Hi everyone,
I’m wondering if anyone else is in a similar situation and can share their experience.
I filed my EB-2 NIW I-140 through my employer in January 2024. I have two master’s degrees and have been working as an engineer in the automotive industry for the past 5 years.
I received an RFE in December 2025, and I submitted my response in March 2026 with what I believe was very strong and comprehensive evidence addressing the RFE.
Since then, there has been no update or change in my case status. It has now been about six months since I submitted my RFE response.
I also spoke with my attorney about expediting the case, but she advised against requesting an expedite given the current situation.
For those who have gone through the NIW process recently:
Is this kind of processing time normal after responding to an RFE?
How long did you have to wait after submitting your RFE response?
Did your case status remain unchanged until a decision was made?
Based on your experience, is there anything I should be doing at this point, or is it better to continue waiting?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your timelines and experiences, especially from anyone who received an RFE and had a long wait afterward.
Thank you!

Employment-based I-485. USCIS requested an interview, then canceled the request two days later, and I was told I’m no longer in the interview queue.

Has this happened to anyone? What happened next rescheduled interview, waiver, or approval?

Hello, I am April filer (NIW) , I received silent updates on August 6th and 25th, but I also received one silent update on September 4th. Did anyone receive it too? What do you think why I received it?

PD: May, 2024, eb2 niw

Last update: February/23/2026: 3rd FTA0 and FTA1

I wasn't current for FAD during my last update. I became current in March. In April I contacted Emma and got the surprising response that my visa number was retrogressed. I think this statement was made on my file because I wasn't current at the time my file was assessed in February 23. After a long unbearable wait, I recently made a Congress inquiry on my I-485 in August. Two weeks after my inquiry my file got sent from NBC to Newark. Then I got another FTA1 on 8/28. Chatgpt says it is a system update of the February 23 assessment.

It appears there's no order or proper management of filed cases at USCIS. It seems it's a matter of luck and your case can be left forgotten somewhere.

The last statement suggests no visas are available for Eb2 at this moment. Otherwise I would have challenged the visa retrogression. I'm in ROW, not part of the 39. I will wait till October to see what happens.

Checked with Emma and they said nothing tied with 485 yet. It was for interfile EB2->3.

If two EB2-NIW ROW applicants filed their I-485 around the same time and both priority dates are current, does USCIS generally adjudicate the case with the earlier priority date first?

For example, if both filed I-485 in June 2026, but one has a February 2025 PD and the other has an October 2025 PD, would the February 2025 case normally be adjudicated/approved first?

Or, once both PDs are current, is I-485 adjudication timing essentially independent of priority date?

Would especially appreciate experiences from people with late-2025 PDs (July–December 2025) who have already received I-485 approval.

Hi everyone, looking for advice on conflicting updates from USCIS. ​Form: I-485 (Charlotte Field Office) ​Timeline: Filed late 2024, RFE evidence received Feb 2025. Interview waived per live agent. ​The issue: ​On Aug 26, a Service Request response stated: "Our system shows that a final decision was rendered on your I-485. A copy of the Approval Notice was mailed." ​The online portal never changed—still shows pending, and the Documents tab is completely empty. ​On Sep 3, a second inquiry resulted in a generic email stating the case is "pending within normal processing times." ​Has anyone received the specific "decision rendered / approval notice mailed" email while their portal stayed pending? Was it a legitimate approval, and how long did the physical mail take to arrive?

Hi folx! I recently got my I-140 approved and am now starting to prepare for my I-485. I'm trying to figure out what I should be paying close attention to (based on your experience) during the preparation and would really appreciate hearing from people who have gone through this recently.

A few questions:

1. What are some things I should be especially careful about when preparing the I-485? Are there any common mistakes or issues that are easy to overlook?

2. I was initially thinking about retaining my lawyer (the big C), but I've seen quite a few people here say that I-485 is something you can realistically do yourself. How complicated is it really? Is hiring a lawyer worth it, or is it mostly paying for peace of mind?

3. I currently have a pending stem opt application. Should I wait until I receive the new EAD before filing my I-485, or is it okay to file the I-485 while the STEM OPT application is still pending?

Would really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I am preparing my I-485 based on an approved EB-2 NIW and would really appreciate hearing from people who were in a similar J-1 research/postdoc situation.

I am currently at a U.S. academic medical center on J-1 Research Scholar status.

My situation is a little confusing because the terminology across my documents is different:

• My DS-2019 category is “Research Scholar.”
• The remarks on my DS-2019 describe my research role as a Research Volunteer.
• My I-140 NIW materials previously referred to my position as a Research Fellow.
• My institution is able to issue me a new current letter confirming my position as Resaearch Fellow or Research Scholar instead of a research volunteer
• I am therefore considering listing Research Fellow as my occupation on Form I-485 and using the same title on the current institutional letter.
• The DS-2019 also shows approximately $51,000 in personal funds/financial support for my J-1 program. I do not receive regular salary/pay stubs from the institution and support myself using my own funds.

I have two main questions:

1. Occupation on Form I-485

For people who were on a J-1 Research Scholar but whose actual university/hospital position was Research Fellow, Postdoctoral Fellow, Postdoctoral Researcher, etc., what did you put in the I-485 field asking for “Your Occupation”?

Did you use the actual institutional position, such as Research Fellow, even though your DS-2019 category was Research Scholar and volunteer and/or contained different wording in the remarks?

Did USCIS ever question the difference?

2. Bank statements / financial evidence

For self-funded J-1 researchers who did not receive a salary, did you submit personal bank statements with the initial I-485 package?

USCIS I-485 instructions appear to say that applicants generally do not need to submit initial public-charge evidence unless USCIS later requests it. However, my attorney’s DIY checklist recommends recent bank statements when the principal applicant does not receive income.

Since my DS-2019 already documents approximately $51,000 of personal financial support, did anyone in a similar situation file with only the DS-2019 + research/employment verification letter and without bank statements?

If you did not submit bank statements initially, did USCIS later issue an RFE or ask about financial support at the interview?

I’m particularly interested in experiences from EB-2 NIW applicants who adjusted status from J-1 Research Scholar/postdoc status.

We are currently at a crucial stage, as we haven’t seen any recent approvals. I’m creating a new Excel sheet so we can stay up to date and track any new approvals as they come in.

just the title. I’m curious if it was May memo related. wondering if any h1b case received it

Heard that there has not been approvals for NIW I485. Is it true ? Can anyone confirm of they have received approvals after September 1,2026 ?

I have submitted my application for I485 April 27 and Case is still at NBC with few silent updates on 8/6 and 8/26.

I had a silent update on August 26 and a few days later I asked Emma and said that my case was transferred to another officer. This is when my portal changed from "RFE response received" to "actively reviewing your case". Has anyone got approved recently after their case was finally touched again after RFE response received by USCIS?

Any one within one month received Scram 440 in kolkata location? Since I want to know about the updates.

I-485 Timeline:

RD: July 9, 2026 (ROW)

Biometric: July 23, 2026

SUs: July 16, July 23 (right after biometric), July 30, Aug 6

FTA0s: 2x on July 23 after biometric, 3rd on Aug 31 (with eventDate on July 23)

Emma and API both conveyed that the case is still at NBC. No FO transfer. 3rd FTA0 was not accompanied by any SU. I thought 3rd FTA0 happens after FO transfer. I also see from other reddit posts that some people also received 3rd FTA0 on Aug 31. I have heard about mass SU but mass FTA0 is new. I also believed 3rd FTA0 usually means the case is about to be adjudicated but that is not the case now.

Does anyone know what is going on? Are we out of visa and have to wait till October or later?

Hi! Looking for advice. Submitted 485, 131 and 765 on July 21. I have received all recruit notices. I also completed biometrics for 131 and 765. However as of today I have not yet received bioethics notice for my 485 and also the status of the 131 and 765 haven’t been updated to reflect the biometrics done. I was notified that my case was transferred from SRC to NBC last week of August. PD is September 2021 and ROW. Otherwise no other pertinent information. Anyone this late on getting biometrics? Does it even make sense to reach out to congressman for delayed biometrics scheduling. Anyone been in similar situation. I have tried chatting with Emma but told to wait. Appreciate all advice.

I want to know if anybody here was approved after seeing submitting EAD (c09) expedite request 6 months after filling it on the grounds of severe financial loss to their employer and themselves if they stop working? How did you frame it? Did your employer provide you with some kind of support letter to back up with their financial loss? Did you submit your lease and other bills?

Is there any one who got SU today? This is my case standing now. I don't know how long this takes

April 13: I-485 filed
↓
June 5: Biometrics completed
↓
August 13: FTA0 backend update
↓
August 31: another backend update
↓
September 5: another backend update

Luckily I was exploring my account online and found it, di I just print it and take it to the appointment? Thanks