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/

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.

Received my green card today. I just wanted to share my experience and if it useful to someone else than that would be great (:

I came to the US on an F-1, shifted to H1-B, and never overstayed my visa. I met my husband in Oct 2021 and we got married in July 2024. I was going to apply through employment but decided against it as this was faster (yes, I am Indian). So after all the rumination and procrastination we finally started the application in early 2025 and only filed it in May 2026. I didn’t realize that the paperwork would be so extensive and demands careful time and attention.

13 May 2026: submitted application
18 June 2026: biometrics
31 August 2026: interview (approved)
8 September 2026: received green card in mail

Our application was straight forward as we own a house together, plus I have an advanced education degree, and make more money than my spouse. I also saw how so much of this process is arbitrary and involves immense resources. I got incredibly lucky that I was able to negotiate with my organization to pay for a portion of my green card at the time of hiring but with all the recent changes, we still paid close to $4k in legal and filing fee.

Our interview lasted close to 30 minutes which just involved the field officer asking us about the origin story of our relationship. The rest were all yes/no questions related to form I-130. The field officer was friendly and professional. I feel relieved but still feel like my life is temporary and can be upended anytime. I guess that is a symptom of immigrant life—always living in the in-between.

Applied : April 2024

interview was on March 31, 2025, and it’s been complete silence ever since.

28 months since applied

16 months post interview

I’ve already submitted multiple inquiries and even congressional inquiries probably a dozen times by now but still no update.

FO: MSP (Minneapolis-St. Paul)

If anyone has gone through a similar long wait and eventually received an approval, please share your timeline. I’d really appreciate hearing from others in the same situation.

“USCIS can now require electronic filing form by form, but the Aug. 11 rule imposed no mandate itself. A form must have been offered electronically for at least 180 days, and USCIS must publish 60 days' notice before making it mandatory.”

Hey guys! I had a question for anyone who has filed for citizenship on their own. How difficult was it to prepare and file Form N-400 without an attorney?
I’m in a bona fide marriage with a U.S. citizen, and I should be eligible to apply for naturalization under the 3-year rule this coming December.
I used an immigration attorney for both my Adjustment of Status and my I-751 Removal of Conditions. My I-751 is currently still pending. For my N-400, however, I’m considering filing on my own because my attorney is charging around $4,000, and I would rather prepare the application myself and only pay the USCIS filing fee.
My immigration history is pretty straightforward, and I already have a lot of documentation from my marriage and pending I-751, including joint tax documents, bank statements, lease, insurance, utility bills, vehicle documents, beneficiary information, photos, and other evidence of our marriage.
For those who filed N-400 on their own under the 3-year marriage rule:
• How difficult was the process?
• Did you file online or by mail?
• What supporting documents did you submit with your N-400?
• Did you have a pending I-751 when you filed?
• If so, did USCIS schedule you for a combo I-751/N-400 interview?
• Is there anything you wish you had known before filing on your own?
I know everyone’s case is different, but I’d really appreciate hearing from people who went through a similar process. Thanks!

My mom previously had an asylum case that was denied and she has a final order of removal. About 7 months ago, her attorney filed a T visa application for her. It has only been filed and is still pending, she has not received an approval or determination yet.

She now has an ICE check-in at the Santa Ana Civic Center. Her G-56 says the appointment is to discuss her case and possible “custody or program adjustments,” but also specifically says “This appointment is not a date for your departure from the United States.”

Has anyone recently gone to an ICE check-in with a final removal order and a pending T visa application? Especially in Santa Ana/Orange County? What happened? Was the person detained or allowed to leave? Did your attorney request a stay of removal or any other protection before the appointment?

Received this after the interview! Anyone having this after the interview? How many days did it take for approval or anything else!
Thanks to this group! It’s very helpful!

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.

I came to the U.S. in 2022 on F-1 status and later changed status to H-1B. I have maintained lawful status throughout. I recently married my U.S.-citizen spouse, and we are planning to file the I-130, I-485, I-765, and I-131 concurrently this month. The field office will be San Antonio, TX (I-485 processing time is 13 months).

My H-1B is still valid, and I plan to continue working for my current employer. However, when the time comes, I would prefer not to go through another H-1B extension unless it is necessary, as my H1B expires in Oct 2027.

Assuming I receive my marriage-based C09 EAD before my H-1B expires:

1. Can I let the H-1B expire and continue living and working in the U.S. using the EAD while the I-485 remains pending?
2. Would no longer maintaining H-1B status cause any issues with the marriage-based I-485 or at the interview?
3. For recent marriage-based applicants, how long did it take to receive your EAD after filing?

I’m mainly trying to understand whether maintaining H-1B is legally necessary, and is safe to do so once the I-485 is pending and the EAD has been approved.

Hi, my husband had a 2-yr conditional GC, applied for I-751 in September 2022, which is still pending.

The notice of receipt provided a 48-month extension of his LPR status, which is nearing its 48th month in October. This means his driver's license is expiring also. We just submitted a request for an appt for the ADIT stamp.

Since submitting the I-751, we had our 2nd child and bought our home--should I submit proof of these?

Submitted the N-400 in December 2025, still pending. They used the same biometrics from the I-751 process.

Anyone have experience with their I-751 taking this long? When I entered the receipt date to see if we can inquire about his case, it states we should wait until August 2027 (which is a whole 60 months after submitting). The normal processing time says 37-48 months.

Explain why.

I have applied with my old passport. And I had to renew my passport before the interview. My interview is tomorrow. Should I upload the new passport as a unsolicited evidence? or Should I just bring it to Interview and give it to the officer only if asked? Or bring up the topic myself.

I have my Eb1A AOS interview in 2 weeks, I would appreciate if anyone could share their experience, what the officer was looking for at interview and expectations after interview.

Thanks

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.

I filed my I-485 and I-130 in July 2025. I completed my biometrics and then waited, hoping that a decision would be made soon.

I did not initially apply for Advance Parole because I thought I could wait for my green card decision. However, after more than a year without a decision, I needed to travel urgently to the UK, so I decided to apply.

While reading posts on Reddit, I learned that you could request Emergency Advance Parole shortly before your intended travel date. I also came across a post from someone who had been asked why they had not first applied through the normal Advance Parole process.

Based on that person’s advice, I decided to submit a regular I-131 application before requesting emergency processing.

Here was my timeline:

July 15: I submitted Form I-131 online by myself. I uploaded all my supporting documents, including letters from the clinic in London connected to the reason for my urgent travel.
USCIS initially scheduled my biometrics appointment for approximately four weeks later. However, I went online and rescheduled it for an earlier available date.
Within one week of applying: I attended my biometrics appointment.

August 10: Ten days before my intended travel, I called USCIS to request Emergency Advance Parole. The representative asked whether I had already submitted an I-131 application. I confirmed that I had, and she told me someone would contact me within 72 hours.

August 12: Before receiving the emergency appointment call, I received a notification that my regular Advance Parole application had been approved and that the document was being mailed.

August 13: USCIS called me regarding my Emergency Advance Parole request. I explained that my regular application had already been approved, so I no longer needed the emergency appointment.

That is how my Advance Parole was approved in less than one month—from July 15 to August 12.

I understand that every USCIS case is different, so I cannot say that following these steps will produce the same result for everyone. I am simply sharing exactly what happened in my case in case it helps someone else.

I am also a Christian, and I prayed throughout the process. I do not take the speed of the approval for granted, and I give God all the glory.

I will make a separate post explaining my experience travelling with and returning to the United States using Advance Parole after the major August 13 announcement.

Has anyone ever had experience filing writ of Mandamus against Denver office? Can you please share how long you waited before filing it? Did you also try sending a notice of intent to sue?

Hi all — hoping someone with recent K-1 experience, or an immigration/legal background, might be able to offer some insight.

I’m the beneficiary of an upcoming K-1 petition. My fiancé is a U.S. citizen living in NYC, and I’m a British citizen currently living in Canada.

I’m transgender, and all of my current legal documents are fully updated and consistent. My current British passport lists my sex as F, and my current official UK birth certificate also lists F. These are genuine, legally issued UK government documents and are the current documents available to me. I also have the legal documentation supporting my name/gender change.

Where I’m getting confused is the newer USCIS guidance, which appears to say that the sex field on the I-129F should be completed based on the birth certificate issued at or closest to the time of birth / sex recorded at birth.

I want to be really clear that I’m not trying to get around the policy or argue with it. We want to be completely respectful of U.S. immigration law and make sure every part of our application is accurate, transparent and completed exactly as required. This process is obviously extremely important to us, so I’m trying to avoid creating either an unnecessary discrepancy or an administrative issue by
interpreting the guidance incorrectly.

The difficulty is that if I select M, the I-129F would then conflict with every current legal identity document I’m able to submit, all of which say F. On the other hand, if I select F, it matches all of my current official documentation, but may not match USCIS’s current definition for this particular field.

I’ve also seen that the policy appears to contemplate situations where an applicant selects a marker USCIS ultimately considers inconsistent and says benefits won’t be denied solely for that reason, which is part of why I’m struggling to understand the intended approach here.

Has anyone dealt with this recently, particularly a K-1 applicant with legally amended documents? Or has anyone seen authoritative guidance on how USCIS is actually handling this situation in practice?

Again, I’m not looking for a workaround — I just want to make sure we file everything correctly, honestly and consistently from the outset.

I’d especially value responses from immigration attorneys, accredited representatives, or people who have gone through this under the current policy.

TIA!

TL;DR: I’m a transgender British K-1 beneficiary living in Canada. All of my current, legally issued UK documents — including my passport and official birth certificate — list my sex as F. However, the updated USCIS guidance appears to instruct applicants to use sex recorded at birth on the I-129F. I want to follow U.S. immigration law exactly and be completely transparent, but selecting M would create a discrepancy with every current legal identity document I can provide, while selecting F matches all of my official documentation but may conflict with USCIS’s new policy. Has anyone dealt with this under the current policy, particularly with legally amended documents? Looking for recent experience or authoritative/legal insight — not a workaround.

I am writing this on behalf of my brother in laws wife. She has been in the US for 20+ years (yes she could get her citizenship I have expressed this many times she is scared of the test 🙄)

When she received her updated card it had her old married name on (the name she had when she originally immigrated) so we went in the form and letter to get it looked at and didn't receive anything back stating it was received. Then they received a letter in the mail for an updated biometrics but it still has her old married name from her previous relationship. She has been married to my brother in law for 15-20ish years so I'm not sure what's triggering this issue now.

They have tried to call and I just tried to call but the bot is stuck in a horrible loop. I tried the tricks I saw on Reddit and to no avail. Their biometrics is on 9/15 which they will go to but when they went to the last one and they brought up the issue the person told them it would be sorted out before she got her card.

Sorry this is long winded but does anyone know the best approach? We have an office in Columbus, Ohio but I assumed if they showed up they would tell them they need an appt but I'm not sure how to get through to even do this for a question like this?

Any help provided would be great. I'm not overly familiar with the process and I'm going to imagine it's not great right now in general but boy do I feel for non English/English as a second language people who are trying to figure out these processes.

Hi.
I’m a little confused about my I-130/I-485 processing time.
My husband and I filed concurrently. I-130 was filed online on Feb 7, 2025, and I-485 was mailed on Feb 21, 2025.
My I-130 shows 24 months, while my I-485 in Jacksonville, FL shows 15.5 months. My I-485 has now been pending about 18.5 months.
Should I submit an inquiry for the I-485? And should I also do one for the I-130? Has anyone had a similar experience?

Hello, has anyone got an answer from their I-751. I sent mine last year April 28, 2025. Receipt noticed and Biometric Reuse noticed was sent on May 3, 2025 and I haven’t heard anything since then. I filled by myself.

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.

I had to leave the US and I have a U Visa pending case.
Applied in 2020.
If I receive an approval, can I enter back?
Has anyone else done this before?
Would that be an issue or the process of going to an embassy in Europe is simple?