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Before you can know what gets a package sent back, you have to know what goes inside it. Here is what USCIS publishes about which forms travel together, sentence by sentence.
This screen quotes and does not recommend, and USCIS wrote the reason.
USCIS lists “advise you about which forms to file” as something a REPRESENTATIVE does — the first item of its own list — and then says that anyone outside those categories may help fill out forms but may not give legal advice. That is exactly this product’s cut: helping with the filling, yes; choosing the form, no. Which is why everything below is a quotation with its page and its date, and never a recommendation.
A representative is allowed to:
Advise you about which forms to file for an immigration benefit and when to file them;
Give you advice about the correct documents and evidence to submit;
Explain the immigration options you may have;
Help you fill out USCIS forms;
Receive certain correspondence on your behalf (if they have a U.S. business address);
Accompany you to USCIS interviews and other appointments; and
Communicate with USCIS about your case.Individuals who do not fit any of the above categories may be able to give you limited help filling out USCIS forms, but they cannot represent you or give you legal advice.The verb is USCIS’s: an imperative, or the word “must”. None of these sentences says whose form it is; they are about what accompanies a form somebody is already filing.
I-765I-485
Row (c)(9) of the I-765’s “When to File” table. It is the only sentence on that page putting the I-765 and the I-485 in one envelope, and it also names what to send when they go separately. Watch the verb: here USCIS writes “File”, an imperative, while other rows of the same table say “You may file”.
File Form I-765 together with Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, or if filing separately, submit a copy of your I-485 receipt notice or other evidence to show that your Form I-485 is pending.I-485I-693
The alert at the top of the I-485 page, unconditional: when you file the I-485 you must also submit the I-693, and the civil surgeon hands it over signed and in a sealed envelope.
When you file Form I-485, you must also submit Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. A civil surgeon is responsible for providing you with a completed Form I-693 that is signed and placed in a sealed envelope.I-485I-693
The same page, further down, says the same thing conditionally: “if you are required to submit Form I-693”. One version is absolute and the other is not. Both are here because USCIS publishes both, and reconciling them would be inventing a third.
If you are required to submit Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, or a partial Form I-693 (such as the Vaccination Record), you must submit it with your Form I-485. Otherwise, we may reject your Form I-485.I-485I-693
And for the paper envelope USCIS is explicit: the I-693 goes inside the I-485 package, in the civil surgeon’s original sealed envelope. It is the only sentence on that page describing a physical envelope inside the envelope.
If you file Form I-485 by mail, there are no changes to the Form I-693 submission process. You must submit Form I-693 with your Form I-485 application package, in the original sealed envelope provided by the civil surgeon.I-130I-130A
When the I-130 is for a spouse, USCIS says the I-130A goes with it.
If you submit a petition for your spouse, you must also submit Form I-130A, Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary.I-130
And a separate I-130 for each child, when a U.S. citizen petitions for a spouse and they share children.
If you are a U.S. Citizen petitioning for your spouse, you must also submit a separate Form I-130 for each child if you and your spouse share biological children, stepchildren, or adopted children.I-130
With a paperwork condition that gets forgotten: each child’s I-130 carries a photocopy of the receipt notice for the spouse’s I-130.
When you submit Form I-130 for each child, you must include a photocopy of your receipt notice for the Form I-130 you filed for your spouse.I-130I-485
The fact that changes the whole envelope: the ADDRESS the I-130 is mailed to depends on whether it travels with the I-485. The sentence carries a USCIS typo — “will be filing filed” — and is left as printed, because a corrected quotation is no longer a quotation.
The filing location for your Form I-130 depends on where you live and if the Form I-130 will be filing filed with your alien relative’s Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, at the same time (this is called “concurrent filing”).I-485G-28
Where there is a representative, the G-28 goes with the I-485 — and USCIS adds that it may also be handed in on the day of the interview. A detail from the same page: USCIS spells the G-28’s title two different ways, “Notice of Entry or Appearance as Attorney or Representative” here and “Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative” in its online-filing list.
You may be represented, at no expense to the U.S. government, by an attorney or other authorized representative. Your representative must submit Form G-28, Notice of Entry or Appearance as Attorney or Representative, with your Form I-485. Your representative may also submit Form G-28 at the time of your interview.I-765I-20I-539
Row (c)(6): the I-765 with a DSO-endorsed copy of the I-20 and, if applicable, alongside the I-539. The same sentence sets a deadline: no more than 90 days before the program end date.
File Form I-765 with a copy of the Form I-20 endorsed by the DSO certifying eligibility for employment together with Form I-539, Application to Change/Extend Nonimmigrant Status, if applicable, completed according to the Form I-539 Instructions. We must receive the completed forms before, but not more than 90 days before, your program end date.I-821DI-765
The only multi-form packet the I-765 page enumerates as a list: I-821D, I-765, the I-765 Worksheet and the correct fees.
To be considered for DACA, you must submit:
Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals;
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization;
Form I-765 Worksheet; and
The correct fees.I-864I-864A
One I-864A for each household member whose income is used — with an exception USCIS writes into the same sentence.
If you are using the income of people in your household or dependents to qualify, a separate Form I-864A for each person whose income you will use. However, an intending immigrant whose income is being used must complete Form I-864A only if their spouse and/or children are immigrating with them.N-400I-912
Where there is a fee waiver, USCIS says to send no fee and to send the I-912 instead, with the documentation supporting it.
Do not submit a fee, and instead submit a properly completed Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, or written request, and documentation to support the fee waiver request.I-907
One I-907 per eligible form, not one per envelope. It sits on the mail-filing tips page.
If you are requesting premium processing service, submit only one Form I-907 for the associated, eligible form (such as Form I-140 or I-129).I-864I-485
The I-864 is completed by the sponsor and HANDED to somebody else: the immigrant files it, with their I-485 or their OF-230. The person who signed that form is not the person assembling the envelope.
Give the completed form and supporting documents to the immigrant you are sponsoring to file with their Form OF-230 or Form I-485.G-1650
Same shape for an ACH payment: the account holder completes and signs the G-1650 and gives it to the filer to travel in their envelope.
Any owner of a U.S. checking or savings account may pay for your benefit request. The account holder must complete Form G-1650, sign it, and give it to you to submit with your filing.G-1651
It is the only place in all of USCIS’s documentation where the three-form package a preparer actually assembles is named as one thing — and it appears in a payment table: a petition, an adjustment application and an employment-authorization application for the same applicant, paid by the same person, take ONE G-1651.
USCIS’s columns: For example, if you are filing … · Submit:
One petition, an adjustment of status application, and an application for employment authorization for the same applicant, all being paid by the same individual · One Form G-1651, signed by the payer requesting the exemption
Multiple N-400 applications for different family members with different payers · Only 1 Form G-1651 for each payer requesting an exemption We only need 1 Form G-1651 for each payer, even if they are paying for more than 1 application. However, you should send separate paper-based payments for each application. Make sure the payer who is seeking an exemption completes and signs Form G-1651.Here USCIS writes “may” or “can”. One of them also states outright that filing them separately is a choice — and what to attach when you make it.
I-485I-765I-131
The I-485’s whole passage about the I-765 and the I-131. Three paragraphs, and the third is the one that matters: USCIS acknowledges in writing that NOT filing them together is a choice, and says what to attach then — a copy of the I-797C, the I-485 receipt. It is the only one of these sentences where USCIS names the alternative and its consequence.
If you filed Form I-485 on or after July 30, 2007, and before April 1, 2024, and paid the required fee, you do not have to pay an additional fee to also file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, or Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records. However, if you file Form I-485 after April 1, 2024, you must pay additional fees to file Form I-765 and Form I-131, as listed on our Fee Schedule page. In either case, you may file these forms concurrently.
If you file Form I-131 concurrently with Form I-485 or while Form I-485 is pending and are requesting an advance parole document, select only item 5. A. in Part 1 of Form I-131. You do not need to provide a receipt number for your Form I-485 in the space provided for a receipt number if you are filing the Form I-131 concurrently with the Form I-485.
If you choose not to file Form I-765 and/or Form I-131 concurrently with your Form I-485, then you must submit a copy of your Form I-797C, Notice of Action, also known as your receipt, as evidence that you filed Form I-485 when you file Form I-765 and/or Form I-131.I-131I-485
The only sentence on the entire I-131 page about filing it alongside another form. And it is conditioned on the online PDF-upload channel.
This USCIS sentence is about the online channel. It says nothing about a paper envelope, which is what this module is about.
If you are filing Form I-485 online using PDF upload, you can file Form I-131 concurrently with your Form I-485 application package.I-485G-28I-130I-131I-140I-693I-765I-864
USCIS’s enumerated list of what can ride with the I-485 online. Its own next sentence closes it: “All other Forms I-485 must be filed by mail.” It is a statement about the online channel, not about an envelope.
This USCIS sentence is about the online channel. It says nothing about a paper envelope, which is what this module is about.
The following forms can now be submitted with Form I-485 when filing online using PDF upload:
Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative (if you have an attorney or accredited representative or if you are filing as an attorney or accredited representative)
Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records
Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers
Form I-485 Supplement A, Adjustment of Status Under Section 245(i)
Form I-485 Supplement J, Confirmation of Valid Job Offer or Request for Job Portability Under INA Section 204(j)
Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
All other Forms I-485 must be filed by mail.I-765I-539
A single sentence — and the I-539 page prints it twice.
You may file Form I-765 with Form I-539.I-765Form 918, Supplement A
Category (a)(20). USCIS writes “Form 918” without the “I-”, and so it is reproduced.
You may file Form I-765 at the same time as Form 918, Supplement A, Petition for Qualifying Family Member of U-1 Recipient, or you may file Form I-765 later.I-765I-881
Category (c)(10): the I-765 may travel with the I-881. Here the verb is “may”, not the imperative of row (c)(9).
If you are eligible to apply for NACARA 203 relief with USCIS, you may file Form I-765 together with your Form I-881, Application for Suspension of Deportation or Special Rule Cancellation of Removal (Under Section 203 of Public Law 105-100 (NACARA)).I-765I-539I-129
Category (c)(26): three forms at the same time. USCIS writes “H1-B”, not “H-1B”.
You may file Form I-765 at the same time as your Form I-539 and your H1-B spouse’s Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker.I-765
Category (c)(40). USCIS does not order: it “strongly encourages”. And it says what happens if they are not filed at the same time.
We strongly encourage you to file Form I-765 under category (c)(40) at the same time you file your application for T nonimmigrant status, to timely receive deferred action and employment authorization. If you do not file Form I-765 concurrently, we will issue a notice instructing you how to file a Form I-765 for employment authorization associated with a bona fide determination.Sentences where USCIS expressly asks that two sheets not travel together, with the consequence it publishes beside them.
I-765I-821D
The same pair of forms, in reverse: to replace a lost, stolen or damaged EAD, USCIS asks that the I-821D NOT be in the envelope — and publishes the price of getting it wrong: the I-821D denied, with the $85 not refunded.
Do not file Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, with this Form I-765; if you submit Form I-821D when you are filing to replace a lost, stolen, or damaged EAD, we will deny your Form I-821D and we will not refund the $85 filing fee for Form I-821D.I-589
To add a dependent to a pending I-589, USCIS says not to file another I-589; one that reaches the lockbox is rejected and returned.
To add a dependent (spouse or unmarried child under the age of 21) to your pending Form I-589, you must mail your request to the Asylum Office where your case is located. Refer to Form I-589 instructions for information on what documents to submit with your request. Do not file an additional Form I-589. If you file an additional Form I-589 at the Lockbox, USCIS will reject and return your application.I-765I-955
Category (c)(37): USCIS names a form in order to say it is not needed when renewing the EAD.
You may file Form I-765 up to 180 days before your EAD expires. You do not need to file Form I-955 to reapply for Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) long-term resident status when you renew your EAD. You must continue to meet all eligibility requirements for the underlying CNMI long-term resident status to renew your EAD.The only instructions USCIS gives about where a sheet physically sits in the envelope. The three payment forms go on top; the G-1145 is clipped to the first page.
G-1450
The G-1450 goes on top of the application. It is an instruction about physical position, not a tip.
Complete Form G-1450 and place it on top of your application, petition, or request. Mail your application, petition, or request to the lockbox location listed in the “Where to File” section of the webpage for the form you are submitting.G-1650
The G-1650 goes on top of the benefit request and its supporting documents — and USCIS adds “mail them together”.
Complete Form G-1650 and place it on top of your benefit request and supporting documents. Mail them together to the filing location listed in the “Where to File” section of the webpage for the form you are submitting.G-1651
The G-1651 goes on top of the benefit request, along with the correct paper payment.
Complete Form G-1651 and place it on top of your completed benefit request, along with the correct fee payment (see Fee Schedule). Mail your benefit request to the filing location listed in the “Where to File” section of the webpage for the form you are submitting.G-1145
The G-1145 is neither loose nor in an order: USCIS says to CLIP it to the first page of the form. The same sentence appears on the I-485, I-765, I-131, I-130, I-751 and N-400 pages.
E-Notification: If you want to receive an e-mail or text message or both that we have accepted your form at a USCIS lockbox, complete Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, and clip it to the first page of your form.This is not a wording nuance: the two definitions cover different forms. Both are here, with their review dates, because picking one would publish a reconciliation USCIS has not.
The green-card side’s definition: the I-485 filed with the underlying immigrant petition, or while that petition is pending. The body of that page contains no “I-765”, no “I-131”, no “employment authorization” and no “advance parole”.
Reviewed by USCIS on Jun 19, 2024
Concurrent filing of Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, is when an adjustment of status application (Form I-485) is filed before the approval of the underlying immigrant visa petition. We will consider the immigrant visa petition and the Form I-485 concurrently filed when you file them at the same time and mail them together with all the required filing fees and supporting documentation to the same filing location. We also will consider them concurrently filed if you file the Form I-485 after the immigrant visa petition but while the immigrant visa petition remains pending.The forms side’s definition, on its own page dedicated to the subject: filing the I-765 with other forms “is called concurrent filing”. Same term, different scope.
Reviewed by USCIS on Mar 31, 2024
You can file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization with other forms. This is called concurrent filing. In other instances, you may need to wait to file Form I-765. For example, you would need to wait 150 days after filing for asylum if your asylum application remains pending. Always thoroughly read the instructions related to the benefit for which you are applying to determine whether you may need to wait before you can file for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).Each definition comes with the sentence that stops it becoming a general rule. Reading them together is what avoids the mistake.
The green-card page names exactly three companion forms, and all three are immigrant petitions: I-130, I-140 and I-360.
Reviewed by USCIS on Jun 19, 2024
For more information on whether you can file concurrently, refer to the instructions on your immigrant petition:
Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker
Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special ImmigrantAnd the forms page says up front that the I-765 cannot be filed with just any form, sending the reader to each form’s instructions.
Reviewed by USCIS on Mar 31, 2024
You cannot concurrently file Form I-765 with all USCIS forms. Please consult each form’s instructions to determine if you can file a Form I-765 with that form. We will update this page whenever we change the forms with which you may also file Form I-765.The same green-card definition, restated on the Adjustment of Status page — the most recently reviewed of the three.
Reviewed by USCIS on Jul 23, 2026
Most categories require you to have an approved immigrant petition before you can file a Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. However, some categories may allow you to file your Form I-485 at the same time that the immigrant petition is filed or while the immigrant petition is pending. This is called “concurrent filing.”An absence is worth exactly as much as its search, so each one names where it was looked for.
The I-131 page has no “When to File” section. Not an empty one: the capitalised word “When” does not occur once in the entire source of the page. There is nothing there we could have missed.
Searched in: I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records
The term “concurrent filing” is never applied to the I-131. USCIS does use the ADVERB — “filed concurrently with Form I-485” — and that is the word we use here. The noun, never.
Searched in: I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records · I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status · Concurrent Filing of Form I-485 · Filing Form I-765 with Other Forms
The search covered 26 uscis.gov pages and 3 official instruction PDFs.
There is no sentence on the I-485 page saying the I-864 travels with the I-485. The I-864 appears twice: in the online PDF-upload list and in “Related Links”. That is all.
Searched in: I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
And the main one: USCIS does not tell anybody which form to file. Thirty-five phrasings were searched for on the I-765 page — “you should file”, “which form”, “the correct form”, “determine which”, “which category”, “if you are unsure”, “consult”, “attorney” — and not one is there. The five sentences that sound prescriptive are about TIMING or EVIDENCE, or are conditioned on a basis the reader has already established.
Searched in: I-765, Application for Employment Authorization · I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status · I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records
The section that would say what goes with what is called “When to File”. Of the fourteen catalog forms checked, seven have one and seven do not. Anyone who has been sent to “the When to File section of the I-130” can stop looking.
| Form | “When to File” section | USCIS page |
|---|---|---|
| I-765 | Has one | I-765, Application for Employment Authorization |
| I-485 | Has one | I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status |
| I-539 | Has one | I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status |
| N-400 | Has one | N-400, Application for Naturalization |
| G-1650 | Has one | G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions |
| G-1651 | Has one | G-1651, Exemption for Paper Fee Payment |
| I-751 | Has one | I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence |
| I-131 | Does not exist | I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records |
| I-130 | Does not exist | I-130, Petition for Alien Relative |
| I-864 | Does not exist | I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA |
| I-589 | Does not exist | I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal |
| G-1450 | Does not exist | G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions |
| I-730 | Does not exist | I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition |
| N-600 | Does not exist | N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship |
And once it is assembled, what sends it back
The payment and assembly rules that make USCIS return the whole package, each with its own sentence.
Open “The envelope”