Updated November 7, 2026

I-485 Supplement J: Confirming Your Job Offer for an Employment Green Card

Form I-485 Supplement J confirms that the job offered in your Form I-140 petition is still valid. You also use it to request to change to a new job in the same or a similar occupation under INA section 204(j) once your Form I-485 has been pending for 180 days or more, according to the USCIS Supplement J instructions.

You do not need to file it when you submit Form I-485 and Form I-140 at the same time, or if you are applying under an EB-1A Extraordinary Ability or EB-2 National Interest Waiver petition, and both you and your employer must complete and sign their parts of the 8-page form.

What Form I-485 Supplement J confirms

Form I-485 Supplement J (Confirmation of Valid Job Offer or Request for Job Portability Under INA Section 204(j)) replaces the traditional job offer letter for employment-based green card applicants adjusting status in the United States. USCIS has required the form since January 17, 2017 for employment-based categories that need a job offer.

When you file Supplement J, you check one of two boxes in Part 1. Box 1a confirms that the original job offered in the Form I-140 petition supporting your Form I-485 is still a valid, permanent, full-time offer that you intend to accept once your green card is approved. Box 1b requests job portability under INA section 204(j), enacted by the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act of 2000 (AC21), to move your green card application to a new full-time, permanent job offer in the same or a similar occupational classification.

The USCIS Supplement J instructions note that adjustment of status under a Form I-140 is based on prospective (future) permanent employment upon approval of your Form I-485, not whether you work for that employer right now. When USCIS adjudicates Supplement J, it does not decide whether you hold current work authorization with the employer.

Individuals seeking or granted a National Interest Waiver (EB-2 NIW) or classification as an alien of extraordinary ability (EB-1A) are exempt when filing Form I-485 or changing jobs because those categories are not tied to a specific job offer. Derivative family members (spouses and unmarried children under 21) also do not file Supplement J. If you are applying through investment rather than a Form I-140, see our guide to <a href="/eb5-visa-requirements">EB-5 visa requirements</a>. Here is how Supplement J applies across EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 categories:

• EB-1B Outstanding Professor or Researcher and EB-1C Multinational Executive or Manager: Supplement J required (unless filing I-485 concurrently with I-140).
• EB-2 with a PERM labor certification: Supplement J required (unless filing I-485 concurrently with I-140).
• EB-3 Skilled Worker, Professional, or Other Worker: Supplement J required (unless filing I-485 concurrently with I-140). For how long each step takes, see our <a href="/eb3-visa-processing-time">EB-3 visa processing time</a> guide.
• EB-1A Extraordinary Ability and EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW): Exempt from Supplement J.

When USCIS requires Supplement J

USCIS sets out four situations where you must submit Supplement J:

1. Filing Form I-485 separately from Form I-140. If you file Form I-485 concurrently with the Form I-140 that names you as the principal beneficiary, you do not file Supplement J. If you file Form I-485 separately based on a previously filed Form I-140, the USCIS Supplement J webpage says you must file Supplement J with your initial I-485. The PDF form instructions state that you submit Supplement J with your initial I-485 unless you are filing at the same time as Form I-140, while the Form I-140 is still pending, or if your I-485 was filed before January 17, 2017.

2. Responding to an RFE or NOID. USCIS may send a Request for Evidence (RFE) or a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) before final processing of your Form I-485 to confirm that the job in your Form I-140 or in a previously filed Supplement J is still available. USCIS also sends a NOID if your petitioner withdraws the Form I-140 or goes out of business, giving you the chance to respond with a Supplement J if you qualify for portability.

3. Requesting job portability under INA 204(j) (AC21). If you change jobs, change employers, or move to self-employment, you file Supplement J to port your underlying Form I-140 to the new permanent job offer. You can only file for portability after your properly filed Form I-485 has been pending for 180 days or more since the receipt date. If you file Supplement J for portability before 180 days, USCIS will reject it.

4. Requesting a transfer of underlying basis (interfiling). If you ask in writing to transfer your pending Form I-485 to a different employment-based category based on a previously filed and approved Form I-140, you must submit a completed Supplement J with your written transfer request. If you are transferring your I-485 to a Form I-140 that is still pending or being newly filed, you do not submit Supplement J.

When to file Form I-485 Supplement J by scenario (USCIS guidance)

Changing jobs under AC21 (INA 204(j)), the 180-day clock, and I-140 withdrawals

Under INA 204(j) and the USCIS Policy Manual (Volume 7, Part E, Chapter 5), EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 adjustment applicants can change jobs or employers without a new PERM labor certification or a new Form I-140, while keeping their original priority date, if they meet five requirements:

• You are the principal beneficiary of an approved Form I-140, or a pending Form I-140 that was valid when filed and is ultimately approved.
• The Form I-140 is in the EB-1, EB-2, or EB-3 preference category.
• Your properly filed Form I-485 has been pending with USCIS for 180 days or more from the receipt date when USCIS receives your portability request. Counting begins on the day you properly filed Form I-485 and includes every subsequent calendar day until USCIS receives your request to port, so long as the application remains unadjudicated. An immigrant visa does not need to remain continuously available for the 180 days to accrue, but requesting to transfer the underlying basis of your Form I-485 to a different employment-based category based on a new Form I-140 resets the adjudication clock for portability (Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 8), meaning you cannot use portability until 180 days or more after making the transfer request.
• Your new permanent, full-time job offer is in the same or a similar occupational classification as the job in the Form I-140 (with the same employer, a new employer, or legitimate self-employment).
• You and the employer submit a completed Form I-485 Supplement J. If your Form I-140 is still pending when your I-485 reaches 180 days, USCIS will verify that the pending Form I-140 was valid and approvable when filed and remained approvable until the I-485 was pending 180 days, and it must approve the Form I-140 before approving your Supplement J. If the petitioner withdraws the Form I-140 or closes before 180 days of I-140 approval and before your I-485 has been pending for 180 calendar days, portability does not apply and USCIS automatically revokes an approved I-140 (or denies a pending I-140 and I-485). Once your Form I-140 has been approved for at least 180 days, or your associated Form I-485 has been pending for at least 180 days, a withdrawal request or business termination will not cause USCIS to revoke the approved Form I-140, and it remains valid for priority date retention and INA 204(j) portability.

How USCIS evaluates 'same or similar' occupations and SOC codes

Under 8 CFR 245.25(b) and the USCIS Policy Manual, 'same occupational classification' means an occupation that resembles in every relevant respect the occupation in the underlying petition. 'Similar occupational classification' means an occupation that shares essential qualities or has a marked resemblance or likeness with the occupation in the underlying petition.

Officers do not simply match numbers in the Department of Labor (DOL) Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. They evaluate the totality of the circumstances under a preponderance of the evidence standard, using the DOL Occupational Outlook Handbook, O*NET, and the SOC system:

A six-digit SOC code has four levels. In the Policy Manual's example for Web Developers (15-1254), the first two digits (15) show the major group (Computer and Mathematical Occupations), the third digit (1) shows the minor group (Computer Occupations), the fourth and fifth digits (25) show the broad occupation (15-1250, Software and Web Developers, Programmers, and Testers), and the sixth digit (4) shows the detailed occupation (15-1254, Web Developers).

Officers generally treat your evidence favorably when all six digits match, or when two distinct detailed codes sit inside the same broad occupation, such as Computer Programmers (15-1251), Software Developers (15-1252), Software QA Analysts and Testers (15-1253), Web Developers (15-1254), and Web and Digital Interface Designers (15-1255) inside broad group 15-1250. However, matching broad digits does not guarantee similarity: the Policy Manual notes that Geographers (19-3092) and Political Scientists (19-3094) share broad code 19-3090, yet have very different duties and backgrounds. Conversely, roles in different broad or major groups can still qualify if the duties and skills align, such as a Personal Financial Advisor (13-2052) porting to an in-house Financial Analyst (13-2051), a Microbiologist (19-1022) porting to a Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologist (19-1042), or a role in Computer and Mathematical Occupations (15-0000) porting to Architecture and Engineering Occupations (17-0000).

For promotions into Management Occupations (Major Group 11-0000), USCIS treats the evidence favorably if you are primarily responsible for managing the same or similar functions as your original job or supervising workers in the same or similar classification. For example, a Software Developer (15-1152/15-1252) advancing to Computer and Information Systems Manager (11-3021) qualifies, whereas a Restaurant Cook (35-2014) moving to Food Service Manager (11-9051) generally does not unless the cook's original duties already included ordering supplies, setting menu prices, and planning menus. You can also port to a different geographic location, and differences in salary alone do not disqualify you, though you should explain any substantial discrepancy in wages. If USCIS decides the new job is not in the same or a similar occupational classification, it denies both Supplement J and Form I-485.

• DOL Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes on Form ETA-9089, Form I-140, and Supplement J.
• Job duties, titles, required skills, experience, education, training, and licenses or certifications.
• Offered wage or salary (and an explanation for any substantial discrepancy).
• Whether the change reflects lateral movement, career progression, or legitimate self-employment.

Who completes and signs each part of Form I-485 Supplement J

Form I-485 Supplement J (09/18/26 edition) is 8 pages long and has 10 parts. By our count from the 09/18/26 edition of Form I-485 Supplement J, the applicant is responsible for Parts 1 through 5 (23 numbered items if an interpreter and preparer are used), the employer is responsible for Parts 6 through 9 (38 numbered items), and Part 10 is shared overflow space. USCIS estimates the public reporting burden at 36 minutes per response.

Two items in Parts 6 and 7 frequently trigger an RFE if completed carelessly. First, in Part 6, Item 3, the employer must list the actual physical address where you will work if it differs from the employer's mailing address or the address on Form I-140. USCIS warns that using an attorney's address instead of the employer's physical address may result in an RFE, and notes that it may use the Validation Instrument for Business Enterprises (VIBE) to validate basic company information. Second, NAICS codes (Part 6, Item 12) and SOC codes (Part 7, Item 2) must be entered from left to right, one digit in each of the six boxes. If a NAICS code has fewer than six digits, add zeros in the remaining boxes on the right (such as 33466 entered as 334660, or 5133 entered as 513300).

Both the applicant (Part 3) and the individual employer or authorized signatory (Part 8) must sign in handwritten ink. USCIS rejects unsigned forms and will not accept a stamped or typewritten name in place of a signature, though it accepts a photocopied, faxed, or scanned copy of the original document containing the handwritten ink signature.

[PRACTICE_BOX]

Form I-485 Supplement J (09/18/26 edition) part-by-part breakdown

Checklist of documents, where to file, and your green card interview

Make sure the 09/18/26 edition date and page numbers (Pages 1 through 8) are visible at the bottom of every page, or USCIS may reject the form. The filing fee for Form I-485 Supplement J is $0 according to Form G-1055, Fee Schedule (10/26/26 edition), where fee-exempt forms list $0 and do not require Form I-912. According to the USCIS Supplement J webpage, you can also file Supplement J online when submitting Form I-485 online at the same time, or as a standalone form through your USCIS online account if your pending Form I-485 has a receipt number beginning with IOE (with no other forms except Form G-28, if applicable). Do not file Supplement J online if you are requesting to transfer the underlying basis of your Form I-485.

Once USCIS accepts your Supplement J, it issues a receipt number that you can track on Case Status Online, and notifies you of its decision in writing (though it does not send a separate written response to a transfer of underlying basis request). Before calling the USCIS Contact Center (800-375-5283) about a pending Supplement J, wait until the published Form I-485 processing time has passed if you filed Supplement J together with Form I-485, or wait at least 120 days from the date on your Supplement J receipt notice if you filed it to request job portability. Report any mailing or physical address change within 10 days at uscis.gov/addresschange (never to a USCIS Lockbox).

Under the USCIS Policy Manual (Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 5), all adjustment of status applicants must be interviewed by a USCIS officer unless the interview is waived by USCIS on a case-by-case basis. If you are requesting job portability under INA 204(j) after your Form I-485 has been pending for 180 days or more, you can submit your completed Form I-485 Supplement J and supporting evidence in person with the local USCIS field office at the time of your <a href="/i-485-interview">I-485 interview</a>. During an adjustment interview, the USCIS officer verifies that you understood the questions on the application and gives you an opportunity to revise any answers completed incorrectly or that have changed since filing, requiring you to re-sign and date the application at the conclusion of the interview if information is added or revised.

• Portability supporting evidence: Submit a copy of your Form I-797 receipt notice showing Form I-485 has been pending 180 days or more, a copy of your Form I-797 approval or receipt notice for Form I-140 (or secondary evidence/receipt numbers in Part 2), and evidence from you and your employer showing the new job is in the same or a similar occupational classification.
• Mailing with Form I-485 (without I-140) or standalone for 180-day portability: Mail to the direct filing address for your Form I-485 (the USCIS Lockbox in Dallas/Lewisville, Phoenix/Tempe, or Chicago, based on where you live). USCIS changed Form I-485 filing locations on October 7, 2026, with a 30-day grace period for prior locations postmarked on or before November 9, 2026.
• Mailing in response to an RFE or NOID: Mail to the exact address listed on the RFE or NOID notice.
• Filing at your interview: Hand your portability Supplement J and supporting evidence directly to the local USCIS field office at your adjustment interview.
• Mailing a request to transfer the underlying basis to a previously approved Form I-140: Mail only your written transfer request and completed Supplement J (no other forms or evidence) via USPS to USCIS, Attn: Supp J, PO Box 660834, Dallas, TX 75266-0834, or via FedEx, UPS, and DHL to USCIS, Attn: Supp J (Box 660834), 2501 S. State Hwy. 121 Business, Suite 400, Lewisville, TX 75067-8003.

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This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or any government agency.