Renew your work permit with a pending adjustment of status

What C09 means on your work permit

C09, or (c)(9), is the code for the category under which USCIS granted your work permit: it is for people with a pending adjustment of status, Form I-485. It is printed on your EAD card, on the “Category” line. It is different from C08, which is for a pending asylum application with Form I-589.

What your card says reflects the moment it was issued: your situation may have changed since then. SettleWise does not decide your eligibility or interpret your case; if you're not sure, consult authorized legal help before filing.

• How much it costs to renew in (c)(9) with the USCIS fee table and its conditions.
• Which documents to gather based on your category and filing channel.
• When to renew estimate your reference date from your card's expiration date.
• Free review of the I-765 you already filled out, before you file it.
• Guided preparation in (c)(9) step by step, with guidance alongside each question.

What to have on hand

This is a starting point for preparing your information, not the complete list of what is filed with USCIS. That list is set by the current official instructions.

• Both sides of your previous EAD: it shows the category, the A-Number and the expiration date.
• The receipt notice for your Form I-485, or other evidence that the adjustment is still pending, if you file separately.
• Your current mailing address, the one you use to reliably receive mail from USCIS.

How to get started

1. Check that the “Category” line on your previous EAD says C09.
2. Keep your I-485 receipt notice, or the evidence that it is still pending, close at hand.
3. Open your case file, answer the information you have and review what is left to correct before filing.

What the official sources ask for

• The instructions say to file the I-765 together with Form I-485 or, if filed separately, to include a copy of the I-485 receipt notice or other evidence that it is still pending.
• For this route, the instructions state that the copies of Form I-94, passport or travel document from Item 3.A are not required.
• The category is entered in Item Number 27 of the form, in Part 2.

What not to confuse

• The instructions warn that asylees or refugees adjusting status file under (a)(5) or (a)(3), not under (c)(9).
• We do not carry over to (c)(9) any timeline or requirement specific to asylum: they are different categories.
• The list USCIS publishes for (c)(9) is optional, dated 04/01/2024, and does not replace what the current form says: it includes the current mailing address, completed sections, signature and date, the correct fee if applicable, Form G-28 if you have a representative, proof of the pending I-485, certified translations, proof of identity and photographs.

If your case is based on a pending asylum application, the category that usually applies is (c)(8), with its own instructions. USCIS decides. (c)(8)

Situations that need the official source or legal help

• If your I-485 was filed with an immigration court (EOIR), the instructions ask you to show that the proceeding is ongoing, that the I-485 was properly filed with the court and that it is still pending.
• Within (c)(9) there is a separate situation for physicians with a National Interest Waiver, which requires evidence of significant progress toward their obligation.

To find someone who can help you, USCIS maintains its own page of authorized legal services. authorized legal services

What SettleWise checks on this route today

The checks we run are the same for (c)(8) and (c)(9): empty required fields, impossible or future dates, the format of the A-Number, answers marked “I don't know,” information taken from a document that is still unconfirmed, consistency of the category you declared, and the form edition based on your filing date and channel. We do not check whether your I-485 is still pending or whether your evidence is sufficient, and we do not apply any asylum-specific wait to this route.