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Key Facts
- Federal level: Form G-325A is currently used for specified deferred-action requests, including initial and subsequent requests.
- Federal level: A spouse-based Form I-130 petition requires Form I-130A, rather than the old routine G-325A biographic supplement.
- Federal level: Employment authorization may be requested in Part 3 of G-325A, but it depends on a grant of deferred action and the applicable work-authorization requirements.
- Federal level: Form G-325R is a separate registration form and is not interchangeable with G-325A.
Form G-325A is still an active USCIS form, but its current purpose is deferred action. It is no longer the separate biographic form required with Form I-485, and the current spouse-petition process uses Form I-130A.
That distinction matters because the same form number appears in older marriage-based immigration checklists and in a different current process. The useful question is not simply whether G-325A exists, but which immigration request the form is supposed to support.
G-325A for a spouse: what the current forms require
When a petitioner files Form I-130 for a spouse, Form I-130A supplies supplemental information about the spouse beneficiary. It accompanies the spouse petition; it does not replace Form I-130 itself.
For adjustment of status, the current I-485 instructions expressly say that a separate G-325A is no longer required because I-485 collects the biographic information formerly collected on that form.
There is a different reason a spouse might encounter G-325A today: its deferred-action filing types include certain military-family requests. A family relationship used to support military deferred action is therefore distinct from the supplemental biographic information submitted with a spouse-based immigrant petition.
The broader federal immigration law guide provides context for these different processes.
What a deferred-action request actually asks USCIS to do
Deferred action is an exercise of enforcement discretion that gives a case lower priority for removal. The G-325A instructions describe protection for a specified period, subject to the Department of Homeland Security terminating deferred action. This is a request for that discretionary determination, not an application to become a permanent resident.
The instructions permit requests from people inside the United States, but exclude deferred action related to DACA, VAWA self-petitions, and A-3, G-5, T, and U nonimmigrant status. Those exclusions mean that G-325A is not a universal application for every program involving deferred action.
Part 2 distinguishes an initial request from a subsequent request and separately identifies the basis for the request. The listed filing types include labor investigations, specified military-family relationships, medical or humanitarian reasons, government referrals, and other requests. The form also lists special immigrant juvenile and statelessness categories, but the current filing page contains separate policy updates for those categories.
A checkbox is not a promise of approval: the request still asks for a favorable exercise of discretion supported by evidence. For categories with changing guidance, the current special instructions are an essential companion to the printed form.
The information and evidence serve different purposes
Part 1 collects identifying information and immigration-history details, including the most recent entry and an I-94 record when applicable. Part 2 then calls for a brief statement explaining why the request warrants deferred action.
For a labor-investigation request, the stated evidence includes a labor or employment agency Statement of Interest addressed to DHS and records showing that the worker falls within its scope. Pay stubs, timecards, W-2s, or other employment evidence can help establish the connection to the workers and period identified by the agency.
Military-family requests involve service records and evidence of the relevant family relationship, while a medical or humanitarian request calls for evidence supporting that particular basis. A government-referral request uses a supporting agency statement explaining the government interest in deferred action.
More than one filing type may be selected, with a supporting statement and evidence for each selected basis. These records do different jobs: identity documents identify the person, while the category-specific evidence explains the reason for requesting discretion.
Part 3 work authorization and the filing fee
G-325A allows a person to request employment authorization in Part 3 for consideration upon a grant of deferred action. When employment authorization is requested through that part of G-325A, the current filing instructions say not to submit a separate Form I-765 for the same request. If deferred action is not granted, the related employment-authorization request is not granted either.
The deferred-action employment category generally requires economic necessity, and Part 3 asks for annual income, annual expenses, and the current value of assets. The instructions contain a specific exception to the evidence-of-economic-necessity requirement for SIJ-based deferred action.
The current fee schedule lists a $0 charge for the initial or subsequent deferred-action request itself. For a Part 3 employment-authorization request, the listed paper-filing fee is $520 for the non-SIJ categories identified in the G-325A fee table, while SIJ-based requests are listed at $0. A person unable to pay an eligible employment-authorization fee may request a fee waiver using Form I-912, with evidence supporting the waiver.
The deferred-action request and the work-authorization request therefore have separate fee consequences, even when they are submitted on one form. Filing fees generally are not refundable merely because a request is denied.
Edition, delivery, signatures, and what can happen next
The G-325A filing page currently lists the 01/20/25 edition and directs paper filings to a lockbox based on where the requestor lives. The mailing table distinguishes Postal Service deliveries from FedEx, UPS, and DHL deliveries. An unsigned form or one without a valid signature can be rejected, and the instructions also require the appropriate interpreter and preparer sections when those people helped complete it.
Extra explanations can go in Part 8 or on an additional sheet identified by the relevant page, part, and item number, with the identifying information and signature required by the instructions. USCIS may require an interview or biometrics, including fingerprints, a photograph, or a signature, to verify identity and conduct checks. When an appointment is required, the notice gives its date, time, and location; missing a biometrics appointment can prevent the request from being granted.
The form is thus one part of a process that includes supporting evidence, any required appointment, and a discretionary decision. Its present use is best understood through that process, rather than through the old spouse-biography checklist.
Sources
- 8 CFR § 103.2 — Filing, signatures, evidence, and adjudication
- 8 CFR § 274a.12 — Deferred-action employment authorization
- USCIS — Current G-325A filing page and special instructions
- 8 CFR § 106.3 — Fee waivers and humanitarian exemptions
- USCIS — Instructions for Form G-325A
- USCIS — Form I-130 and spouse-beneficiary instructions
- USCIS — Current Form I-485 instructions
- 8 CFR § 264.1 — Registration forms, including G-325R
- USCIS — Current Form G-1055 fee schedule
- 8 CFR § 106.2 — Immigration benefit fees
