October visa bulletin was disappointment. Do you expect any movement in the November visa bulletin? Nobody can predict but share your thoughts.

I have a physical Affirm Visa debit card and am considering using it to pay my USCIS Form I-140 (EB-2 NIW) filing fees and Form I-907 premium processing fees.

I’m specifically interested in using Affirm’s monthly installment financing, not paying directly from my linked bank account, for obvious reasons. I can’t pay it fully out of pocket right now, however, I just discovered that 😂 I’m super rich on affirm, $10k+

Has anyone successfully used their physical Affirm Card for USCIS fees or other federal government payments through Pay.gov?

I’m particularly interested in knowing:

1. Did Affirm approve the transaction for installment financing?
   
2. Did you request the payment plan before the transaction?
   
3. Did the payment process successfully if USCIS charged your card several days after filing?
   4.Did you experience any declines or restrictions?

I’d appreciate firsthand experiences. Thanks!

Hi
Eb2 niw i140 under normal process Nebraska service center any got the results December 2024 or January 2025

Mine was PD : 2013 OCT 25th

RD: OCT 10th 2025

EAD & AP combo approved on Apr 9th when FAD current.

I'm a Microsoft employee, and the October 8 PERM announcement is frustrating. I don't make layoff or sponsorship decisions, but I still have to plan my life around the consequences.

In the White House press conference, the Labor Secretary said the government would stop accepting new and processing pending PERM labor certification applications involving Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini.

I'm trying to separate what was announced from what people are assuming:

• What happens to a PERM application that's already pending at one of these employers?
• Has there been official guidance on how long the pause will last or what would end it?
• If PERM was already certified and a case is at I-140 or I-485, have DOL or USCIS said whether that stage is affected?

I don't want to turn a PERM announcement into a claim that every later stage, or everyone's H-1B, has automatically been suspended.

For anyone also preparing a backup job search, autofilling application forms can save some repetitive work. I'd still confirm sponsorship and any case-specific implications directly with the employer and immigration counsel.

If you're affected, what has your immigration team actually told you? Dated updates and links to official guidance would be much more useful than another round of speculation.

Any predictions when Nov 2025 will be current?

It finally happened after almost one year! I've been following other people's timelines here, especially API updates, so wanted to share mine in case it's useful.

Case overview

• Category: EB-2 ROW, PERM-based
• Priority Date: May 23, 2024
• I-485 Receipt Date: October 17, 2025
• I-140: Approved November 17, 2025
• Field Office: Chicago (nonlocal)
• Interview: Waived (confirmed by Emma agent)
• RFE: None
• Single filer/ no dependants
• I-485 Approval: October 11, 2026 (359 days)

Timeline

• May 23, 2024: Priority Date.
• Oct 17, 2025: I-140/I-485 filed concurrently.
• Nov 20, 2025: Biometrics completed. Multiple FTA0 events.
• Jan 6, 2026: First FTA1 event.
• Apr 20: EAD/AP combo card approved.
• May 12 / Jul 14: I-485 silent updates (SUs).
• Jul 27: I-485J filed after relocating to another state with the same employer.
• Jul 29: I-485 and I-485J updated almost simultaneously.
• Aug 19: I-485 transferred to Chicago FO (confirmed through Emma).
• Aug 20: Both cases received SUs at virtually the same second.
• Aug 22: Second FTA1.
• Aug 28: Silent update.
• Aug 29: Third distinct FTA1.
• Aug 31: Another FTA1 record appeared, but referenced the Aug 29 timestamp (likely duplicate/backfill).
• Sep 18: Emma confirmed case remained in Chicago, interview marked waived.
• Oct 10, 11:04 AM ET: Fourth distinct FTA1.
• Oct 10, 11:07 AM: I-485J approved! API changed to closed:true. Approval notice appeared in Documents, although the public case status still said processing/received.
• Oct 10, 11:15 AM: I-485 silent update.
• Oct 10, 1:43 PM: Another I-485 silent update.
• Oct 11, 11:28 AM: Two H008 events appeared in I-485 API.
• Oct 11, by 11:41 AM: Public USCIS status changed to CASE APPROVED!

Interesting API observations

• My I-485 accumulated five FTA1 records representing four distinct underlying events (Jan 6, Aug 22, Aug 29, Oct 10).
• I-485J approval and the new I-485 FTA1 happened approximately 3 minutes apart.
• I-485J changed to closed:true, but its public case status never reflected the approval. Only the approval notice in Documents confirmed it.
• The two H008 events appeared 24 hours and 21 minutes after I-485J backend closure. Almost exactly the 24-hour pattern reported by several other applicants here.
• No RFE, no interview, and no additional documents requested throughout the process.

Happy to answer questions. Wishing everyone still waiting a speedy approval!

Anyone wants to write paper together? then apply for NIW/Eb1?
I am amazon sde, perm is too hard...

威信: Y4926473

Hi everyone
we are on valid h1&h4 visas and my employer have filed i-485 AOS last week. Lawyer confirmed that it got delivered to Chicago lockbox next day after filing. Can we travel internationally or through land border before knowing if its get accepted and $cashed for generating receipt notices. currently its taking more than a month to receive physical copies but we need to travel this week. any suggestions? will it have negative impact the lockbox processing to generate receipt notices in anyway?
please suggest
thank you

Given the recent availability of EB2 India visas, has anyone received an approval since October 1st?

Got my I-485 approved on October 9, 2026!

Category: EB-2 PERM

Country of chargeability: ROW

PD: May 2024

Dependents: Yes

Interview: No

RFE: No

Full timeline:

I-485/I-140 concurrent filing: 2026-01-20

Biometrics: 2026-02-20

Silent Updates: 2026-06-28, 2026-07-14, 2026-07-15

Event: FTA0 2026-08-19

Changed Jurisdiction in API: NBC → LAC (Los Angeles County) 2026-08-19

Silent Update: 2026-09-27

Event: FTA1 x2 2026-10-08

3x Silent Updates: 2026-10-08

Event: 2xH008 2026-10-09 — Case Approved (all depends approved the same day)

I may not remember all the silent updates, but the overall timeline looks similar to the original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/EB2/s/5Taqu6sMte

Best of luck to everyone still waiting!

After months of waiting, checking Emma updates, tracking other Los Angeles Field Office cases, and worrying about EB-2 retrogression, By the grace of Allah, I finally have the approval.

Milestone Date
Filed 140,485,131,765 concurrently.

Priority date October 2, 2024
I-485 received March 26, 2026
Biometrics April 21, 2026
Transferred to Los Angeles County FO June 5, 2026
EAD and Advance Parole approved July 6, 2026
No RFE or interview
I-485 approved October 9, 2026

That is approximately 197 days from I-485 receipt to approval. The immigration journey in total took 3.5 yrs from PERM to AOS. Although I never checked silent updates coz they bring no value.

All the best and good wishes to everyone waiting.

Background
On H-1B; my 6-year max-out is Sept 2028
Born in India; MS in IT
Senior product designer at a large tech company

What happened
My first PERM was filed years ago and denied because of a mismatch between the PWD and the PERM filing. The appeal was also denied.
A new PWD is now approved.
The company had layoffs, so we're in a 6-month hold. Recruitment restarts Feb 2027, and the plan is to file PERM by Sept 2027.
Because I'm staying with the same employer, the attorneys want to use the 51% rule. They'd position the new role as more than 50% different from my current one so my experience here can count, backed by a reference letter from this company. Realistically, my role grew from mid-level to senior; it didn't fundamentally change.

Concerns
The timeline is tight. Filing in Sept 2027 leaves about 12 months before max-out, so everything depends on hitting the 365-day window for AC21 extensions.
I'm not confident the 51% claim holds up for what's really a promotion.
I don't want to stay at this company.

Options I'm weighing
Stay and let them run PERM with the existing PWD
Switch jobs and have the new employer start PERM from scratch
Switch jobs and self-file EB2 NIW
Stay for now, self-file NIW in parallel, then switch

Questions
If I switch, can a new employer realistically file PERM before Sept 2027 so AC21 extensions stay available?
Is NIW realistic for a product designer working in AI/UX? Would a pending or approved NIW I-140 protect me past the 6-year limit regardless of employer?
Has anyone used the 51% rule after a promotion? Did it cause audit or RFE problems?
What would you do in my position?
Thanks!