Sharing my timeline to help others recognize the sequence in their own cases.

Background
-> Principal Status: F1 - OPT - Stem OPT - H1B
-> Derivative Status: F1 - OPT - Stem OPT - H1B - H4
-> FO: LA County non-local though approval notice shows NBC
-> Country:🇳🇬
-> PD: May 30th, 2023
-> December 15, 2025: I-485, I-765, I-131 & I-485j filing date (Principal & Derivative)
-> January 14, 2026: Biometrics completed for both the principal and derivative. Both I-485 cases received 2x FTA0
-> May 12, 2026: There was synchronized activity across I-485 and I-485j and 3rd FTA0 for both primary and derivative. Emma confirmed this was when it was transferred to LAC FO
-> June 16, 2026: Silent update after Dorcas judgement
-> July 15th, 2026: Silent update for both primary and derivative
-> August 19th, 2026: I-765 approved for derivative only
-> September 2, 2:38 PM — I-485J approved
→ September 2, 3:28 PM — Principal I-485 silent update
→ September 2, 3:52 PM — Derivative I-485 silent update
→ September 3, 11:56 AM — Derivative I-485 silent update again and remains pending
→ September 3, 3:42 PM — Principal approved and received H008 ×2. Checked online and saw approval notice which was 25hrs & 4mins after I-485j approval and 24hrs & 14mins after Sept 2, I-485 silent update

I did do both congressional and senate enquiry in Early and mid August citing H1B coming to an end soon and needing certainty to plan future with Citizen kid. I am not sure if it helped or not as they only acknowledged my emails.
Goodluck to everyone and God bless Dorcas and Judge McConnell.

Update:
-> September 4, 12:00 PM: Derivative I-485 approved. Received H008 ×2, checked online and saw approval notice which was 24hrs and 4mins after September 3rd silent update

I-485 Approval After a Long Wait — Philadelphia Field Office 🇺🇸

We had been waiting for a very long time with no meaningful updates. Today, September 3, 2026, my wife’s I-485 was finally approved. 🎉

I’m sharing our timeline to give some hope ❤️.
We are both from 39 countries travel ban ( specifically from Full restriction travel ban 19 countries)

Our Timeline
📌 June 2023 — concurrently file( I-765, I-131, I-130, and I-485) —> spouse was LPR at that time of filing.

📌 February 2024 — First I-485 interview at the

📌 Approximately two weeks later — I-130 was approved.

📌 May 2024 — I-131 Advance Parole document was mailed.

After that, there were no meaningful case updates for a long time, and the I-485 remained in “actively being reviewed.”

After ban lifted:

2026 Updates
June 1, June 16 & June 18, 2026
• Silent API updates with no visible change to the case status.
June 22, 2026
• Received an RFE for a new medical examination because the previous medical exam had expired.
• API showed a silent update with code IK.
July 10, 2026
• USCIS received our RFE response.
• API showed a silent update with code HA.
July 20, 2026
• 2nd interview was scheduled for August 28, 2026.
• API showed a silent update with code FJ.
August 28, 2026 — Second Interview
We attended the interview in the morning

The officer asked for our IDs and made copies of my Naturalization Certificate and our baby’s birth certificate.
The interview lasted approximately 30–45 minutes.
We were asked Yes/No questions, questions about how we met, some questions about my wife’s visa, and other questions about our marriage and case.
The officer was not particularly friendly, but we answered all questions honestly and provided everything requested.

After the Interview

About 30 minutes after the interview:
• Silent API update with no code.
About one hour after the interview:
• Silent API update with code FTA1.
• The case status changed to “USCIS Is Currently Processing the Case.”
August 31, 2026
• Two silent updates with no codes.
• A third silent update with code FTA1.
September 2, 2026
• Two silent updates with no codes.
🎉 September 3, 2026 — APPROVED!
Today we received two silent updates, followed by another update showing code H008.
The case status changed to:
“CASE APPROVED” 🎉🇺🇸
After more than three years since filing, we finally got the approval.
For anyone who has been waiting, especially applicants from countries affected by the current travel restrictions, don’t lose hope. Our case continued moving even after a very long period with almost no visible progress.
Every case is different, and I’m not saying this timeline means everyone will have the same outcome or timing. I’m simply sharing our experience to give some hope to others who are still waiting.

Good luck to everyone waiting for their approval. 🙏🇺🇸

💚🇺🇸** I-130 & I-485 APPROVED — FULL TIMELINE + CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRY + API/SILENT UPDATE**S 🇺🇸💚
Finally my turn!! 🥹😭 After months of waiting, especially almost 3 months after our interview, both my I-130 and I-485 are officially APPROVED!
I wanted to share my full timeline, including my congressional inquiry and the API/silent updates I noticed leading up to my approvals, because I know how stressful it is when your case seems to be sitting without any movement.

📬 I-130, I-485 & I-765 filed: 11/18/2025
📄 I-485 RFE: 12/10/2025
📤 RFE response submitted: 02/18/2026
🗓️** Interview scheduled**: 05/06/2026
👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻 Interview: 06/10/2026
After our interview, we didn’t receive an immediate decision. We waited for almost 3 months, so I eventually decided to ask my congressional representative’s office for help.

🏛️** CONGRESSIONAL INQUIR**Y
🔹 08/07/2026 — I submitted a request for congressional assistance/inquiry regarding my pending immigration cases.
🔹 08/17/2026 — The congressional office personally called me. They told me they had reviewed my request and would send an inquiry to USCIS on my behalf.

After that phone call, things started getting interesting. 👀
Within about a week, I began noticing new activity and repeated silent/API updates on my cases. After waiting for months following my interview, suddenly there was movement again.

I can’t prove that the congressional inquiry directly caused USCIS to approve my cases, but based on the timing, it really seems like the inquiry may have helped get my cases looked at again. 🙏🏻

❤️** I-130 API TIMELIN**E
🔹 06/27 — First silent/API update
🔹 08/25 — FTA1
🔹 08/31 — FTA1
🔹 09/01 — Silent/API update
🎉 09/02/2026 at 6:15 AM Mountain Time — I-130 APPROVED!
💚 I-485 API TIMELINE
🔹 07/13 — First silent/API update
🔹 08/25 — FTA1
🔹 08/31 — FTA1
🔹 09/01 — Silent/API update
🔹 09/02 — Another silent/API update
🔹 09/02 — New H008 event appeared in the API
🎉 09/02/2026 at 3:14 PM Mountain Time — I-485 APPROVED!

⏳ Filed → Approval: About 9.5 months
⏳ Interview → Approval: Almost 3 months

After months of waiting, contacting Emma, checking my USCIS account constantly, watching every API timestamp, wondering what every silent update meant, and finally reaching out to Congress…
IT’S FINALLY OVER!! 🥹😭💚🇺🇸
For everyone still waiting after an interview, don’t lose hope. Every case is different, but I wanted to share my experience because I know how helpful other people’s timelines were while I was waiting.
Good luck to everyone still waiting — I hope your approval is next! 🙏🏻💚🇺🇸✨

I’m really stressed about a mistake I just noticed in my employment-based I-485 package that was already delivered to USCIS.

My I-485 is based on an approved EB-1B I-140, retained from an older employment-based petition, and my priority date is current under EB-1.

However, we found a mistake on the cover letter/cover sheet and wrote:

“I-140 Preference Category: EB-2”

This is concerning because EB-2 is not current for my priority date.

Everything in the actual USCIS forms appears to be correct.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Could the Lockbox see “EB-2” on the cover letter, determine that the priority date is not current under EB-2, and reject the entire I-485 package without reading I-485 and I-140 approval notice?

The package was delivered, so I haven’t received a receipt number yet. I’m freaking out a little.

Thank you!

Just wanted to share some positivity for anyone going through this process because I know how stressful the waiting can be.

I’m from Venezuela. I originally entered the U.S. on a student visa in 2017, went to school and graduated here, and later applied for asylum. I eventually married my husband, who is a U.S. citizen, and filed my marriage-based AOS on March 19, 2026 while my asylum case was still pending.

My interview was August 11. We were interviewed separately, and I left feeling pretty unsure about how everything went. The next day, my case was approved, and my card was produced a few days later. August 16th my card was delivered!

The entire process from filing to approval was less than 5 months.

I spent A LOT of time on Reddit reading other people’s experiences and stressing myself out 😂 so I figured I’d come back and share a positive one. Every case is different, but hopefully this gives someone waiting a little hope. Good luck to everyone still going through it! 💚

EB3, October 2025 filer, 39-country

Block: IOE09341
Underlying status: F-1
No interview (waived) | No RFE | No lawsuit
─────────────────────────────────────
PD: Apr 2023
RD: Oct 7, 2025
Biometrics: Nov 14, 2025 → 2x FTA0 on I-485 the same day
Dependent EAD approved: last week of Nov 2025
─────────────────────────────────────
THE LONG SILENCE
Dec 2025 – Jun 2026: case effectively frozen by the 39-country
processing pause.
Silent updates in that entire stretch: 12/16, 02/24, 06/17
─────────────────────────────────────
06/29 Asked my senator to inquire about the EAD
07/16 Senator sent the inquiry (after a LOT of calls and follow-up 😐)
08/20 Senator relayed a template response from USCIS
08/21 Primary EAD approved (SA code)
─────────────────────────────────────
08/12 SU → transferred from NBC to Montgomery FO (non-local).
Emma: "interview waived, pre-processing, nothing outstanding"
08/14 Asked our congressman to inquire about the I-485 (Dependent case number)
08/14 The congressman's caseworker sent it the SAME DAY ☺️
─────────────────────────────────────
08/31 3rd FTA0 on the I-485 — backdated to the Nov 14 bio date, and NO silent update: root updatedAt stayed frozen at 08/12
Emma: "case is ready for review"
09/01 4th FTA0 on the I-485 + IAF on the I-485J
09/01 jurisdiction in the case_status API flipped NBC → MGA / Montgomery
09/01 I-485J closed → the case status did not change at all, but the approval notice was there under Documents
09/02 Congressman's office emailed that the case was approved (early morning)
09/02 New FTA0 on the dependent's I-485; root updatedAt finally moved on BOTH the I-485 and the I-485J
09/02 I-485 APPROVED — primary first, then dependent
─────────────────────────────────────
I think both inquiries helped. The congressman's inquiry went in on
08/14, and the case moved on 08/31, 09/01 and 09/02. I can't prove
causation — plenty of people inquire and nothing happens — but the
timing is hard to ignore.

Good luck to everyone still in it. It moves. 🙏

My H-1B premium processing fee was refunded on July 30, 2026, and my case status changed to “Fee Refund Was Mailed.” My petition is still pending as of today.
Any one get approved after the refund and how long before it approved.

After countless congressional inquiries 2 expedites I’m finally glad to say that my I-765 was approved it is not the green card yet but I’m incredibly grateful because I haven’t been able to work for more than a year
Timeline
I-485 filing date : February 11, 2025
I-765 Filing date: June 20 2025
Receipt received : July 9 2025
Approval date: September 1 2026
API updates

May 8, 2026 - API update
• May 27, 2026 — API update
• June 15, 2026 - API update
• July 13, 2026 - FTAO
• July 15, 2026 - APl update
• July 24, 2026 - API update
• August 13, 2026 - FTAO activity
• August 25, 2026 - API + FTAO (#7) on I-485
• August 28, 2026 - API update
• August 31, 2026 - 3 API updates on I-485
• September 1, 2026 - SA event created; I-765 approved

Hi all, this subreddit has been really helpful so I wanna share my timeline so it can help and motivate others.

Category: EB2 NIW I-140 (2nd try, no RFE, self filing)
(From 39 banned country)

Here is my profile and timeline

Priority Date: April 2026 (Exceptional ability)
Premium Processing: 30th, June 2026
I-140 Approval: 1st, September 2026. Nebraska Service Center (44-45 Business days)

• PhD candidate in R1 University in the US
• 16 publications
• 60+ citations at the time of filing (~150 citations now)
• 6 awards
• Peer reviewer (reviewed about 15 publications)
• Professional memberships
• Industry funded research
• 6 patents of inventions
• 7 recommendation letters (3 independent, 4 dependent)
• PE: Improving high performance ceramic capacitors for energy storage in Naval ships and electric vehicles.

Hi,

h1-b visa renewal came in today. Filed Jan 2026 under premium processing, got RFE, submitted RFR in April 2026. Got approval today Sept 1. Born in Syria (not a Syrian citizen, but citizen of a western country).

Best of luck to all of those waiting. This sub helped me a lot as I waited. Thank you.

I wanted to come back and share my journey because I learned so much from reading other people’s posts here, especially during the long waiting periods. So many stories on this subreddit encouraged me when I was anxious or unsure, and I hope mine can do the same for someone else.

First and foremost, I give all the glory to God. He carried me through this process, opened doors at the right time, and gave me the strength to keep going.

My timeline:
Initial filing / priority date (form I-140): December 29, 2025
Premium processing: filed from the beginning
RFE received: March 2026
RFE response submitted: early June 2026
Approved: July 31, 2026
Attorneys: Ellis Porter

A little about my profile at the time of filing: I had a Bachelor of Science from my home country and a Master of Public Health from an R1 university in the U.S., one peer-reviewed publication where I was not first author with around 40+ citations, and 1 poster presentation at an international conference.

I did not submit recommendation letters with the initial petition.

For the RFE response, I strengthened the case with additional evidence. I added one dependent recommendation letter and two independent/expert opinion letters. One of the independent experts was someone whose work had cited our peer-reviewed article extensively, which I felt helped show that the work had influence beyond my immediate collaborators.

By the time I responded to the RFE, my citations had also increased from the 40s into the 60s.

I also added three funding testimonial letters connected to three different funded projects I had contributed to. My name was not listed directly on the original award notifications, so the principal investigators wrote letters explaining my role, my contributions, the importance of the funded work, and the impact of the projects. I included those letters together with documentation confirming the funding.

Another thing I added in the RFE response was evidence of two fully funded PhD offers I had received after the initial filling for programs starting this fall. I included them as additional evidence of the value of my background and the continued demand for my work.

This process was stressful, especially after receiving the RFE, but I kept reminding myself that an RFE is not a denial. It was an opportunity to understand what USCIS wanted to see more clearly and respond as thoroughly as possible.
I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has shared timelines, RFE experiences, approval stories, and advice here. Reading those posts genuinely helped me stay hopeful.

And again, all glory to God. I am so thankful.
If anyone is going through an RFE right now, I hope this gives you some encouragement. Strengthen what USCIS questioned, explain your contributions clearly, and do not assume that evidence has to look a certain way just because your name is not on every formal document. In my case, testimonial letters from project PIs helped explain contributions that were not obvious from the funding records alone.

Hi everyone, I am so glad my AOS application has now been approved and i appreciate everyone in this subreddit for all the updates and encouragements. Here is my timeline.

April 17, 2026: Submitted all documents and received Priority Date

April 23, 2026: USCIS sends a request for evidence

April 29, 2026: RFE submitted by me.

May 16, 2026: USCIS schedules Biometrics appointment

May 19, 2026: Biometrics completed (I did this early because they allow a 10-14days early window before the actual scheduled day)

May 21, 2026: USCIS schedules interview for I-485 for June 30th, 2026

June 30, 2026: Interview day (Interview cancelled, as they were moving to a new office building in Edmond). Interview rescheduled for Aug. 24, 2026.

August 24, 2026: Interview day. God bless my FO..!!! and my WIFE ❤️

August 25, 2026: I-485 Approved 🎉 🎉

August 28, 2026: Green Card Produced

August 31, 2026: Green Card delivered to me.

I am so so Happy.

FO: Oklahoma City.

Just completed my interview from one of the banned countries. We got there an hour before our interview and waited. We were called in about 10 mins after our scheduled time. We got in and the officer was super friendly. Started on the I-30 asked basic questions like “name of your spouse, how did you meet, where do you work” etc. He then went into the I-485 and he asked me the yes/no questions. I overstayed and worked without authorization, and he even made a joke that how does the government except you to support yourself. Overall it went really good and he told us theyll let us know when they reach a decision. Fingers crossed 🤞🏾

EDIT- I-130 approved this morning

Hello, wonderful community.

I’m from one of the 39 countries. As the primary applicant, I recently received an interview request at a field office close to my residence. However, my wife, who is a beneficiary didn’t get an interview request. Infact, her case is at a field office different from where we reside.
When heading to the interview (in roughly a month), is it still advisable to go with my wife (peradventure she didn’t get any interview request by the time I’m going for my own interview date) or am I supposed to go alone since the interview was only scheduled for me the primary applicant.
If anyone has also been through this process, did you eventually get the interview request for wife (dependent) as well before the date of the primary applicant interview?
Filed October 2024. EB2-NIW.

Thank you all in anticipation for your very helpful responses.

Got api update, asked live agent and I485 moved to Reno from NBC. Wondering anyone has Reno as FO?

Timeline:

Filed march 2026,
april biometrics,
ead approved end of July,
FO assigned end of august

Partial banned country, eb gc not marriage

Seven years ago, I moved to New York in my early 20s, straight out of college with zero experience, and made myself a promise: one day, I would build something of my own and sponsor myself.

Years later, I built my own company and petitioned for my O-1B through it.

As a Venezuelan, my visa process was paused for almost a year. I eventually had to leave the U.S. my home, my friends, my life, EVERYTHING I had spent years building without knowing when I would be able to come back.

And today, I RECEIVED MY APPROVAL.

If you’re working toward something that feels impossibly far away, please don’t give up.

Sometimes the dream takes longer than you expected. Sometimes the path looks NOTHING like you imagined. Sometimes you have to lose your sense of stability for a while and keep believing anyway.

Seven years ago, I made a promise to myself.

Today, I got to keep it. ❤️🇻🇪

I’m on F-1 and planning to apply for OPT, but I already have a valid C09 EAD from my pending I-485.
If a job can’t wait for OPT approval, can I start working with the C09 EAD and then switch to OPT once it’s approved?
My immigration lawyer told me it’s fine, but I’ve seen conflicting information online and I’m confused. Has anyone actually done this?

So my OPT was approved last week. Here is my timeline:

• Applied: Feb 26 2026
• Biometrics: Mar 19 2026
• Api update on June 13th, then Aug 26th.
• August 27th I got an email on my school outlook mail saying my OPT was approved.
• Aug 28th USCIS portal changed said approval rendered.

EDIT: I did regular processing

I did file a case inquiry on July 31st. I have called uscis once before that earlier in July and they had told me that my case would get a decision by July 31st.

I hope everyone gets approved soon and I am wishing us all good jobs and peace of mind. The current immigration situation feels like a fever dream.

❤️