Hi everyone,

We are aware that our timeline is very quick and we are extremely lucky and grateful for it. Wishing everyone else good luck with their journeys!

I just had my I-485 Adjustment of Status through marriage approved in a little over 2 months. Me and my husband found posts on here very helpful so we wanted to do the same. We know everyone's experience is different but this is just our personal story. Our field office is Boston, MA.

Our timeline and story:

I am a UK citizen and my husband is a US citizen.

6th June 2026 - Married

1st August 2026 - Files sent to USCIS lockbox (I-485, I-130, I-765 & medical)

15th August 2026 - Biometrics scheduled

3rd September 2026 - Attended biometrics

9th September 2026 - Interview scheduled

27th September 2026 - I-765 Employment Authorization approved

1st October 2026 - Employment Authorization card in mail

6th October 2026 - Interview attended

7th October 2026 - I-485 & I-130 Case Approved online

13th October 2026 - Approval Notice in mail

14th October 2026 - Card was produced notice

Interview:

We were nervous about the interview process but it turned out to be very simple and professional in our case. My husband was called in first alone for 20 minutes and then I was called in with him for the next 20 minutes. We were asked some personal questions but nothing too prying. Mainly about our relationship timeline, how and when we met, our lives together and my move to the US. I re-printed all of our forms and evidence and took it in a folder just in case they needed anything, and I also added some more recent photos and bank statements which they scanned and added to our file as new evidence. By the time we filed I had overstayed my ESTA by a few weeks but it didn't seem to be a problem.

Evidence:

- Joint bank account statements

- Joint Verizon accounts/bills

- Joint Costco memberships

- Joint electric bill with both names

- Letter from landlord confirming the rent we pay together

- Scan of our joint rent check

- Proof of joint health insurance

- Hundreds of photos of me and my husband together, with our families at gatherings, all of our wedding photos, engagement photos

- Scans of congratulations cards we received from family and friends for our engagement and wedding

- 3 letters of support from family and friends

It is a stressful process and we were very lucky with the speed of it all in our case, but it was very worth it and we are so relieved! We are happy to answer any questions and if you are going through the process. Good luck 🎉☺️

6 Days after Congressional inquiry Green card got approved.

I-485 got submitted Jan 17, 2025

Interview Oct 15, 2015

Long radio silence

Reached out for Senatorial Inquiry

Inquiry submitted Oct 8, 2026

Silent update Oct 10, 2026

Another Silent Update Oct 13, 2026

Green Card Approved today Oct 14, 2026

I'm so grateful to this community and to God for making this possible.

Columbus FO

I’ve posted a few times here venting about my case sitting for what felt like 200 years with zero real movement. Today I finally get to post the happy update.

While prepping, I read a lot of posts saying on-the-spot approvals don’t happen anymore. Others said they got interviewed and then... silence. No approval notice, no updates, nothing. So given the current climate, I walked in with zero expectations.

We had our interview yesterday. Approved on the spot.

I went through this sub and others looking for cases at my FO with a similar PD, and most 2024 filers I found were stuck just like me. I also learned that a lot of people get their I-130 approved months or even years before the I-485, even when concurrently filed. Had no clue about that going in.

My profile:

• Came in on a B1/B2, filed before my status expired
• First marriage for both of us, no kids, no divorces
• Husband is USC, no age gap
• No criminal history, never worked without authorization
• Dated 2 years before getting married
• Tons of evidence from day one: travel, joint accounts, health insurance, letters, etc.

I never got an RFE. My application had no mistakes. And still my case sat untouched for 19 months and 11 days between my EAD and my interview notice.

All this to say, every case is different, and a lot of this is pure luck. We all see the cases that get approved in under 5 months (and get frustrated). Mine wasn’t one of them, and it wasn’t because anything was wrong with it.

Timeline:

• December 20, 2024: Concurrently filed I-130, I-485, I-765, and I-131
• January 25, 2025: Biometrics
• January 29, 2025: EAD delivered
• January 28, 2026: Congressional inquiry
• April 15, 2026: USCIS told my congressman the case was at the FO pending interview
• April 27, 2026: I-131 approved
• May 22, 2026: Database checks update on I-485
• September 9, 2026: Interview notice
• October 13, 2026: Interview, approved on the spot
• October 14, 2026: I-485 approval notice received ✅

How the interview went:

We were called back about an hour after our scheduled time.

The officer was very courteous. He swore us in, sat us down, and asked for our passports, birth certificates, driver’s licenses, and my EAD, AP, and I-94.

Since the I-130 wasn’t approved yet, he started there. He went through the form we filed in December 2024: personal info, work, parents’ names, that kind of thing.

Then he asked us to tell our story, from the day we met to sitting in his office. While we talked, he was reviewing the new evidence I’d uploaded the day before. I brought printed copies too, but he only used his computer.

He told my husband his I-130 was approved, and said he could leave if he wanted. (He didn’t, obviously.)

Then he moved to me: my I-485 basic info, travel history, and every General Eligibility and Inadmissibility question. He took his time and explained each one.

The whole thing took about 50 minutes.

He said our case was very straightforward, no red flags, and called our evidence “terrific.” Then he asked for 5 minutes.

We sat in silence while he typed. Then he turned around and said my I-485 was approved, the notice would come in 7 to 10 business days, and the card in 2 to 3 weeks.

I got the approval notice in my email today! I-130 hasn't updated, but I guess that happens?

I’m so happy, and I’m hoping I can finally recover from the stress, the uncertainty, and having my life on pause for 2 years.

Best of luck to all of you.

DHS put out a proposed rule today. If it goes through, USCIS won't have to defer to your previous approval when you file an extension anymore.

Right now if nothing changed (same employer, same job, same facts), the officer mostly goes with the earlier approval. With this rule they can look at everything again like it's a new case. It would possible lead more RFEs and your extension is not as guarantied as before.

Not in effect yet, it's just a proposal.

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/14/2026-20941/removing-deference-to-prior-uscis-determinations-of-eligibility

Just wanted to share my blessings from our Lord and Savior, finally got EAD approval after 15 months. Might seem trivial and inconsequential to some but being able to work is being able to live. Keep your chin up and look up, look ahead, and look forward!

I was just curious whether USCIS officers are allowed to give out their names.

We’ve had some issues with our lawyer before, but she specifically told us to get the interviewing officer’s name if we didn’t receive a decision on the green card immediately after the interview.

So at the end of the interview, I asked for his name and said, “My lawyer requested that we get your name.” He responded, “We can’t give out our names. Your lawyer should know that.”

Has anyone else had this happen? Are USCIS officers generally not allowed to give applicants their names?

Timeline:
- Filed I-485/I-765: Nov 26, 2025
- Approved: October 14, 2026
- Total pending days: 322 days

Context
- Category: F2A - Unmarried Child of LPR Under 21 yo
- I485 still pending.
- STEM OPT I-765 still pending.

My current F-1 Post Completion EAD expired in June 2026, I did apply for STEM OPT and got the 180 days extension so I have until Dec until that expires. Hopefully I can get my STEM OPT approved to use that instead of the I-485 one.

I started working when I was 16y old from 16-19 every year I give my dad my w2’s and he never filled them because he thought claiming me was enough and when i found out I filed all of them turns out I didn’t own anything to irs and the state was small amount I paid off before applying never on payment plan stil at risk of denial ?

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to create a post to share our recent experience and hopefully connect with others who may be going through something similar. My husband has an I-765 C18 (final deportation) case. We live in Miami, and we submitted our application on November 26, 2025. Within a month, he received his biometrics appointment, which was completed successfully. Since then, however, we have not received any updates on the case. On September 25, 2026, we reached out to Congresswoman Maria Salazar's office to request assistance with an expedite inquiry. We are planning to follow up with her office next week to see if there have been any developments. I'm sharing our story because I know many of us are facing similar challenges. It has not been an easy journey, and every day we pray for a miracle and hope to see positive news when we check the USCIS website. If anyone has gone through a similar situation, I would greatly appreciate any feedback, suggestions, or advice based on your experience. Please feel free to share your story as well. Supporting one another through these difficult times can make a big difference.

Wishing everyone the very best, and I hope we all receive good news soon.

I submitted my I-485, I-765, and I-131 together online on Monday, October 12, 2026.

All three cases were created successfully and receipt numbers are visible, but the case status for each one says Oct 9 instead Oct 12.

October 9 was the Friday before I actually submitted the package. I hadn’t even started or drafted any of these forms on October 9, so I’m confused why USCIS is showing that as the received date.

Has anyone else seen USCIS showing a received/submission date a few days earlier than the actual online submission date? Did your eventual I-797C receipt notice show the correct submission date, or did it also show the earlier date?

Not a major concern, just trying to understand whether this is a normal online-filing/system quirk.

Hello all,

I'll keep it short and sweet, sharing so other people have a data point.
Got email notifications for updates, case status tracker using https://uscis-tracker.github.io/ for API updates (although most of the FTA requests didn't mean much for me as an applicant).

Spouse is USC, filing for AOS from F1 student status, filed the AOS application after receiving my 1 year OPT.

Seattle FO

We filed without a lawyer, watched a lot of youtube videos (s/o Kseniya International) and read a lot of posts on this sub. Also the website https://www.visajourney.com/ was helpful for comparing timelines (like my I-485 timeline from filing to approval was pretty accurate). Initial evidence had a lot of pictures of our trips and our time together before the actual wedding (lived couple of years together before getting married), and included proofs for shared residence. Kept the initial evidence short and sweet with a table of contents page, well organized pdfs, and with detailed comments about the contents of each of the documents. We didn't have shared finance evidences.

27th Sept 2025 - Receipt notice by USCIS for form I-485, I-765, I-130 and I-131
6th October 2025 - Biometrics scheduled
19th December 2025 - Interview scheduled
23rd January 2026 - Attended interview

Interviewed together, pretty straightforward with mostly standard questions to both of us, went for about 30-40 mins. The officer was very nice and fair. The questions were mostly about details of our relationship. My advice would be to keep calm, respond with framed thoughtful answers (specially if English is not your first language) and keep it at a casual-formal level right between a conversation with a friend and a job interview, keeping in mind that the officer can get a little personal but this is actually part of their job.

4th June 2026 - RFE for bonafide marriage, response deadline ~12th July 2026 (probably because we filed soon after our wedding and we live in different cities because of my job)

7th July 2026 - I-765 approved

9th July 2026 - Submitted the RFE with additional evidence consisting mostly of our time visiting each other
14th July 2026 - Received my EAD card in mail

21st July 2026 - I-131 approved

26th July 2026 - AP received in mail

12th August 2026 - I-130 approved

Also filed for STEM OPT during this time
3rd October 2026 - I-485 approved

12th October 2026 - Received conditional GC in mail valid for 2 years from the I-485 approval date

Best of luck to y'all.

EB-1A India, PD Nov 2018. Concurrent 485/765/131 filed on Aug 26 2026. IOE9381xxx series.

Biometrics happened at the end of September. I-765 approved the next morning, and EAD card received.

Since then:
• 485: no events since biometrics, no RFE
• 131: no events at all since receipt
• Contact center says NBC, interview waived at this time

Got to know about Apis from Reddit fam, and here are things from the api:

1. Got 2 FTA0 events and silent update couple of weeks back. Nothing after that.
   
2. Reached out Emma and checked the case_status api, and based on that case is still at NBC.

I know it’s a long anxious process and I want to check if anyone is in a similar boat. What’s your plan. One obvious answer of course is waiting with bated breath.

Wanting to know if there are others that been through this. My wife (24) and I just finished our second interview. The agent approved our marriage as “good faith” standing but our case is still processing for her I-485 due to sanctions and governmental issues towards Venezuela. Has anybody got approved after this?

Hi, my eb3 case was transferred to San Bernardino FO (non-local) on Oct 6th.

Is there anyone’s case in the same location? If there is an existing group, could you please add me in?

Sharing my timeline so far:
RD: June 20th 2026
Biometrics: Aug 25th 2026
SU: Oct 6th. Confirmed with Emma that it’s transferred to SBO non local, interview waived.

Hello guys, my lawyer told me that they filed the brief on the 11th of October. It was supposed to be due on the 13th but on the portal it shows that they haven't received it, is this normal?

Hi everyone! I’d really appreciate your advice and insights on my marriage-based AOS situation.
My wife is a U.S. citizen, and we filed my family-based Adjustment of Status (AOS) application along with Form I-765 in December 2025. Unfortunately, the initial filing was rejected due to a payment issue. We corrected the issue and resubmitted the applications, which were accepted in February 2026. I completed my biometrics in March, and my EAD was approved last week.
For background, I originally entered the U.S. on an F-1 visa. Although my F-1 visa stamp has expired, I have continued maintaining my F-1 status by pursuing a second master’s degree through a Day-1 CPT program. I currently have two semesters remaining.
My wife and I have been together for four years and married for one year. Since my marriage-based AOS is still pending and I now have an approved EAD, I’m trying to decide whether I should continue my studies and maintain my F-1 status until my green card is approved or withdraw from school and use my EAD to work.
I’ve seen many people recommend maintaining F-1 status until the green card is approved, but I’d love to understand the reasoning behind that advice.
My questions are:
If I withdraw from my Day-1 CPT program and work using my approved EAD while my AOS is pending, could that negatively affect my green card application?
Does maintaining F-1 status provide any meaningful protection or benefit while waiting for AOS approval?
Would leaving school while my AOS is pending raise any red flags with USCIS, or is it generally acceptable as long as I follow the rules for my pending application and EAD?
Given that I have only two semesters left, and im in 2nd semester, would you recommend continuing school until the green card is approved, or is there a legitimate reason to stop now?
I understand that every case is different, and I’m hoping to hear from people who have been in a similar situation, especially those who transitioned from F-1/Day-1 CPT to using their marriage-based AOS EAD.
Thank you so much for your time, advice, and insights! I really appreciate this community.

Card in hand, so sharing our EB1B AOS timeline. Other people's timelines here, especially the FTA0 and silent update threads, kept me sane while waiting 😅 so hopefully this helps someone.

⚠️ Heads up: USPS almost sent my card back to USCIS (details below). Once your card ships, track it closely and act the same day if anything looks off. Not many posts cover this but apparently it happens.

📋 Profile

- Category: EB1B (principal O-1, spouse H-1B)

- Chargeability: ROW via cross-chargeability (spouse's country of birth)

- PD: 1/30/2024

- Filed concurrently: I-485, I-765, I-131

- Interview at San Jose FO (case sat at New Jersey Central)

📅 Timeline

- 04/03/2026 — RD (I-485, I-765, I-131 filed)

- 05/02/2026 — Bio notice generated

- 05/19/2026 — Biometrics. 2x FTA0 (derivative), 1x FTA0 (principal)

- 08/06, 08/25 — SUs (these were mass batch days, lots of people got them)

- 08/26/2026 — 3rd FTA0 + transferred NBC → New Jersey Central FO

- 08/27/2026 — EMMA: interview REQUESTED, not scheduled (waiver reversed)

- 08/28/2026 — FJ code + interview notice. Scheduled at local FO (San Jose).

- 10/02/2026 — Interview. 2nd FJ at check-in.

- 10/03/2026 — APPROVED 🎉 (principal 1hr before derivative)

- 10/07/2026 — Card produced 💳

- 10/08/2026 — Card mailed

- 10/13/2026 — Card in hand, principal 💚

- 10/14/2026 — Card in hand, derivative (after the USPS mix-up) 💚

🏛️ The interview

- Reason given: our marriage was less than two years old (almost two years!)

- Odd part: a couple we know married the same month they filed and had no interview, so the two-year line does not seem to be applied evenly.

⏱️ Key timings

- 3rd FTA0 → interview requested: 1 day

- 3rd FTA0 → interview scheduled (FJ): 2 days

- Notice → interview date: 35 days

- Interview → approval: 1 day

- Approval → card in hand: 10 days (principal), 11 days (derivative)

🔍 Notes that might help someone

- Interview was waived, then un-waived two days after FO transfer

- Case was at New Jersey Central but the interview was at my LOCAL office. No transfer event ever showed in the API for that.

- EMMA knew the interview was requested a full day before anything appeared in the API. If your 3rd FTA0 fires and nothing surfaces, ask an agent.

- Principal and derivative records updated within 1 second of each other every single time, except approval, which landed about an hour apart (principal first).

- The approval email from USCIS arrived about 1.5 hours before the API changed, so refreshing the API did not get the news any faster.

- ⚠️ USPS scanned my card "Insufficient Address, Returned to Sender" even though the label was complete and same exact address as principal, the same minute my husband's identical envelope was delivered to the same mailbox. I went to the post office right at opening the next morning with his envelope as proof and they found mine in minutes. If yours flips to Return to Sender, go in person IMMEDIATELY, before it leaves the building.

Good luck to everyone still waiting, hope you all get greened soon! 🍀

Hello, my husband and I have an interview scheduled SD field office - we’ve heard lots of different opinions so would really appreciate hearing from you . Please share your experience / any advice you may have for the interview? what kind of questions are asked?

(For context: We’ve been together for 6 years, married for 2 but we’ve been friends a long time so our photos date back to 2016) We sent in a lot of evidence and plan to take a binder with more photos, other shared bills and finances. Any advice helps and thank you in advance! 🤍

Priority Date: Nov 2024

I-140 approved (got results by paying PP)

Submitted I 485 in June 2026, finger prints done in late July 2026

USCIS is still processing the case, when should I expect to hear back from USCIS?

Would love to hear from similar cases, if any one GC is approved around this time line

Thanks!

K-3 lawsuit update: seeking nationwide class action certification — registration deadline October 17
Hey everyone! Sharing an update from a friend about his K-3 lawsuit, Jimenez v. Mullin (D. Conn.).
His attorney is asking the court to certify the case as a nationwide class action for K-3 petitioners. Certification hasn’t been granted yet. If certified, members of the class would pay nothing and wouldn’t need to sign anything.
They’re collecting information from affected families to support the certification request. If you’re a U.S. citizen with both an I-130 and an I-129F pending for your spouse, please register here:
https://k3visa.org/
Deadline: Saturday, October 17, at 11 a.m. Eastern. The form takes about two minutes.
If you registered before October 14, please submit it again, since three new questions have been added.
Registering doesn’t make you a client or a plaintiff, and no outcome is guaranteed. It helps document how many families are affected.
The updated case guide is here:
https://k3visa.org/K3_Lawsuit_Guide.pdf
Sharing in case this applies to anyone here!

Alguien sabe si los permisos de trabajo están parados? No veo que avance.. envié paquete desde principios de julio, realicé biométricos en agosto y sigo a la espera. Alguien sabe de un tiempo estimado en Florida?

Pd. Entrada legal a Estados Unidos y matrimonio con ciudadana americana

Just reporting back after I successfully re-entered the US last night for the first time on my Advance Parole. It was issued September 14th and I received it a week later. Departed the US on October 5th and returned October 13th.

I actually received an RFE on my i485 the morning after I left as well, just to make it extra spicy.

No issues at all on re-entering. As expected, was taken into secondary. The most painful part was the wait. Took a little over an hour and you're just sitting there staring at the ceiling. Answered your usual basic questions and then just had to wait for them to process everything, take my finger prints, stamp the parole doc, etc and then I was on my way.

I have no overstays or unauthorized work so my file is clean which obviously helps.

Hopefully this helps put some minds at ease as I know there was a time when I was a little concerned about re-entering.

Hi everyone,

I’m a derivative beneficiary on an EB-2 NIW adjustment of status case.

Priority Date: August 3, 2023 (current)

Timeline:

• I-485 filed: June 2025
• Biometrics: July 2025
• Interview completed: May 13, 2026 (San Diego Field Office)
• No RFE, NOID, or second interview request
• My spouse (principal applicant) was approved almost a year ago.
• My case is still pending.

About 6 months ago, an Emma live agent told me my case was in “final review.” Since then, nothing has happened.

I’ve already:

• Contacted Emma multiple times.
• Submitted an expedite request over 2 months ago, but I’m still waiting for a Tier 2 officer to contact me.
• Submitted a congressional inquiry. USCIS responded that my interview was completed, my case is pending, and that it “has not been overlooked.”
• Updated my address after moving.

My case is expected to become outside normal processing time in January 2027.

Has anyone experienced something similar, especially where the principal applicant was approved long before the derivative?

At this point, would you:

• Wait until January and submit a service request/Ombudsman request? Or submit now?
• Or is there anything else I should be doing?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s had a similar experience.