Application for Status as a Temporary Resident Under Section 245A of the Immigration and Nationality Act

[I-687, Application for Status as a Temporary Resident Under Section 245A of the INA]

IMPORTANT: Information on this site may be outdated. For up-to-date instructions and filing fees check always with the USCIS site:
http://www.uscis.gov/forms

Purpose of Form :

This form was designed for use during the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) section 245A legalization program of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act which ended in 1988. The form will now be used to apply to USCIS for benefits under the terms and conditions of certain settlement agreements.

Number of Pages :

14

Edition Date :

10/26/05. Prior versions acceptable.

Where to File :

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
P.O. Box 805876
Chicago, IL 60680-4120

Filing Fee :

$255.00

Special Instructions :

Note on Filing Fee :

$120.00 for each application for a minor child, with a $630.00 family cap fee for a family.

A $70.00 per applicant over 14 years of age fee for biometrics may be required.

Note on Where to File :

If you are sending the application via any other means:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
427 S. LaSalle, 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60605-1029

Download I-687 (498KB PDF)

Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
OMB No. 1615-0090; Expires 03/31/07
I-687, Application for Status as a Temporary Resident Under Section 245A of the INA

Instructions

NOTE: Please carefully read all the instructions. The fee will not be refunded.

What Is the Purpose of This Form?

The original version of Form I-687 was designed for use during the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) section 245A legalization program of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act which ended in 1988. The form will now be used to apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for benefits pursuant to the terms and conditions of certain settlement agreements.

NOTE: USCIS is comprised of offices of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).

1. Preparation of Application.

A separate application for each applicant must be typed or printed legibly in black ink. The application must be completed in full. If extra space is needed to answer any item, attach a continuation sheet(s) and indicate the item number.

If you send this application via the U. S. Postal Service,
mail it to the following address:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
P.O. Box 805876
Chicago, IL 60680-4120

If you send this application through any other means,
mail it to the following address:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
427 S. LaSalle, 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60605-1029

If you do not sign your application or if you fail to submit the appropriate fee according to the instructions below, we will return your form. If your application is returned, no further action will be taken. You would then need to resubmit your application properly to renew processing.

2. Eligibility.

An alien may be eligible for Temporary Resident status if:

A. He or she can establish that he or she entered the United States before January 1, 1982, and that he or she has resided continuously in the United States in an unlawful status since such date and through the date the application is considered filed pursuant to the settlement agreements (in the case of an alien who entered the United States as a nonimmigrant before January 1, 1982, the alien must establish that the alien’s period of authorized stay as a nonimmigrant expired before such date through the passage of time or the alien’s unlawful status was known to the government as of such date) and

B.He or she can establish that he or she has been continuously physically present in the United States since November 6, 1986 and through the date the application is considered filed pursuant to the settlement agreements.

3. Admissible as an Immigrant.

The alien must establish that he or she:

A. Is admissible to the United States as an immigrant, except as otherwise provided under INA section 245A (d)(2).

B. Has not been convicted of any felony or of three or more misdemeanors committed in the United States;

C. Has not assisted in the persecution of any person or persons on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political
opinion; and

D. Is registered or registering under the Military Selective Service Act, if the alien is required to be so registered under the Act.

4. Documents to Establish Identity.

You must submit proof of identity with your application. The following are examples of the types of documents that may serve to establish your identity:

A. Birth certificate, baptismal certificate or other evidence of birth;

B. National identification card from your country of origin;

C. Passport;

D. Driver’s license;

E. Identification card issued by a school or your State of residence.

F. Military identification.

5. Admissibility.

An applicant for temporary resident status pursuant to section 245A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) must establish that he or she is admissible under section 212(a) of the INA. In determining the admissibility of an applicant, the provisions of sections 212(a)(6)(A) and 212(a)(7) of the INA shall not apply to applicants for adjustment of status as a lawful temporary or permanent resident under section 245A of the INA.

The following grounds of inadmissibility may not be waived by the Secretary of Homeland Security:

(i) Section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) (crimes involving moral turpitude);

(ii) Section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(II) (crimes involving controlled substances, except for so much of such paragraph as relates to a single offense of simple possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana);

(iii) Section 2312(a)(2)(B) (multiple criminal convictions);

(iv) Section 212(a)(2)(C) (controlled substance traffickers);

(v) Section 212(a)(3) (security and related grounds); and

(vi) Section 212(a)(4) (public charge). Except this prohibition does not apply to an alien who is or was an aged, blind or disabled individual (as defined in section 1614(a)(1) of the Social Security Act. An alien is not ineligible for adjustment of status due to being inadmissible under section 212(a)(4) if the alien demonstrates a history of employment in the United States evidencing self-support without receipt of public cash assistance. Special adjudication standards regarding public charge contained in any settlement agreements apply.

All other grounds of inadmissibility may be waived by the Secretary of Homeland Security. In order to seek such a waiver, you must submit a Form I-690, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Excludability.

6. Documents to Establish Residence.

Documents that may be submitted to prove continuity of residence include but are not limited to:

a. Leases, rent receipts or deeds or other evidence of a mortgage;

b. Birth certificates of children; born in the United States;

c. Employment, union or other business records;

d. Driver’s license receipts or evidence of vehicle registrations;

e. Utility bill receipts;

f. Installment loan records;

g. Church records, medical records;

h. Affidavits or declarations from third parties.

If you submit letters from landlords, the correspondence must include the landlord’s present address and the beginning and ending dates of your residence. Letters from employers, organizations or churches should be on official stationery and include relevant dates, the organization seal (if any) and the signer’s name and title.

To evaluate the sufficiency of the applicant’s proof of residence, USCIS will take into account the passage of time and attendant difficulties in obtaining corroborative documentation of unlawful residence.

7. Additional Sheets.

If you do not have enough space to answer any particular question on this form attach additional sheets and on each sheet indicate your Name, Date of Birth, A-number (if available) and Social Security number (if available) and indicate the number of the question to which you are replying.

8. Copies.

If these instructions tell you to submit a copy of a particular document, you should send a copy. If there are stamps, remarks, notations, etc., on the back of the original document(s), please also provide a copy of the back of the document(s).
If you choose to send an original document, you should also send a copy and USCIS will return the original to you. If you do not provide a copy along with the original, USCIS will attach the original document to your petition and it will not be returned to you.

There are times when USCIS must request an original copy of a document. In that case, the original is generally returned after it has been reviewed. If you are asked to submit an original document, make a copy for yourself and keep it in a safe place. For your personal records, we advise you to keep copies of the petition and all of the documents you submit to USCIS.

However, if you are interviewed, the original documents must be presented whenever possible at that time except for the following: official government records; employment or employment related records maintained by employers, unions or collective bargaining organizations; medical records; school records maintained by a school or school board; or other records maintained by a party other than the applicant.

Copies of these records must be endorsed as true and correct and must bear the signature and title of persons authorized to act in their behalf. All certified copies of documents become the property of USCIS. At the discretion of a USCIS District Director, original documents, even if accompanied by certified copies, may be temporarily retained.

9. Foreign Language Documents.

Any document in a foreign language must be accompanied by an English translation. The translator must certify that he or she is competent to translate the foreign language into English and that the translation is accurate.

10. Interview.

You may be required to be present for a personal interview by a USCIS officer.

11. Biometric Services for Applicant’s

Fingerprints, Photograph and Signature.

If you are between the ages of 14 and 79 years, you must be fingerprinted as part of the USCIS biometric services requirements. Biometric services may also include the taking of your photograph and signature. After you have filed this application, USCIS will notify you in writing on Form I-797, Notice of Action, to call our National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 to schedule your biometric services appointment at a USCIS Application Support Center in your area. If you fail to appear for the biometric services appointment, your application may be denied.

12. What Is the Fee?

The fee is $255.00 (two hundred and fifty-five dollars) for each application. The fee must be submitted when you submit your application to USCIS.

If USCIS needs to take your fingerprints, photograph or signature, you must also pay a biometric services fee of $70.00 (seventy dollars).

Do not send cash. The fee must be submitted in the exact amount. The fee cannot be refunded, regardless of the action taken on the application. A separate check or money order must be submitted for each application.

The check or money order should be made payable to the Department of Homeland Security.

When preparing your check or money order, spell out Department of Homeland Security. Do not use the initials “USDHS” or “DHS.”

How to Check If the Fee Is Correct.

The fee on this form is current as of the edition date appearing in the lower right corner of this page. However, because USCIS fees change periodically, you can verify if the fee is correct by following one of the steps below:

  • Visit our website at www.uscis.gov and scroll down to “Forms and E-Filing” to check the appropriate fee, or
  • Review the Fee Schedule included in your form package, if you called us to request the form, or
  • Telephone our National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 and ask for the fee information.

NOTE: If your petition or application requires a biometric services fee for USCIS to take your fingerprints, photograph or signature, use the same procedure above to confirm the biometrics fee.

13. Employment Authorization.

Applicants seeking employment authorization must mail Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, to the appropriate address noted in these Instructions on Page 1, Number 1. Provide the $180.00 fee with the Form I-765 application.

An applicant previously issued a CSS or LULAC/Newman employment authorization document may file a Form I-765 one time without a fee. Such Form I-765 must be submitted together with Form I-687 and worksheet. Subsequent Forms I-765 must be submitted with fee.

14. Penalties for False Statements.

Whoever files an application for adjustment of status under Section 245A of the Act and who knowingly and willfully falsifies, misrepresents, conceals or covers up a material fact or makes any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations, or makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry will be subject to criminal prosecution and/or removal.

15. Our Authority for Collecting This Information.

The authority to prescribe this form is contained in the “Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.” The information is necessary to determine whether a person is eligible for the immigration benefit sought. Information on race is requested in question Number 13 of the form for statistical purposes only. You do not have to give this information. All other questions must be answered. Failure to do so may result in the denial of your application.

16. Confidentiality.

The information provided in this application is confidential and may only be used as provided in INA Section 245A(c) (5). The information provided is subject to verification by USCIS.

17. USCIS Forms and Information.

To order USCIS forms, call our toll-free number at 1-800-870-3676. You can also get USCIS forms and information on immigration laws, regulations and procedures by telephoning our National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 or visiting our internet website at www.uscis.gov.

18. Use InfoPass for Appointments.

As an alternative to waiting in line for assistance at your local USCIS office, you can now schedule an appointment through our internet-based system, InfoPass. To access the system, visit our website at www.uscis.gov. Use the InfoPass appointment scheduler and follow the screen prompts to set up your appointment. InfoPass generates an electronic appointment notice that appears on the screen. Print the notice and take it with you to your appointment. The notice gives the time and date of your appointment, along with the address of the USCIS office.

19. Paperwork Reduction Act Notice.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor an information collection and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. We try to create forms and instructions that are accurate, can easily be understood and that impose the least possible burden on you to provide us with information. Often this is difficult because some immigration laws are very complex.

The estimated average time to complete and file this application is as follows: (1) 20 minutes to learn about the law and form; (2) 20 minutes to complete the form; and (3) 30 minutes to assemble and file the application; for a total estimated average time of 1 hour and 10 minutes per application.

If you have comments regarding the accuracy of this estimate, or suggestions for making this form simpler, you may write to: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Regulatory Management Division, 111 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20529; OMB No. 1615-0090. Do not mail your completed application to this address.