Adjustment of Status Attorney in Dallas, TX
Get your green card without leaving the United States. We confirm you are eligible before anything is filed, then handle the I-485 through to the interview.
Adjustment of status means filing Form I-485 with USCIS from inside the U.S. instead of attending a visa interview abroad. Getting eligibility wrong is costly: a denied I-485 can leave an applicant out of status and, in the worst cases, in immigration court. We handle adjustment cases from our Dallas office for family- and marriage-based applicants in all 50 states, for a flat fee quoted in writing after a free 20-minute consultation, in English or Spanish.
Where You Are Now
When to call an adjustment of status lawyer
You married a U.S. citizen here
Spouses of U.S. citizens who entered lawfully can usually file the petition and the I-485 together and wait for the green card in the U.S.
Marriage green cardsYour visa expired or is about to
An overstay is forgiven for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, but not for most other categories. That one rule decides whether adjustment is open to you.
Adjustment vs. consular processingYour priority date is current
Preference-category applicants file the I-485 when the Visa Bulletin says a visa number is available, and the filing has to be ready when that month comes.
Priority dates explainedYou received an RFE or a notice of intent to deny
A request for evidence or an intent-to-deny notice gives a window to respond. What goes into that response often decides the case.
Why green card applications get deniedEligibility First
What we check before your I-485 is filed
The most valuable work in an adjustment case happens before filing. These are the questions that decide whether the application can be approved at all.
- Lawful entry: most family-based applicants must have been inspected and admitted or paroled. A visa entry, even one long overstayed, generally counts; a border crossing without inspection generally does not.
- A visa number available now: immediate relatives of U.S. citizens always have one; preference-category applicants wait for their priority date.
- Maintained status, for some: immediate relatives are forgiven overstays and unauthorized work; most preference-category applicants are not.
- Admissibility: criminal history, misrepresentation, certain health grounds, and prior removals can bar approval unless a waiver is available and filed.
- The 90-day question: applying soon after entering on a temporary visa can raise questions about the intent declared at entry. Timing and documentation need thought.
While You Wait
Work, travel, and the interview
With the I-485 you can request a work permit and advance parole, so you can work and travel while the case is pending. Until the work permit arrives, you can work only if you hold another valid authorization. Our guide on working while the I-485 is pending covers the details.
Most family-based applicants interview at the Dallas field office, where the officer reviews the whole file, including the relationship behind the petition. We prepare you for it; see what happens at the green card interview. Timelines change month to month, so check current processing times rather than planning around a fixed number.
For the full process step by step, read our I-485 guide.
The Process
How We Work Together
Free 20-minute consultation
We look at your entry, your history, and your family relationship, and tell you whether adjustment of status is open to you or whether consular processing is the safer path.
Eligibility and admissibility review
Entry documents, immigration history, and any criminal record are reviewed before anything is signed. This is where denied cases are prevented.
Flat-fee engagement
You get the fee in writing for the defined scope before any work starts. No hourly billing.
Filing the I-485 package
The I-485 with the affidavit of support, the medical exam, and the evidence, filed with the petition when a visa number is available, plus the work permit and advance parole requests.
Biometrics, RFEs, and interview
We answer any request for evidence and prepare you for the interview at the Dallas field office, through to the decision.
Every case has a dedicated paralegal with a same-business-day response policy, and attorney Jordan Weinberg reviews every filing. You upload documents and follow the case in the Atlas Vision client portal.
Common Questions
Adjustment of Status FAQs
What does an adjustment of status attorney do?
An adjustment of status attorney confirms that you can get your green card from inside the United States, screens your history for anything that could block approval, prepares the I-485 package with the affidavit of support, medical exam, work permit, and travel document requests, answers any request for evidence, and prepares you for the interview at the Dallas field office.
Who qualifies for adjustment of status?
Most family-based applicants need a lawful entry with inspection, an approved or concurrently filed petition, and a visa number that is available now. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouses, parents, and unmarried children under 21) always have a visa number available and are forgiven an overstay or unauthorized work; most preference-category applicants are not.
Can I apply for adjustment of status if I overstayed my visa?
Often yes, if you are the spouse, parent, or unmarried under-21 child of a U.S. citizen and your original entry was lawful. Most other categories are not forgiven an overstay, so this is the eligibility question to settle before anything is filed.
Can I work and travel while my I-485 is pending?
You can apply for a work permit and for advance parole together with the I-485. Do not leave the United States without advance parole: leaving with a pending I-485 and no travel document is generally treated as abandoning the application.
What happens if an I-485 is denied?
It depends on the reason. Some denials can be fixed by refiling or by a motion to reopen or reconsider; others leave the applicant without status, and USCIS can refer the case to immigration court. That is why eligibility screening before filing matters more than any other step.
How much does an adjustment of status lawyer cost?
We quote a flat fee in writing for the defined scope after a free 20-minute consultation, so you know the full attorney cost before you commit. USCIS filing fees are separate and are listed on each form’s USCIS page.
Guides & Resources
Green Cards guides from our attorneys
Removing Conditions on a Green Card: How Form I-751 Works
A marriage-based green card issued in the first two years of marriage is conditional. Form I-751 removes the condition — and the timing, the evidence, and the waivers all have rules.
September 4, 20269 min read
Advance Parole and Form I-131: Traveling While Your Green Card Is Pending
Leaving the country with a green card application pending can cancel the application. Advance parole is the permission that prevents that — and Form I-131 is how you ask for it.
September 4, 20268 min read
Green Card for Parents: The IR-5 Process, Step by Step
How U.S. citizens sponsor their parents for green cards — the IR-5 category, the I-130, and the choice between adjusting status in the U.S. and consular processing abroad.
August 21, 20267 min read
Ready to file from inside the U.S.?
Bring your entry documents to a free consultation and find out whether adjustment of status is your path before you spend anything on filings.