055 amounts apply to filings postmarked on or after October 16, 2026. Supplement A for section 245(i) is a separate $1,000.

Who can use section 245(i)?

The Supplement A instructions (09/18/26) list conditions including being, or having been, the principal beneficiary of an immigrant petition or labor certification application properly filed on or before January 14, 1998 that was approvable when filed, or one filed from January 15, 1998 through April 30, 2001 that was approvable when filed, plus physical presence in the US on December 21, 2000. You must also be physically present now, have an immigrant visa immediately available, and be admissible or eligible for a waiver. The G-1055 fee is $1,000, or $0 for an unmarried child under 17.

Can I visit Guatemala while my I-485 is pending?

Not without advance parole, and even then with risk. The I-485 instructions say that if you travel anywhere outside the United States, including brief visits to Canada or Mexico, USCIS will consider the application abandoned unless you first obtain an Advance Parole Document with Form I-131 and are inspected and admitted or paroled on return. Since August 13, 2026, USCIS says leaving on advance parole counts as a departure for the unlawful presence bars in INA section 212(a)(9)(B)(i).

What changed for advance parole in August 2026?

USCIS’s unlawful presence page says that as of August 13, 2026, departing the United States after obtaining an Advance Parole Document is a departure for purposes of inadmissibility under INA section 212(a)(9)(B)(i). The alert names the Board of Immigration Appeals precedent Matter of Delcarmen-Lara, 29 I&N Dec. 830 (BIA 2026), which overruled Matter of Arrabally and Yerrabelly. A person with more than 180 days of unlawful presence may be inadmissible on return. An older paragraph lower on the same USCIS page still describes the Arrabally rule; we follow the dated alert.

Which edition of Form I-485 should I use?

The 09/18/26 edition. USCIS published it on September 18, 2026, revised to align with its public charge rule, and its I-485 page says it will reject the 01/20/25 and 09/04/26 editions. The Spanish-language USCIS page says there is no grace period for the revised edition. Separately, USCIS changed the I-485 filing location on October 7, 2026, and accepts forms sent to a prior location if postmarked on or before November 9, 2026.

What Guatemalan documents does an I-485 need?

A photocopy of your birth certificate from the civil authority of your country of birth; the I-485 instructions say USCIS only accepts a birth certificate that lists at least one parent. The State Department’s Guatemala page says to request birth certificates from RENAP and that both the front and back pages are required. Any document in Spanish needs a full English translation, and if either spouse was married before, you need evidence that each prior marriage legally ended.