Form I-485 · Part 7, Items 1-3
I-485 Information About Your Children (Part 7, Items 1-3): Who to List in 2026
What Part 7, Items 1-3 collects about your children, who counts as a child, and what to write if you have none.
Quick answer
On Form I-485 Part 7, you list every living child you have. Item 1 is the total count, and Items 2 and 3 collect each child’s name, date of birth, country of birth, and relationship to you. "Children" here means all of them: biological, legally adopted, and current stepchildren, at any age, married or not, in the United States or abroad. If you have no children, the Instructions say to type or print "None." "You" is the immigrant spouse applying for the green card, so these are that spouse’s children, not the U.S. sponsor’s.
Summary
Form I-485 Part 7 is a complete list of your children, not a test of who qualifies for anything. You (the applicant) are the immigrant spouse, the person applying for the green card, so Part 7 is about your own children, not the children of the U.S. citizen or green card holder who filed the I-130 petition. Item 1 asks for the total number of all your living children of any age. Items 2 and 3 collect the details for Child 1 and Child 2, and if you have more than two children you continue in Part 14. The form counts every kind of child the same way: biological, legally adopted, and current stepchildren, whether they are adults, married, living abroad, or not immigrating with you. Listing a child here does not decide whether that child can get a green card through your case; it only tells USCIS who your children are.
| Whose children | The applicant’s own children. On a marriage case the applicant is the immigrant spouse (the person seeking the green card), so these are that spouse’s children, not the U.S. sponsor’s. |
| What Item 1 asks | The total number of ALL your living children anywhere in the world, including adult sons and daughters. |
| Who counts as a child | Per the form’s NOTE: all biological or legally adopted children, plus current stepchildren, of any age, born in the U.S. or abroad, married or unmarried, living with you or elsewhere, including missing children and those born outside of marriage. |
| If you have no children | The I-485 Instructions direct you to type or print “None” for a numeric answer of zero, using the example “How many children do you have.” |
| What each child needs (Items 2-3) | Current legal name, A-Number if any, date of birth, country of birth, the child’s relationship to you, and whether that child is also filing a separate Form I-485. |
| More than two children | Items 2 and 3 hold Child 1 and Child 2. List any additional children in Part 14, Additional Information. |
Who this page is for
This page covers listing your children on Part 7: who to include, how to describe the relationship, and what to write if you have none. It does not decide whether a child can get a green card through your case. If you need to know whether a stepchild or adopted child qualifies as your child for immigration, if a child is aging out and you are relying on the Child Status Protection Act, if an adoption was finalized after the child turned 16, or if paternity is contested, those turn on facts this page does not cover, and people in them often consult a licensed immigration attorney.
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What Part 7 looks like on the form
Part 7 (Information About Your Children) starts with the total count in Item 1, then gives Child 1 (Item 2) and Child 2 (Item 3) the same set of fields. The form’s own NOTE defines who counts as a child.
Verbatim · Part 7 field labels (Form I-485, edition 01/20/25, page 12)
Part 7. Information About Your Children
1. Indicate the total number of ALL living children anywhere in the world (including adult sons and daughters) that you have.
NOTE: The term "children" includes all biological or legally adopted children, as well as current stepchildren, of any age, whether born in the United States or other countries, married or unmarried, living with you or elsewhere and includes any missing children and those born to you outside of marriage.
Provide the following information for each of your children. If you have more than two children, use the space provided in Part 14. Additional Information.
2. Child 1 · 3. Child 2. Each child: Current Legal Name (Family Name, Given Name, Middle Name if applicable)
A-Number (if any) · Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy) · Country of Birth
What is your child’s relationship to you? (for example, biological child, stepchild, legally adopted child)
Is this child also applying now on a separate Form I-485? (Yes / No)
Verbatim · How To Complete Form I-485, Item 3 (Instructions, edition 01/20/25, page 5)
If your answer to a question which requires a numeric response is zero or none (for example, "How many children do you have" or "How many times have you departed the United States"), type or print "None," unless otherwise directed.
The I-485 Instructions do not walk through Part 7 item by item; the labels printed on the form itself are the controlling guidance, and the general completion rule above covers a zero answer. Always complete the current edition from uscis.gov/i-485; USCIS rejects outdated editions.
The fields in Part 7
Item 1 is a single count. Items 2 and 3 repeat the same fields for Child 1 and Child 2.
| Item | Field | What to enter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Total number of living children | The count of every living child you have, any age. If the answer is zero, the Instructions say to write “None” rather than leaving it blank. |
| 2 / 3 | Current Legal Name | Each child’s family name, given name, and middle name if they have one. Child 1 is Item 2; Child 2 is Item 3. |
| 2 / 3 | A-Number (if any) | The child’s Alien Registration Number if they have one. Many children do not, so leave it blank if there is none. |
| 2 / 3 | Date of Birth / Country of Birth | Date of birth in mm/dd/yyyy and the country where the child was born. |
| 2 / 3 | Relationship to you | A plain description, using the form’s own examples: biological child, stepchild, or legally adopted child. |
| 2 / 3 | Also applying on a separate Form I-485? | Yes if that child is filing their own I-485 now; No if they are not. This does not change whether you list the child. |
How to fill it in
Five steps that cover the count and each child.
Count every living child (Item 1)
Item 1 asks for the total number of all your living children anywhere in the world, including adult sons and daughters. Count biological, legally adopted, and current stepchildren the same way. A child who has died is not a living child, so they are not part of this count; a missing child is still living as far as the form is concerned and is counted.
If you have no children, write “None”
The I-485 Instructions say that when a numeric answer is zero, you type or print “None,” and they use “How many children do you have” as the example. Do not leave Item 1 blank.
Enter each child’s identity details (Items 2 and 3)
For Child 1 (Item 2) and Child 2 (Item 3), enter the current legal name, A-Number if the child has one, date of birth in mm/dd/yyyy, and country of birth. If you have more than two children, continue in Part 14, Additional Information, and label the entries with the page, part, and item.
Describe the relationship factually
The relationship field asks what the child’s relationship to you is, with the examples biological child, stepchild, or legally adopted child. Use the description that matches your family. This field records the relationship; it does not decide whether the child can immigrate.
Answer the separate-I-485 question
For each child, mark whether that child is also applying now on a separate Form I-485. Marking No does not remove the child from the list. You still list every child in Part 7 even if none of them are adjusting status with you.
Adult, married, step, adopted, and missing children
Part 7 is a census of your children, so the answer for most situations is simply to list the child and describe the relationship honestly. Adult children are listed; the form specifically includes adult sons and daughters. Married children are listed. Children who live abroad and are not immigrating are listed. Current stepchildren are listed, and so are legally adopted children and children born outside of marriage, because the form’s NOTE names all of them. A missing child is still counted and listed. The one common case that is not counted in Item 1 is a child who has died, because Item 1 asks for living children. Where a listing gets genuinely uncertain is not on the form at all: it is the separate legal question of whether a stepchild or adopted child qualifies as your “child” for a green card, which turns on when a marriage or adoption happened and on the child’s age.
When to talk to an immigration attorney
Listing a stepchild or adopted child on Part 7 is straightforward. Deciding whether that child qualifies as your child for a green card is not, and this page does not answer it. If a stepchild’s eligibility depends on when your marriage occurred, if an adoption was finalized after the child turned 16, if a child is aging out and you are relying on the Child Status Protection Act to hold their age, or if paternity is contested, those outcomes turn on your specific facts. Have a licensed immigration attorney review your situation before you rely on any child’s eligibility.
Find an immigration attorneyWhat USCIS does with your children’s information
Part 7 gives USCIS a full picture of your family so it can identify everyone connected to your case. Officers use the list to spot children who may be eligible to immigrate through you, to cross-check names and dates against your other filings and civil documents, and to flag any child who should have a separate application. The “Is this child also applying now on a separate Form I-485?” checkbox tells USCIS which listed children have their own case pending, so the files can be linked. None of this is a judgment about whether a particular child qualifies; the section is a factual record of who your children are.
Common mistakes
These are the ones that show up most often on this section.
- 1
Only listing children who live with you or in the U.S.
The form counts children whether they live with you or elsewhere and whether they were born in the United States or another country. A child living abroad who is not immigrating still goes on the list.
- 2
Leaving out adult or married children
Item 1 asks for ALL living children, including adult sons and daughters, and the NOTE says married or unmarried. Age and marital status do not remove a child from Part 7.
- 3
Leaving off stepchildren, adopted children, or children born outside marriage
The form’s NOTE names current stepchildren, legally adopted children, and children born to you outside of marriage. All of them belong in Part 7, described with the matching relationship.
- 4
Counting a child who has died
Item 1 asks for the number of living children. A child who has died is not counted here. A missing child, by contrast, is still counted and listed.
- 5
Treating the relationship field as an eligibility test
Writing “stepchild” or “legally adopted child” simply records the relationship. Whether that child qualifies to immigrate is a separate legal question that Part 7 does not ask and this page does not answer.
Not sure which children to list, or how to describe a stepchild?
Our software asks plain questions about your family and fills Part 7 the right way, keeping every child’s name and dates consistent across your I-485 packet.
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Frequently asked questions
Who counts as a “child” on I-485 Part 7?
Per the form’s NOTE, the term "children" includes all biological or legally adopted children, as well as current stepchildren, of any age, whether born in the United States or other countries, married or unmarried, living with you or elsewhere, and it includes any missing children and those born to you outside of marriage. You list all of them, and "you" is the immigrant spouse applying for the green card.
What do I write in Item 1 if I have no children?
The I-485 Instructions say that when a numeric answer is zero or none, you type or print "None," and they use "How many children do you have" as the example. So if you have no children, write "None" in Item 1 rather than leaving it blank or writing 0.
Do I list adult children or married children?
Yes. Item 1 asks for all living children including adult sons and daughters, and the NOTE says of any age and married or unmarried. Adult and married children are listed just like minor children.
Do I list my stepchildren and adopted children?
Yes. The NOTE names current stepchildren and legally adopted children, so both are listed in Part 7 and described in the relationship field. Listing them does not by itself decide whether they can immigrate through your case; a child’s eligibility can depend on when a marriage or adoption happened and on the child’s age, and those questions are for an immigration attorney.
What does “Is this child also applying now on a separate Form I-485?” mean?
It asks whether that child is filing their own adjustment of status application (their own Form I-485) at the same time. Mark Yes if the child has a separate I-485 pending now, or No if not. Either way, you still list the child in Part 7.
Key takeaways
- ✓
Part 7 is a complete list of your children, not a test of who qualifies. On a marriage case the applicant is the immigrant spouse, so these are that spouse’s children.
- ✓
Item 1 is the total number of all your living children of any age; if you have none, the Instructions say to write “None.”
- ✓
The NOTE counts biological, legally adopted, and current stepchildren, married or not, in the U.S. or abroad, plus missing children and those born outside marriage.
- ✓
A child who has died is not counted in Item 1; a missing child is.
- ✓
Whether a stepchild or adopted child qualifies to immigrate through your case can depend on CSPA age rules or when an adoption was finalized, and that is a question for an immigration attorney.
This page is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Green Card Genius is self-help immigration software, not a law firm, and does not provide legal representation. Immigration law and USCIS policy change frequently. For advice on a specific case, consult a licensed immigration attorney. Form I-485, edition 01/20/25. Last verified July 2026.
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