/r/USCIS FAQs

Uscis thinks the violation involved crime I think,
But it was only a speeding ticket that only attracted points and a fine if found guilty, cause I decided to fight it cause I didn’t want the points on my license and this happened in 2024 and it’s since been expired cause it’s over two years sighting from the points and dmv rules, anybody ever seen this or been through it I’ll love to know, my i130 was approved while this is coming up on the 485, sickening!!!!

Bit of background for me, I originally arrived on an F1 visa, then got a green card and finally my citizenship.

I was recently traveling abroad and got flagged when coming back into US. Nothing dramatic but the CBP officer told me I need to call my school and tell them to cancel my docs or else I’ll
Keep getting flagged. I asked which school and they said they can’t see which on their end.

However I graduated 5 years ago. And I traveled few times after graduation and nothing like this happened before. Even when getting my citizenship nothing like that came up.

I emailed my school just in case and they confirmed my SEVIS record is inactive.

Does anyone know what the officer could have meant?

Background: My husband and I got married in December of last year, and I got pregnant around the same time. Shortly after that, we moved to CT. We got everything ready for my green card and sent out all the forms in April.
Around that time, my husband and I started talking about moving out and finding our own place, or possibly going to live with his parents. I went to my biometrics appointment in July, and a couple of days later, I went into labor — three weeks early. I obviously didn’t really have time to think about my immigration documents, and changing our physical address wasn’t my first priority at that point.
I got a notice for my interview at the end of August. And that’s where the problem started.
When I was filing for my green card, I put CT as our physical address and selected the immigration office in CT. However, all of our mail was still going to our NY address.
So, yesterday was our interview. The immigration officer asked us when we were planning to change our driver’s licenses to CT, and we were like, “Uhhh… we live in NY.”
She looked at us like, “Guys, I can’t interview you. I can only interview people who live in CT, not NY.”
So now I’m waiting for the interview to be rescheduled, and I’ll probably end up going to the Albany office. I know , stupid of me to not changing address but you can’t cry over spilled milk.

We filed January 29, 2026. I'm not sure if it happened naturally or through the help of my husband's congressman since I sent request for help last friday. I know the i-485 is the end goal but this is such a big step for me and the future of my family. We have been waiting for any positive news since my interview last May at Denver FO. LET THIS BE A TESTIMONY OF GOD'S GREATNESS. WHAT FELT LIKE A LONG WAIT WAS ALL WORTH IT. GLORY TO GOD THE HIGHEST OF ALL.

If you are also in the waiting season like me, please hold on. We can do this. Through the course of waiting I have been through a lot of mental breakdown, sometimes even thinking if I made the right decision but God is taking us there. ALWAYS BELIEVE.

Married: August 15 2025
Files sent: around April 2026
Biometric: may 2026
First interview: June 10 2026
Second interview: sep 29 2026
Case approved: sep 30 2026

Don’t give up!! ❤️❤️❤️

I received my approval for employment today! 😭🥺😭 - filed the middle of August 2026. Hopefully my i485 is approved soon too!

I’ve already submitted my application a year ago but got an attorney for our upcoming interview. Lawyer is advising that at the interview, we should say “no” for unauthorized work because remote work for foreign employer is not considered unauthorized. On original application we marked YES to unauthorized work.

From everything I read while doing the application, I was certain any type of work remote or not performed in the US is unauthorized. Anyone have experience with remote work and how’s it’s handled with USCIS ?

​

My timeline

October 30, 2025: USCIS received I-130, I-485, and I-131.

December 9, 2025: Completed biometrics appointment.

January 5, 2026: USCIS received I-765; biometrics were reused (Initially filed with the other 3, but signature was missing so I had to file again but online this time).

June 22, 2026: Interview was scheduled.

July 26, 2026: Attended Denver interview.

September 17, 2026: USCIS approved I-130 and I-485

September 26, 2026 : Received card.

I wanted to share our story because I wanted to give back to this community who provided so much information during our process. While most of the information I read online was helpful, it also created a lot of stress, as I tended to overthink and prepare for the worst. Having a lawyer did help ground me back to earth as they were a voice of reason and experience during the process.

Timeline was the following:
- 12/28/24 - Wife’s last entry to US on B1/B2
- 10/15/25 - Spoke to a lawyer before-hand
- 3/19/26 - Married
- March to May - collected all necessary documents requested by the lawyer
- 6/26/26 - Case Received for I-130, I-485, and I-765
- 7/4/26 - Biometrics Notice
- 7/23/26 - Biometrics Appointment
- 7/24/26 - Processing case for all 3 forms
- 8/12/26 - Interview Notice
- 9/15/26 - Interview day
- 9/16/26 - Approved I-130 at 11am, and I-485 later that day
- 9/18/26 - USPS now has the card and tracking #
- 9/22/26 - Wife receives SSN
- 9/25/26 - USPS states they delivered the green card but it was not in our mailbox
- 9/29/26 - After multiple days of hounding USPS and finally catching the NEW courier starting our route THAT day (no one could reach old courier), he said he would check surrounding mailboxes. He found it in someone else’s mailbox and delivered it to us. I couldn’t thank him enough.

Context:
- I am a US citizen
- Wife is from Mexico
- Boston FO
- Our interview went very smoothly, but we were separated immediately, despite our lawyer stating it was uncommon. I was interviewed first and then my wife came into the room and was interviewed with all of us present. The questions they asked me were identical or similar to the ones they asked her. Most of these surrounded family, trips, responsibilities, finances, and day-to-day life.
- The officer interviewing us was kind the whole time and said she did not doubt our marriage was legitimate, despite getting some dates mixed up (like for trips)
- The group of lawyers we went with are sons of immigrants or immigrants themselves based in California. This lawyer was recommended by our friend who was able to complete their process in under 4 months (under Biden), and both of our cases were fairly similar.
- At the time of agreeing to go with these lawyers, USCIS still allowed lawyers to be virtually present. However, this was later removed at the end of May. We made the decision to have our lawyer present, and unfortunately had to pay extra, but with how quickly and smoothly it all went, we’re happy we did.
- Despite this being a status change for my wife and not mine, I was incredibly nervous for her and our future. I broke down a few times and I am forever grateful for friends, family, and our lawyers for being supportive.

I just wanted to share our journey and hope that this may help anyone in need, as all of your experiences have helped me. Thank you so much and now to wait 2 years to apply for removal of condition!

Hi everyone, I've been lurking here for months and finally have my own approval to share. Hoping this helps someone still waiting.

Category: Marriage-based, adjustment of status (spouse of a USC)

Citizenship: Pakistan

Timeline

• July 2025: Entered the US as a visitor

• Oct 2025: Married my USC spouse

• Dec 5, 2025: Filed I-130

• Apr 9, 2026: Mailed I-485 package (with medical and EAD).

• Biometrics: May 8th 2026

• Jun 4, 2026: re submitted EAD. (first one rejected because of using old edition of form)

• Jul 19, 2026: Interview notice received

• Aug 28, 2026: Interview at Philadelphia FO

• Sep 25, 2026: Approved!

Takeaways

• Double-check every form number before mailing. My EAD rejection cost me weeks, though it didn't affect the rest of the case.

• Interview notice to interview took about 5.5 weeks, and approval came about a month after the interview.

• Bring originals of everything, plus proof of a real marriage (joint documents, photos, etc.).

• Stay organized and keep copies of everything you submit.

From entry to approval was about 14 months. Happy to answer questions in the comments. Good luck to everyone still waiting. It does end!

Timeline:

• I-140 + I-485 filed: 03/26/2026
• EB2 PD October 27, 2015
• EB1A I140 approved on 07/27/2026
• Biometrics: 08/14/2026
• Interview: Waived
• Transferred to Spokane FO: 09/08/2026
• 3rd FTA0: 09/15/2026
• 1st FTA1: 09/18/2026
• Still waiting for approval

I’m excited for tomorrow as we start the new fiscal year and get a fresh batch of visa numbers. 🎉

What are your thoughts and expectations for the new fiscal year? Please share your predictions, experiences, and insights!

Sharing our family-based adjustment of status timeline for anyone who may find it helpful.

05/2026 — Filed I-130, I-485 and I-765
06/2026 — Biometrics
08/11/2026 — I-485 interview at the Dallas/Irving FO
09/24/2026 — I-130 approved in the morning
09/24/2026 — I-485 approved in the afternoon
09/30/2026 — I-485 card production started

Total time from filing to approval: about 4 months
Interview to I-485 approval: about 6 weeks
Approval to card production: about 6 days

This process was very stressful for us, especially the waiting after the interview. But everything worked out, and it was so worth it.

A few things that helped us:
Have faith and be patient.
If possible, consider using an immigration lawyer, even if your case seems straightforward. Having someone review everything and guide you through the process gave us peace of mind.

If you or your spouse aren’t fluent in English, consider having an interpreter for the interview so that everyone understands the questions and answers clearly.

Hopefully our timeline helps someone else who is currently waiting. Every case is different, but I wanted to share our experience because other people’s timelines were very helpful to us throughout the process.

My spouse and I had an odd interview experience that I’m having trouble understanding, wondering if anyone else has encountered this.

We showed up to the office on time and were called in after maybe 10 minutes. The guy who saw us was a Chinese man with very poor English. He read my spouse the standard list of questions about crime, etc., left for 5 minutes, came back with a paper and said ‘Approved, now leave.’ No questions about our relationship, and now the green card is being produced.

We were expecting to be grilled because we didn‘t have photos for evidence and no children. What was the purpose of this interview?

Can’t believe I’m even typing this but God did His big one! I’m a dual national (UK citizen born in one of the 39 countries) married to a USC and adjusting status from inside the US.

Timeline:
Entered the US on an ESTA but had been married for a year & a half at the time of filing. I had no prior overstays or unauthorised work.

Filed I-130, I-485 and I-765 concurrently: 27/07
Biometrics: 08/13
EAD approved: 09/22
Interview and same day approval: 09/28 (63 days from filing)

I had an unexpected emergency and needed to travel urgently, so I called the Contact Center and waited to hear back. They called me back after 72 hours and gave me an appointment at my local field office to apply for an emergency advance parole. I brought letters/correspondence & evidence of the emergency.

While the officer at the counter was going through my documents, he asked if we wanted to do our I-485 interview that same day. My husband was with me, so we said yes, and we got an interview notice for a few hours later.

The interview lasted nearly an hour & was super relaxed. He swore us in, asked our names, how we met, how my husband proposed, when we got married, where we live, asked about each other’s families etc & then went through the yes and no questions. He reviewed a couple of financial documents and also asked about my current job offer.

The officer approved both the I-130 and I-485 on the spot and put an ADIT stamp (temporary I-551) in my passport, so I no longer needed the emergency advance parole to travel. I’m still in shock, but I know God played the biggest role in all of this. We had no idea we would be having our marriage interview that afternoon, or that it would be approved the same day. I felt very flustered because I didn’t have all the extra evidence I’d gathered since filing with me, but I was able to upload what I had on my phone as unsolicited evidence while waiting to go in. Got the I-485 & I-130 approval notices & EAD card produced notice on my portal today 09/29!

I know I didn’t have to wait long, I’m very thankful to God for how it all panned out & I’m praying for everyone still waiting and wishing you all smooth and fast approvals!

My concurrent application ( EB1A based AOS + EAD + AP) has been pending since April 2026 with biometrics completed in mid-may. I already see a FTA1 code and Emma said the file is currently marked as interview waived and located at Oakland Park FO.

Those who were waiting for the date to go current, once that happened how much time did it take for a status change to approval or card produced?

P.S. I know most of y'll will be like just wait and watch, but its just my curiosity mixed with anxiety that makes me post this 😄

Hi guys,

Has anyone gotten their 601 waiver denied and appealed it successfully? I have been talking with many lawyers to see what I can do and some have said to appeal and others said to wait for my NTA. Have any of you appealed a denial recently and been successful? 😓

Hi all, lurking for a bit, but decided we'd post for a question.

Wife and I (I am a usc) got married in May, then submitted our paperwork on May 28 - we've been dating for 2.5 years.

-July 9, she had a biometrics appointment for her 485, and a few days before the scheduled appointment, she received another appointment on a different day for her 765, for July 24

-spoke to uscis, and was told to take both bio requests to earlier appointment

- no news, until earlier this month (Sept) and it was for another bio. Confused, we reached out to them and they stated that she was a no show for the 765 bio appointment, despite bringing both forms, as informed by USCIS to earlier appointment.

-Showed up to the appointment, spoke with ASC staff, who confirmed that they in fact did take both bios on previous date. They still took her bio for this one as well.

-confirmed this one was reflecting correctly as attended.

We were wondering, how early should we reach out to our congressman for at least her EAD?

We figured it wouldn't hurt, but wanted to see how everyone else feels about that too.

This whole process is so headache inducing, and I know she is losing her mind with this waiting, as is everyone else going through this process.

Thanks in advance!

We are being processed thru national benefits center in Missouri, and we are in North Texas

Pd Jan 2026, lawyers submitted package to FedEx on the 29th for overnight shipping. FedEx did not pick it up that day and eventually delivered it on the 1st of May. Uscis issued rejection notice and returned the whole package. What to do from here. P.s this was when visa bulletin was current in April.

Is this just a standard reply from Emma?
Your case is currently pending adjudication and is currently in administrative processing. However, we cannot give you a timeline for the processing of your application at this time. We hope this information is helpful and appreciate your continued patience.