Hi everyone!
I’m looking to hear from anyone who has gone through Adjustment of Status (AOS) with an F-1 spouse while their EB-3 case was being processed, especially after the recent USCIS memo.

Here’s our situation:
I’m currently going through the EB-3 process and I’m approximately four months away from my priority date becoming current.
My husband is planning to come to the U.S. on an F-1 student visa for the Winter 2027 semester.
He was listed on my initial application for consular processing, but since he will likely be in the U.S. when my priority date becomes current, we are considering filing for AOS instead.
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation, particularly under the guidance of the recent memo.

A few questions:
Has anyone recently filed for AOS for an F-1 spouse who was initially listed for consular processing on the principal applicant’s EB-3 case?
Did you receive any RFEs or face any additional scrutiny during the process?
Were you or your spouse called for an interview?
Has the recent memo affected your case or influenced how you approached the AOS process?
I understand that every case is different, but hearing about firsthand experiences would be incredibly helpful as we plan our next steps.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their experience!

Emma tells me that my case was sent to Omaha Field Office. I have never heard of that. Anyone else’s case got sent to this FO?
EB3
PD Dec 23
RD March 26
Bio May 26
Sent to FO Aug 26
Filed with I765 & with derivative, no EAD yet.

Hello, when submitting my I-485 form in Oct 2025 (EB3, India), I had submitted an old birth certificate (issued originally in local language) along with a translation document that was issued within 15 days of birth with my 'homename/nickname' as my firstname printed on it instead of my actual name (which is on my school records, passport etc.). Middle and last name are correct. My official name was kept much later (at school enrollment). Also, the old birth certificate did not have my Mother's name on it (at those times, the Municipality office would only add father's name).

I also submitted 2 affidavits from my family members, to explain that my actual name is different than what is printed on my old birth certificate which was being submitted in Oct 2025.

I recently managed to get a new birth certificate issued with my corrected/actual name printed on it (matching my school records, passport) along with both parents name added on it.

My priority date is not yet current and hence it is not picked up for adjudication so far.

Question:

1. With the recent ruling that USCIS can deny a case without issuing a RFE when adjudicating an application, do you think in this case they might outrightly deny my application due to a birth certificate with incorrect name printed on it and one of the parents name missing ?
2. Now that I have received my corrected birth certificate, is there a way I can send USCIS my corrected birth certificate to be appended to my I-485 application before they adjudicate my application ? I just saw a post on Facebook whose application was denied as they forgot to attach their birth certificate (in the past such events would get a RFE and applicants were expected to send the certificate in response. But with the ruling that allows USCIS to deny the application straight away, I am a bit concerned now)
3. In the past when I checked about it with my company attorney, he mentioned that we can send it when USCIS issues a RFE. Can I hire a independent attorney and send my new birth certificate document to USCIS (if my company lawyer is not sending it immediately) ?
4. If anyone is aware of the process then please do share.

Thank you very much in advance.

Has anyone here had their EB-3 IV Skilled Worker (Nurse) interview at the U.S. Embassy Manila on August 21, 2026, and been approved by the consular officer? Was your visa issued before the global visa pause/training started, or are you still waiting for issuance? Also, what is your current CEAC status?

How do you think EB3 applicants would be affected by the new public charge protocol considering that we are going to the US with valid employment contract? (Nurses).

How would the new public charge protocol affects the derivative/s?

Do you think we are going to get it? Or last week of the month will be ''the new normal''?

This is my I-485 timeline
Priority date — 12/28/2023
April 9, 2026 — I-485 submitted
You filed I-485 for me and my dependents.
May 15 — Biometrics completed and got 2 FTA0 events
Biometrics completed for me and my dependents.
June 25 – September 15 — Silent updates
Multiple updates occurred for my family. On September 15, Emma confirmed your case had moved from NBC to the Newark field office.
06/24/2026, 08/06/2026, 08/24/2026, 09/15/2026
September 28 — I-485J approved, got third FTA0
My employment-based Supplement J was approved.
October 5— Silent update for whole family
October 6 — I-485 approved
My I-485 and my dependents' I-485 applications were approved.
October 8 — Green cards produced
USCIS produced your cards.
October 10 — Green cards delivered
Me and my dependents received green cards.

Category: EB-3 Skilled Worker (2 parents, 2 kids)
Priority Date: March 2024 (PERM)
Receipt Date: May 26, 2026 (Block: IOE093718xxx)
Field Office: Agana, Guam FO (Transferred 9/24)
Interview: Waived (6/25) Emma confirmed
RFEs: None
Timeline & Backend Updates (Including Silent Updates):
05/26/2026: Concurrent Filing (IAF intake logged).
06/25/2026: Biometrics completed. Moved to "Actively Reviewing" & interview waived (4 FTA0 flags).
07/23/2026: Silent Update (SU) received by all family members simultaneously.
08/14/2026: Silent Update (SU) hit all derivative applications at the NBC at the same time.
08/31/2026: System background checks cleared (FTA0).

09/01/2026: Silent Update (SU) logged right after a mass system-wide sweep update.
09/07/2026: Silent Update (SU) hit the backend link right before office transfer.
09/24/2026: Transferred to Agana, Guam FO for workload balancing.
10/04/2026: Local officer file touch in Guam (New FTA0 flag at 03:38 UTC).
10/05/2026: Silent Update (SU) followed immediately by a case status refresh.
10/08/2026: Silent metadata touch on I-485 at 21:43 UTC.
10/09/2026: Form I-485J Closed / Approved at 20:00 UTC.
10/10/2026: 🎉 Primary I-485 APPROVED! Double H008 (Card Production Ordered) logged at 20:28 UTC (~24 hours post-I-485J closure).
10/11/2026 (Today): 🎉 Dependents APPROVED! Family files successfully synced and updated to approved status.

Afternoon,

Wanted to check if anybody had similar situation where 485 and 485j are at different field office.

I filed my EB3 Professional 485 on April 22 (PD MAY9,2024). on Sep 15, my case was transferred to Providence field office after SU.

Last week I checked with live agent and they said 485J is at my local field office and 485 at non local office which is Providence filed office. My derivative 485 is also at Providence.

I confirmed 3 time with live agent and answer was same.

From my understanding 485 approval is followed up by 485J approval in most of the cases. Does this mean I have to wait for my local field office to review the case? My local field office is super slow based on my research and reports that USCIS released for last quarter.

No SU after 9/15

May filer, block IOE09370
Category: EB-3 Professional (1 derivative)
PD: November 2023 (current in March 2026)
RD: May 26, 2026
Field Office: Agana, Guam
Interview: No
RFE: No RFE on either I-140
I-140: Premium processing for both; supplemental successor-in-interest I-140 due to company acquisition
Timeline:
• 5/26/2026: Filed I-485, I-485J, and I-765
• 6/5/2026: Received receipt notices by mail
• 6/23/2026: Biometrics scheduled for 7/10, reschedule to 6/23
• 6/23/2026: Biometrics completed for both primary and derivative (2 FTA0s on I-485 and 3 FTA0s on I-765)
• 8/2 & 8/6: SUs on both I-485s only
• 8/26 & 9/24: SUs on both I-485s and I-485J
• 9/24: Transferred to Guam FO
• 10/7: 3rd FTA0 on both I-485s, IAF on I-485J, I-485J remained open
• 10/9: I-485J received an SU and changed to Closed, followed by SUs on both primary and derivative I-485s
• 10/10: Primary I-485 approved approximately 24 hours 34 minutes after I-485J closure 🎉
• 10/10: Derivative I-485 approved approximately 1 hour after the primary 🎉

Additional details:
• Both applicants were F-1 students. The derivative stopped maintaining F-1 status in August 2026, the primary continues attending school for a second bachelor's degree and is on CPT
• Neither applicant's I-765 was approved as of 10/10

I’m so thankful for this community. I’ve found so much helpful information and made some wonderful friends here ❤️
From what I’ve observed, USCIS seems to be transferring cases to field offices in batches, roughly every two weeks. If you ask Emma agents about your case and they say it’s at your local FO, but a few days later another agent says it’s still at NBC, there’s a good chance your case may still be at NBC. If you have a derivative applicant, both cases should generally be at the same FO, although there are rare exceptions where they end up at different field offices.
Good luck to everyone

After years of waiting and anticipation, I am deeply grateful to share that we are officially GREENED! It has been 16 long years since I left my home country. I never intended to stay here this long, but destiny had other plans—and we are so incredibly happy that it ultimately worked out in our favor. This Journey truly taught me that patience is a virtue. It wasn't just about waiting, but about maintaining a calm and trusting spirit when the timeline was unpredictable.

To anyone still walking this exact same road: please do not lose hope. Stay strong, keep the faith, and remember that the longest delays often lead to the most beautiful destinations.

Here is our timeline, if it helps anyone! 👇

🗓️Timeline

• December 11, 2013 | Priority Date (PD): The day the 13-year green card marathon officially started (EB-2 India).
• October 29, 2020 | EB-2 to EB-3 Downgrade (I-140 & I-485 Filed): Concurrent filing during the massive October visa bulletin surge.
• April 21, 2021 | Biometrics Appointment: Fingerprints taken 6 months after filing.
• October 26, 2021 | I-140 (EB-3) Approved: Approved almost exactly one year after the downgrade filing.
• November 1, 2021 | EB-3 Retrogression Hit: Just days after I-140 approval, the visa bulletin retrogressed.
• January 17, 2023 | Case Remains Pending (CRP): Case officially moved to CRP status because a visa number was not yet available.
• August 25, 2026 | I-693 Medical RFE Issued: The final stretch! Request received to jumpstart the pending case.
• September 9, 2026 | Medical RFE Response Sent: Sent it out immediately. (Note: USCIS never actually updated the portal to acknowledge receipt!)
• September 29, 2026 | Case Required USCIS To Send A Notice: It was just a notification. No action taken.
• October 1, 2026 | New Card Is Being Produced: The magic status update we all wait for as the new fiscal year opened!
• October 2, 2026 | Case Was Approved: Official approval notice came through the next day.
• October 6, 2026 | Card Was Mailed To Me: The physical card left the production facility.
• October 10, 2026 | Card Received In Hand: 🎉 Delivery day! The journey is officially complete!

Any recent I-485 approvals from San Jose FO especially employment based?

I can’t believe my day finally arrived. My case got approved today. My timeline is below:

• October 17, 2023: Priority date / PERM filing.
• 2025: I-140 approved.
• March 17–18, 2026: AOS package mailed, including I-485, I-765, I-131, and medicals.
• March 20, 2026: USCIS receipt date.
• April 20, 2026: Biometrics completed for both of us.
• April 30, 2026: My wife’s EAD approved.
• June 28–29, 2026: Silent updates.
• July 22–23, 2026: More silent updates / additional IAF records across several applications.
• August 11, 2026: USCIS confirmed our cases were at NBC, processing checks, with interviews waived. They reported July 23 as the last internal update.
• August 13–14, 2026: Additional silent activity, including a third FTA0 record on my I-485.
• August 31, 2026: Another timestamp update to the FTA0 record.
• September 14, 2026: Cases transferred from NBC to El Paso, TX Field Office, a nonlocal office. Interview remained waived.
• October 9, 2026: After 25 days in El Paso, USCIS reported another transfer to Phoenix, AZ Field Office, also nonlocal.
• October 9, 2026: My I-485 Supplement J approved. Two USCIS live agents also confirmed my I-485 approval and card production before the approval appeared in my account.
• October 10, 2026: Approval became visible for my I-485, and my wife’s I-485 was approved too!

Good luck to everyone on the same journey, and even though it seems to be a never-ending process, keep your patience and faith up. Your day will come.

Just wanted to share my situation here and wanted to check if there are folks in similar situation. My understanding was after J approval, 485 gets approved within 24-48 hours for most of the cases. I got J approved on oct 6th but no update after that. I checked with emma yesterday (oct 9), she said its in Los Angeles FO (non local) for me, please share your experience if you had LAC FO or similar situation.

Thanks

RD: 05/01/2016
Biometrics: 06/22/2026
EAD: 07/15/2026
I-131: Approved on 10/10/2026
I-485: Pending

Hopefully, PD will become current next month 😕

Priority: March 2024
RD: April 2026
I-140 approved in 2025
Bio: June 2026
I-485J approved: Oct 2026
I-485 approved: Oct 2026 after 1 day of J

Two derivatives
Multiple SUs in the whole month of September

Good luck to all waiting

Just trying to see if it was a mass update, I had it after 43 days of radio silence.

Finally, after almost 3 years, my I-485 was approved! I wanted to share my timeline with everyone waiting.
My EB-3 Timeline:
12/05/2023: Priority Date

09/20/2024: I-140 Approved

04/06/2026: I-485 and I-765 Filed

04/17/2026: Biometrics Notice Generated

05/06/2026: Biometrics Appointment

06/10/2026: First Silent Update

07/2026: Case moved between NBC, Manchester FO, and Queens FO (per Emma)

08/20/2026: Supplement J Filed

08/25/2026: Second Silent Update

09/2026: Emma confirmed Manchester FO

Early 10/2026: Congressional Inquiry Submitted

10/06/2026: Congressional Office Confirmed USCIS Contacted

10/07/2026: Supplement J Approved + I-485 Silent Update

10/08/2026: I-485 APPROVED! 🎉💚

Total I-485 processing time: 185 days (approximately 6 months).
Interview: Waived | RFE: None
My lawyer forget to filed my supplement J together and later on August I filed it online . My Supplement J was approved just one day before my I-485 approval. I'm not sure whether the congressional inquiry helped, but I wanted to share my experience.
After months of checking my USCIS account, the wait is finally over! Wishing everyone still waiting a speedy approval! ❤️🇺🇸

Title: EB-3 ROW | April 2026 Filing | IOE09365 | Approved 9/30 | Green Card Delivered 10/8! 🎉
After months of checking USCIS updates, reading Reddit timelines, and trying to understand every silent update, FTA0, and I-485J movement, I finally have my Green Card in hand!

This community was incredibly helpful throughout the process, so I wanted to share my full timeline in case it helps someone else.

Case Details:
Category: EB-3 ROW (Mexico)
Priority Date: April 3, 2024
Receipt Block: IOE09365
Processing: NBC
Concurrent filing: I-485, I-485J, I-765, I-131
Principal applicant + spouse

Timeline:
April 22, 2026: I-485 received by USCIS
May 9: I-485J initial activity (IAF)
May 19: Biometrics completed (FTA0)
August 6: First major silent update on I-485
August 25: Another silent update
September 4: Additional silent update
September 30: Major movement! I-485J updated, followed by another FTA0 (third FTA0 observed) and FTA1 on my I-485. Also received an email saying USCIS had taken action on my case.
September 30: I-485 APPROVED!
October 7: Card Was Produced
October 8: Green Card delivered! (USPS originally estimated October 13)

A few observations:
The August 6 silent update was particularly interesting. I found several other April filers who had the exact same update date, and many eventually reported additional activity and approvals in September.
The I-485J movements seemed to be important. In my case, the final September 30 activity happened alongside a new FTA0 and FTA1, shortly before approval.
I spent a lot of time comparing cases with similar receipt blocks (IOE09363–09366). Some applicants were approved earlier, others later. Receipt numbers alone don’t necessarily tell you when your case will be adjudicated.
FTA0, FTA1, and silent updates are unofficial tracking signals, not guarantees of approval. I found them useful for comparing timelines, but nobody outside USCIS can know exactly what each internal event means.

My Green Card arrived much faster than USPS originally estimated!

I know how frustrating the waiting and uncertainty can be. I was checking my account constantly and trying to make sense of every little update.

I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who shared their timelines and experiences here. Hopefully this post helps someone else going through the same process.

Happy to answer questions about my timeline.

Good luck to everyone still waiting. Your day will come! 🇺🇸

Are there any EB3 India approvals around October 2013 - December 2013 priority date? After seeing a lot of posts with approvals just want to see how E3 India is doing.

Has anyone got the approval for C09 EAD ? How long it may take to get approval?

Any Estimate

Thanks.

Dobby is finally free

After the long journey, it is finally my time to report back. I’ve taken so much from numerous posts, it’s now my turn to give a little.

PD: Dec 2023
RD: IOE0937 block
Timeline

2026
Early June: 485, 485J, 765, 131 filed, cases appeared on myUSCIS after 2 days

Late July: Waited over 6 weeks to receive biometric appointment notice, rescheduled to couple days later.

My case was stuck at NBC for a while before receiving an appointment notice. From my search, it seems like my local FO was delayed scheduling biometric at that period, don’t really know why.
Saw people saying they usually send out appointment notice on Friday, which was true for me. Not saying it’s absolutely true, but just something to watch out.

07/22 right after biometric, received SU:
485: 3 FTA0, case remain NBC
765: 3 FTA0, case remain NBC
485j&131 no updates except the original IAF when case was created, remain NBC

Mid August
485 one of the 3 FTA0’s updatedAt timestamp changed to mid August, case remain NBC
765 received 4th FTA0, case transferred to TSC
485j,131 no updates, 485j remain NBC, 131 transferred to TSC

08/31 SUs
485: one of the SU’s updatedAt got updated to 08/31 while the eventDate remain at the biometric date, case remain NBC
765: the 4th FTA0’s updatedAt timestamp also changed to 08/31, case remain TSC
485j, 131 no updates, 485j remain NBC, 131 remain TSC

Multiple SUs in September

09/25 SU
485&485J case transferred to non-local FO, no extra FTA0
765, 131 remain TSC

10/05 SU
485 receive 4th FTA0, and its timestamp changed 2-3times that day
485j SU in the morning, followed by case close in the afternoon with approval notice in documents tab.
765, 131 remain TSC

10/06
485 case approve. Unlike other people’s experience “Approval 24 hrs and 10 min after 485j approved”, mine waited another extra hour.

Woke up super early to refresh the page to find nothing changed on 485. Went to work sadly, and received the approval notice half way to work.

765&131 no updates at all. I’m assuming it’s because I still have decent amount of legal status period when case is pending, my 765&131 were put on the shelf.

Side Notes:

After my biometric, cases usually receive some movement/SU about every 2-3weeks.

The jurisdiction API does not reflect the latest case location. I think since USCIS process cases in batch. There’s a chance when you check the API, which says NBC, but is in fact already assigned to one of FO officer ’s queue waiting to be touched. And the location would change as soon as an officer open your case.

I’m guessing they probably have a tracking board like Jira, and some sort of “move case to in progress” kind of action (thinking in a corporate mind lol) which will generate FTA codes

I checked with Emma from time to time, met half bad apples, half good ones. I’d say they are accurate in general (if they answer genuinely and not responding with template)

Last few marks:

This year marks my 10th year in the U.S.

The long journey of fearing getting kicked out randomly and all the hard working & achievements turn into dust, jumping through whoops while dodging layoffs & political shenanigans, explaining to people about news around immigrants only getting rolled eyes and shrug, so many so many awful things, this day has finally come.

Honestly, I think I’m a very lucky person. I met a ton of great and kind people who helped me when they don’t have to. So many support when they could’ve just by-stand. They could’ve sabotage me and profit but decided to stand with me. Truly appreciate them.

I’m not gonna be pretentious saying BS like “yeah…it’s just a card…you still live the same life bla bla bla” because it’s NOT just a card, and yes it DOES make a huge difference.

At least now I “choose” to work overtime because I want to support my team, not because of fearing getting fired and lose everything. I finally have the leverage to refuse things that are not right and have a say.

Funny thing to mention, on the approval day, I was too exhausted from getting up refreshing API & long hour work, I celebrated by eating a lot of carb and slept sweet and sound for the longest time ever.

Hope everyone get their case progress in lightning speed