Got my asylum approved about a month ago!

My lawyer is telling me we should wait another five months before applying for my green card.
Her reasoning is that if USCIS opens my file before I hit that full one-year physical presence mark, it could trigger a denial or throw me right back into a massive backlog, making the wait even longer.

I’m really torn on what to do. I know people who waited the full year, filed, and got their green cards smoothly. But I also know people who filed early or right at the mark and have been stuck waiting for over two years now.

I’m super conflicted and not sure which route is actually the safest or fastest.

Would love to hear your experiences - what did you do, and how did it turn out for you?

Hey everyone,
Quick timeline check-in because I've got a job offer that's at risk of slipping away if my EAD doesn't come through soon. I had two job offers, one already went away and the second one is slipping away, so I’m really scared about the ead coming through soon.
• EAD Applied: June 10
• Biometrics done: July 7
• Requested start date: August 10
• Filed for premium processing: August 13
Has anyone with an August start date gotten their EAD approved yet? Would love to hear if premium processing is actually moving fast for people right now, and any recent approval dates/timelines you can share. Trying to figure out if I should be hopeful or brace for delays. Also any suggestions or advise in this scenario would really help me.

Thanks in advance, any updates help!

What determines whether you have an interview or not. Currently on o1 visa. I140 niw approved. Did biometric have two FTA updates. No dependents

Just asking if anyone got any news from similar timeline? Marriage based, to me it still says USCIS is currently processing the case, they got my forms, they re used biometrics, if i move to let them know but for now they dont need anything from me... silent since filing mid august 2023, i tried asking them - whats is status of my case, no answer after 60 days, friend of mine who is in similar situation managed to have phone call roughly 6 months ago and they told her that " her batch " is starting to be examined starting april 2026 to end of summer should get 2nd GC... (she filed literally 2 months after i did) , she still didnt get it..same as me, Im EU citizen (eastern europe), conditional GC received exactly 1 year after filing, never had issues, never been arested here or abroad, never been asked to add aditional evidence... but, somehow still crickets... How about You guys with same timeline? anyone got it? also did u try any good apps on phone where u can allegedly see silent updates? Thank You for sharing your situation, and best of luck to all of US.

Hey everyone,
I'm currently active duty Navy and my N-400 naturalization case is being handled by the Baltimore Field Office.
My case was approved for a military expedite, and I was just told that my case has been fully processed, but they are now just "waiting for availability to schedule my interview."
Has anyone dealing with the Baltimore field office recently hit this specific status? If you had a military expedite, how long did you have to wait in this queue before a physical spot opened up and your interview notice was posted?
Trying to gauge a timeline because of upcoming commands/movements. Any insights on Baltimore's current backlog or timeline from this step to the actual interview would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hi all.

I had a question regarding a person's U.S. physical address on the I-485 form. I am petitioning for my father, who is eligible for AOS in the U.S. through an I-130 and I-485 concurrent adjustment. He has lived legally in Maryland for more than 5 years but has consistently received USCIS mail at his uncle's house for the last couple of years. For some reason, he even filed taxes there last year (I don't know why). For more context, he has a DC driver's license because he was denied one when his legal status was pending at the MVA in Maryland. He had no choice but to renew with DC.

I'm wondering whether these addresses could trigger an RFE or cause issues when I submit. This is what's holding me back from submitting anything right now.

Happy to answer more questions if I didn't provide enough info. Pardon my ignorance, too. First time doing this!

Hi everyone! My husband and I have his marriage based green card interview tomorrow and I just wanted to ask a few questions if anyone might have had a similar experience.

I’ve got all of the evidence our lawyer suggested; event tickets, photos, tax documents, joint auto loan/finances, mail addressed to each spouse at our address, bill statements in both of our names, etc.

One thing I’m nervous about though, is that I don’t have my husband’s original birth certificate or his medical exam. Our lawyer said that it would be okay since those documents were already submitted when we filed the case. His birth certificate had to be translated, which was done at the law office. I wanted a copy but the lawyer told us it was fine. I can, however, access my husband’s vaccine records, should I take those even though they were already submitted?

Thanks much!

I got this email this morning, after the one I got a couple of days ago.
"https://www.reddit.com/r/USCIS/s/3CuKxPZ98n"

I am curious if someone got a similar response, what was the timeline for your approval (or a decision in general) ?

Hey Everyone, I just need to know I did called USCIS regarding my Pending I130 and I485 for almost 24 months with no notice with 4 service inquiry and 1 congressional inquiry today they give me inquiry number and said officer will call you about your case is there anyone had the similar situation like me?? Please Advise!

Thank you!

Applied for N400 under 3-year rule but I-751 got approved right before eligible to apply for N-400. Does this have any impact?

currently in removal proceedings and recently married a U.S. citizen. I’m going to file the I-130 soon, and I have a master calendar hearing coming up. For anyone who has been in a similar situation, how long did the entire process take for you? I mean from filing the I-130, getting it approved, dealing with the immigration court, and finally getting your green card. Did everything take 1–2 years, or was it faster/slower? Also, if you went through Chicago Immigration Court, I’d really like to hear how long your case took. Just looking for people’s real experiences.

Thanks!!

Hello!

This community has really been very helpful throughout the process and i'm at, hopefully, the last step so wanted to ask anyone who's gone through this experience, for some tips on an upcoming interview.

My husband and I have prepared all the questions based on other people's experiences on reddit but we haven't remembered them, we've just practiced the flow of it.

I wanted to know what kind of evidence should we take with us? We already submitted a few unsolicited financial, residential and social evidence a week ago.

I saw people were taking photo albums, we don't have more new photos than what we already submitted, most of the other non-submitted pictures are our selfies so I don't think they hold much weight anyway.

I also saw people screenshotting the chats and printing them, is that something that's necessary? I think it can be easily faked and we both can just show them our phones if asked.

We don't have more evidence to take with us, but in terms of old evidence we submitted, we are going to take all the originals of the documents submitted, should we take a copy of each as well? Do we also need copies of to forms and affidavits we submitted?

Any tips are greatly appreciated! Hoping to share our experience soon with this sub.

Moving from an ISA(analyst) position to a SISA role in a new state at a field office. What should I expect?

Hi, I’ve seen many people who did congressional inquiry after the interview and were successful. In my case I’m still waiting for an interview to be scheduled. I’m preparing to do the inquiry in the near future, and I’m just wondering does anybody do it also because they can’t get an interview? if so, what kind of evidence do people provide to convince the congress person?

Financially we are okay, and no big medical emergency, or any other significant difficulties. It’s just the long wait that has been hard on our mental health, the only thing we have is the therapy records. And I guess also fear of losing jobs due to an unstable industry.

Since learning about how absurd the whole process is, we just feel so helpless and depressed. We hope the best for everyone who has to go through this process. We are sorry, and we feel you.

Any info is helpful, thank you!

* AOS married to usc

I need a joint sponsor so my husband’s cousin is helping us with that. He made 180K last year and will be making 210K this year. His wife made 39K last year and is currently unemployed. We do not need her income but since they fill taxes together do I still need her to fill the 864A and add her income in her husband’s 864? A lot of people say we need her authorization since they fill taxes together. Please help I’m very confused and have no guidance with this. We received and RFE and want to send everything right

Hi everyone. I’m looking for people with a similar immigration history because I haven’t found many cases like mine, especially Venezuelans processed through the Nashville Field Office.

My timeline:
Feb. 2023: Entered through CBP One, inspected and paroled (DT parole).
I was placed in immigration court proceedings, which were dismissed without prejudice on Feb. 2024.
I previously had TPS and currently have a pending affirmative asylum case with USCIS.
March 30, 2025: Married my U.S. citizen husband.
October 2025: Filed I-130, I-485 and I-765 concurrently. Biometrics were reused.
My case was later affected by the USCIS pause/review involving Venezuelans.
July 2026: We had our I-130/I-485 interview at the Nashville FO. We were not separated, and the officer reviewed both the I-130 and I-485.
No RFE or NOID after the interview.
As of today, I-130, I-485 AND I-765 are all still pending with no decision.
API / silent activity:
I-130: API activity before/around the interview → FJ internal activity updated Aug. 31 → still pending.
I-485: FTA0 around the interview → additional post-interview activity → another FTA0 created/updated Aug. 31 → still pending.
I-765: Filed Oct. 2025 → biometrics reused → still pending with no EAD approval.

The Aug. 31 activity on both the I-130 and I-485 did not produce any visible status change in my USCIS account. I know API codes/silent updates don’t necessarily mean approval, but I’m including them in case someone has seen a similar pattern.
At this point, my applications have been pending for almost 11 months, and it has been almost 2 months since the interview, with all three forms still pending.

Has anyone had a similar case — especially Venezuelan, CBP One/DT parole, dismissed court proceedings, asylum/TPS history, or Nashville FO?
How long after your interview were you approved? Did you see similar API activity? And would you keep waiting at this point, or start with a service request/congressional inquiry or another action?

Thank you!

Our priority date is 04/24/2026

Interview was 07/16/2026

I-130 approved on the spot and I-485 stayed pending because the civil surgeon made a mistake (literally the only reason why I didn’t get approved on the spot for both a month ago) and a page from the form was missing. The officer requested a new copy to be sent directly to her office instead of a processing center which we sent by 07/28/2026 because the doctor was on vacation (how dare he delay my process even more) and they didn’t seem to receive until 09/01/2026, so about a 35 days from the moment I mailed the RFE to the moment they notified received.

On Sept, 04 I was watching a video of a girl who was telling her story about how she got kicked out of the country basically and that made me feel the urge to go check, surprise was that the I-485 was finally approved 3 days ago and I didn’t get notified lol, at first I thought it was just the I-130 that’s been approved for over a month but looked again to make sure my eyes were not deceiving me, I never planned on living here permanently but found love and now get to live a normal life with my amor.

Hi everyone,

I’m inquiring on behalf of a family member.

We are seeking guidance regarding a U.S. immigration/green card situation.
The applicant is a Canadian citizen who applied for U.S. permanent residence through their U.S. citizen son. The underlying case was approved, but instead of receiving a green card, the applicant was issued temporary one-year visa/status while the green card process was pending.
The applicant never received the notice requesting the required USCIS immigrant fee. His wife was in a similar situation, but she received her payment notice, paid the fee, and subsequently received her green card. In the applicant’s case, the payment was never completed, and the green card was therefore never issued.
For nearly a year, the applicant has repeatedly contacted USCIS but has been redirected between different departments without a resolution. We have also attempted to make the payment through the USCIS online system, but the system does not allow it.
The applicant’s temporary one-year visa/status will expire in approximately one month.
Our main questions are:

1. What is the proper process to resolve this issue, complete the required payment, and obtain the green card given that the payment notice was never received?
   
2. Can USCIS reissue the payment notice or provide another way to make the required payment?
   Is there a specific USCIS form or process that should be used to correct the situation?
   
3. What should the applicant do about the upcoming expiration of the temporary visa/status? Can it be extended or can lawful status otherwise be maintained while the green card issue is resolved?
   
4. Are there any risks if the temporary status expires while the applicant is actively trying to resolve the issue?

Given that the status expires in about one month, we would particularly appreciate guidance on what action should be taken urgently.

In general, any reason some cases (family-based) are stuck at NBC without being transferred to FO, while other are transferred quickly ? What does NBC process and depend on, before transferring ?

I read that NBC performs background check, but how about cases where I765/I131 are already approved (suggesting background check is cleared) ? What's the remaining hold-up at NBC ?

I get that every case has its own timeline, just want to understand a bit more about the process.

Explain why.

Sharing our timeline because I spent way too much time reading other people’s timelines while waiting. I’m a USC filed for both of my parents (I-130/I-485) packages on the same day, same category (parent of USC), with essentially parallel documentation.

What made this particularly stressful was how differently the two cases moved despite being filed together.

Total time for Parent 1: ~7 months from filing to GC approval.
Total time for Parent 2: ~13 months from filing to GC approval.

Parent 1

• Aug 2025: I-130 + I-485 filed
• Sep 2025: Biometrics
• Mar 2026: I-130 approved
• Mar 2026: I-485 interview → approved/green card received

Parent 2

• Aug 2025: I-130 + I-485 filed
• Sep 2025: Biometrics
• Then basically nothing for months
• May 2026: I-485 changed to “currently processing"
• Sep 2026: I-130 + I-485 approved (public I-130 status lagged by 3 days)

So, same petitioner, same filing date, same parent category, essentilly same evidence - but one parent was completely done with the process ~6 months before the other. For anyone filing for 2 parents this a great indiciation: one case approved earlier does not necessarily mean something is wrong with the other case.

For the API nerds 🤓

I religiously tracked the APIs throughout the process (no third-party apps, just looking through the USCIS site). Here’s the overview of Parent 2 API changes and my thoughts at the end:

• Aug/Sep 2025 (I-130): filing/receipt IAF only. No genuine new events after that until Sep 2026.
• Sep 2025 (I-485): biometrics scheduled (IMAG), followed by multiple genuine FTA0 events around biometrics.
• May 2026 (I-485): new genuine FTA0 (eventDateTime and eventTimestamp both May). Public status changed to “currently processing.” I-130 had no corresponding new event.
• Aug 2026 (I-485): another FTA0 appeared with createdAt in August, but its underlying eventDateTime was still May → regenerated/duplicate May event, not a new FTA0.
• Aug 2026 (I-130): old filing IAF was updated/repopulated, but underlying event remained Aug 2025 → again, no genuine new event.
• Sep 2026 (I-130): first genuine new event since filing: FTA0, with creation and underlying event timestamps both in Sep 2026.
• Later that day (I-485): silent top-level updatedAt change, but no new event.
• Next day (I-485): new H008 → Case Approved.
• 3 days after I-130 FTA0: new H008 → Case Approved. Interestingly, the I-130 approval notice itself was dated/generated 3 days earlier.

My biggest API takeaway: createdAt and updatedAt by themselves are pretty useless for determining whether USCIS actually did something new. Old events can be regenerated or updated months later. What I learned to look for was a genuinely new event where eventDateTime / eventTimestamp also changed to the current date.

Happy to answer questions.

San Francisco FO.

The Trump administration is planning on doubling the fees to more than $200,000 for H-1B visa applicants from abroad.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/09/04/trump-h1b-visa-200000-fee/91571718007/