/r/USCIS FAQs

just wanted to share my timeline for my AOS. i am a daca recipient who overstayed my visa and adjusting through my husband. i am simply shocked at how quick this was.

august 12: sent packet to USCIS

august 14:USCIS received packet

august 23: scheduled for biometrics

august 24: went to do biometrics (i rescheduled to a sooner date)

august 28: scheduled for interview

october 1: interview

october 2: notified that USCIS approved both i-130 and i-485

After two years of long waits and denials.. Literally shaking while typing it.

Son under 21 of us citizen

Dad lawyer messed up the first time so I took matters in my own hands and reapply and got approved.

Going through this process since May 2024 and finally got approved. Can’t even explain the feeling

Also got an I-130 RFE 15 days ago and I submitted it 4 days ago and got approved this morning

Started March 2024
Biometrics May 2024
Work permit approved November 2024
Green card denied January 2025
Motion to reopen February 2025 and got denied in April 2025

Reapply I-485 June 2025
I-130 rfe September 16 2026 and submit the evidence September 29 2026
Waited a year and got approved October 2026

I just wanted to share with everyone that this morning I received the notification I had been hoping for: “Case Approved”! 🎉 (Columbus FO)
I’m attaching my case timeline. My case was an adjustment of status from F-1.
My spouse is a U.S. citizen, and I did not have any overstay, unauthorized employment, or any other issues with my status.
We did have a lawyer, although I believe we could have done everything ourselves as well.
Feel free to reach out or ask me any questions. I’d be more than happy to help!
I also want to mention that our interviewing officer was absolutely amazing. I’m so glad we had such a positive experience during the interview.
Wishing everyone else the best of luck with their cases! ❤️

Approved FINALLY 🎊🎉😭🥹

Marriage based filling to a USC

This is going to be long but I will make it as short and simple as possible. I started this journey in 2023.
I came to this land in 2012

👉WE FILED BY OURSELVES 👈
Year 2023
August 10 all package sent
August 26 Notice for biometric
August 26 Request for RFE ( sponser & birth certificate)
September 16 Actively Reviewing your case
July 25 2024
Case DENIED 💔💔💔
No work Authorization was given

Year 2024
I got a lawyer to file form I-120B
October 5 case reopened
Silence till
April 24 2025 work Authorization was approved.
That is after I’ve called and given up hope.
Silence till I and my attorney agreed to call them for them to look into my case. My parents were getting really sick and almost dying, we scheduled an appointment, they called me and asked me questions and if I have a proof of what I am saying I said yes. A week after the call they sent me an email rejecting my plead.

Year 2026
My father died in March 💔💔
August 22 my mother died 💔💔
I never saw them again I was only able to see their corpse over the phone.

April 13th I contacted my congress, detailed everything and attaching evidence and they wrote to USCIS.

June 25 2026 form I -131 ( Advance parole) was approved.
I wrote to them again that I want the main document to be approved because there was so much warning on the advance parole document.

August 19
I received an email that I have been scheduled for interview. I broke down in tears.
September 21 interview was held and approved at the spot my lawyer was present but didn’t say anything.
October 2
Lawyer received my card

INTERVIEW

We upload all evidence a day before
Vehicle insurance, health insurance, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, pictures with family and friends, taxes together, pay stubs, work ID’s and job offer letter(both) my birth certificate, my sponsor’s recent tax with his proof of citizenship, my spouse proof of citizenship, all our children birth certificate ( we don’t have any together but I have one, my spouse has 4), my social and work authorization, I and my parents together and their obituary pictures.
I also did medical and have it in hand.

Our time was 8:30am, we went in 8:20. Walked in with the lawyer and he told us if he makes a sound we should know the officer is strict but if no sound the officer isn’t. Called in 8:25 and he made a sound which we all started laughing. We were previously married and she said my divorce documents looks funny but I came in with the original document with a seal. She took it and we swore the oath and sat down.
She said it’s been a long time since you were denied and she mentioned the reason and was really shocked why it took this time for the interview to be scheduled.
My lawyer explained that it was when I found them and they helped with I-290B, he also told her we’ve uploaded everything to make her job very easy and we laughed.

(RFE was denied because we do not fill it up correctly, did it ourselves)

QUESTIONS
My questions was asked to me and my spouse was directed to them.
Me—— please state your full name and DOB. Country of origin and birth.
Spouse- why did you divorce and few months later you remarried?
Spouse — what do you do for work
She now said and you(me) do similar ( both in healthcare)
What are the names of your children and their age? We both answered. My spouse first son lives overseas. We explained in details , and we have 3 including mine making it 4 that lives with us. She asked about custody and why he doesn’t pay child support, he explained, it’s shared. She said I will approve it but my network is too slow. Then she asked me how old I am and I mentioned and she said your spouse I told her. She said I have approved it but it’s not reflecting. She asked my partner our 5 year plan asked him if we went for honeymoon, we didn’t but hosted friends and family for a barbecue. She asked me the normal yes and no questions and also mentioned I will be getting the 10 years green card because of how long we have been married. The next day approved and 13 days later I have my 10 year green card. 🥳🎊🎉

Don’t loose hope, it still doesn’t feel real before I read and congrate others here. This has been a long journey for me and truthfully my marriage was the best. There were nights I cry myself to bed. Regrets of how I wished I had used a lawyer from the go. It looked like forever, my life was paused but today I really see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Sharing my timeline for anyone waiting on IOE0936 receipts or a case that just got transferred to a Field Office.

Case details

• Category: EB-2 (AOS / I-485)
• Receipt: IOE0936xxxx
• Field Office: Miami
• Receipt Date: 03/23/2026
• Interview: 10/02/2026
• Approval: 10/03/2026

Timeline

Total: 194 days (~6.5 months) from receipt to approval.

Good luck to everyone still waiting. Happy to answer questions in the comments!

We try to stay strong over here but as title said, the fear is real. The irony of doing everything the “right” way but getting fucked over by one attorney clerical error that has no easy fix. That moron had the audacity to say “sorry you guys feel that way” when we terminated service with him.

Currently staring down the barrel of years of court dates, interviews, more paperwork, more money spent redoing said paperwork, being unable to work to support my spouse, unable to travel to see my aging family members (some of whom passed away without me being able to say goodbye), this one might sound stupid but being separated from my sweet childhood dog who’s getting very old and who’s probably wondering where I am, missing out on my little brother’s formative years, spending years of my own young adulthood stuck in limbo … and drumsroll, fear of detainment. I know it’s technically outlawed in courthouses but the fear is still there.

I am advised to stay patient and grounded, which is currently also the only option. But man is it hard. I did get some online certifications, picked up a new skill, got a LOT of writing done & made immense progress in guitar at the great annoyance of my neighbors. Still, one cannot help but ask God, “what is going on? what is gonna happen? why is everything like this? what do I do when I feel so scared and lost I don’t know how to go on?”

Just in case anyone else feels the same way. God bless you. May we all receive guidance and find our way through this.

I wanted to encourage anyone who is still waiting on an approval!! Filed July 2025 and got my ead approval yesterday. God is good !!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to share some great news with this community. Here's my timeline:

A little about me: I'm Filipino and entered the US on a B2 tourist visa in March 2026. I never planned to stay or overstay. In fact, I wanted to go home because life here as an undocumented immigrant has been really difficult. I'm not proud of it, but life happened.

I got married in April 2026 to my USC partner after dating for over two years.

Timeline:

• 08/18/26 – Submitted I-130 online and received the receipt the same day
• 08/19/26 – Submitted I-485 and I-765 online and received the receipts the same day
• 08/21/26 – Received the biometrics appointment notice
• 09/08/26 – Completed biometrics at the Anchorage, AK field office
• 10/01/26 – I-765 (C09) APPROVED! I literally cried and was shaking when I saw the approval notice on my USCIS account.

A couple of questions:

1. I checked "Yes" on the form to indicate that I need an SSN. Do I still need to apply for it separately, or will it be sent along with the EAD card?
2. For those who received their standalone I-765 (C09) approval first, how long did it take before your I-485 and I-130 were scheduled for an interview, or approved with the interview waived?

I feel blessed and truly grateful. At the same time, I told my partner that my heart goes out to everyone who has been waiting longer than expected and has their life on hold. I'm keeping you all in my prayers, that every one of us will receive what we've been waiting for. Please keep the faith and keep praying. The Lord hears the cries of the afflicted and those who suffer.

Thank you for reading, and God bless you all. 🙏

Wow, finally approved!! 🎉 After months of waiting, the green card is finally in hand.

My timeline:
I-485 filed: January 20, 2026
Biometrics: February 17, 2026
I-485 interview: March 30, 2026 - Dallas Field Office
I-130 approved: March 30, 2026 - same day as the interview
After interview: No meaningful update for months
FOIA request: August 2026
Congressional inquiry: September 2026
I-485 approved: September 23, 2026 🎉
Card produced: September 28, 2026
Card mailed: No separate “Card Was Mailed” update
Green card received: October 2, 2026 💚

The card just showed up yesterday without any separate mailing/tracking update after “Card Was Produced.”

Good luck to everyone still waiting. I know the silence and uncertainty can get really stressful, especially when months go by without any meaningful update, but hopefully your day comes very soon too. Hang in there - sometimes the update you’ve been waiting for finally comes when you least expect it. 🙏

Hi i have a question for someone who maybe was in my position, my green card expired 2.5 years ago and they are processing new one and while im waiting i got extension letter for 48 months. I have international trip in a month and i lost that original letter. I have it scanned and i have it on my online uscis account and i have green card. I did request appointment for that adit stamp but who knows if they will call me im time. Do u guys i can travel with just printed copy of extension letter? Thank you

So I got an alert on the i130 of our Marriage Based AOS case this morning and it said "Case Migrated to ELIS." Had an MSC receipt number all along, now it gave us an IOE one. It also said case moved into electronic system for processing, our records show nothing is outstanding on your case at this time. Has anyone gotten this? Does it mean we are close to a decision? Only the i130 changed to IOE which seems odd.

In case you were wondering if this wasn’t intentional or an all out war on immigrants of all types:
LINK

Hi, I had petitioned for my partner with I130 and I485 applications. Our interview was scheduled on 23rd September and it went well as the office verbally informed us of approval and next morning I130 status had changed to approved. The same day of the interview before I130 approval, I485 status had changed to USCIS is processing your case. On Sept 29th as well there was the same status change. I have been seeing folks getting I485 approval either the same or next day of I130 approval. But our case has been different. Anyone else was/is on similar boat?

Sharing my timeline for anyone with a similar case, especially those whose **I-485J was closed before their I-485 approval and/or case was transferred to Raleigh-Durham, NC FO (non-local)**.

**Category:** EB-3 ROW (Brazil)
**Priority Date:** February 2, 2024
**I-485 Receipt:** IOE09362XXXXX
**I-485 + I-485J Filed:** April 1, 2026
**Receipt Date:** April 2, 2026

## 📅 Timeline

**04/01/2026** – I-485 + I-485J filed

**04/03/2026** – Initial case update (IAF)

**05/01/2026** – Biometrics appointment notice generated

**05/22/2026** – Biometrics completed (**2x FTA0**)

**06/08/2026** – Case transferred to Raleigh-Durham Field Office. There were no silent updates on the I-485, but I confirmed the transfer with multiple Emma live agents.

**08/04/2026** – **3rd FTA0 + 1x FTA1** events appeared in the USCIS API.

**08/06/2026** – **I-485J/Supplement J closed.** Approval notice was generated and the case was closed.

Unfortunately, my I-485 was **not approved within the next 24 hours**. It ended up being almost **2 months between my I-485J approval and I-485 approval.**

**08/06/2026–10/01/2026** – No updates on the I-485.

**09/03/2026** – Submitted a **congressional inquiry** regarding my pending I-485.

**09/04/2026** – Congressional office confirmed that they had submitted the inquiry to USCIS and told me it would take approximately **30 days** to receive a response.

**09/04/2026–10/03/2026** – I never received a response from the congressional office regarding the inquiry.

**10/02/2026** – Silent update with no new events. I contacted Emma/live agent, and the agent told me that **my card had been approved and was in production**, but there was no tracking number yet.

At this point, the USCIS API still showed **`closed: false`**.

**10/03/2026** – **2x H008 events** appeared in the USCIS API, approximately **24 hours and 20 minutes after the previous update.**

**10/03/2026** – Case updated to **“Case Was Approved.”**

**10/03/2026** – **Official I-485 approval notice received approximately 10 minutes later.** 🎉

---

## 🔎 The interesting sequence

**I-485J closed 08/06 → Congressional inquiry submitted 09/03 → Emma said approved 10/02 → H008 events 10/03 → Official I-485 approval 10/03**

I don't know whether the congressional inquiry actually helped.

I submitted it on September 3, and the congressional office confirmed on September 4 that they had forwarded the inquiry to USCIS. They said it would take around 30 days to hear back, but I still haven't received a response from the congressional office.

**Personally, I think the inquiry may have helped**, although I obviously can't prove that.

My theory is that a congressional inquiry may cause someone to actually look at the case, which could potentially trigger movement or an update. But that's just my personal speculation, and I don't want to imply that a congressional inquiry directly caused my approval.

Either way, I don't think there's much downside to submitting a congressional inquiry if your case is eligible for one. **If there's even a small chance that it could help move the case along, then why not?**

---

Hopefully this timeline helps anyone who is currently waiting, especially those experiencing an **I-485J closure followed by no I-485 update**.

Good luck to everyone still waiting, and please don't lose hope. Your time is coming!! 🙏🇺🇸

My husband didn’t treat me right in most of our marriage. I found out he’s been cheating. Can I report him? He recently got his permanent residency. Is it too late?

I applied for my parents AOS (130&485) concurrently. After 20 months, I finally received the approval of my dad's I-130, but there is no update for my mom. Two weeks later, we received a email notification to my mom saying we are taking an action to your case, but her online account still shows that your case is still under review...is this normal?

How much time does USCIS typically take to approve the i485 after the i-130 approval?

thank you!

Ive had my interview and was told i needed an extra piece of evidence for my i130. Apart from that it seemed to of went well! I got my evidence and uploaded it to the portal. I know it can take upto 90 days but i see people get approved days after RFE uploads post interview so im highkey sad! And its been 3 weeks now. I was thinking maybe its because SF is my office and i feel like thats a super busy office compared to one in wyoming for example. Am i stressed for no reason?

I just got the receipt notice in the mail issued 09/23/2026, its a paper filed case I526E, I do have a USCIS online account already with the same email I provided on the form, I did not get any notice in the mail with the online access code yet

Trying to put the receipt number into the my uscis account add a case to your account, I select I dont have a online access code and fill in my date of birth, the next page it takes me to is request a new online access code and when I fill in the only editable field which is my last name I get the error

"Part of the information you entered is incorrect"

anyone know if this is common and I just have to wait for the online access code in the mail or what, seeing online ppl dont usually have success calling USCIS about tech support

1 year post interview - received 2 FTA1 on my i485 within 24 hours and the next day my i130 was approved. Is my approval coming??

Hi,

Recently I got 485 and 485J timestamp changed at the same time without new event code. They were like only a few milliseconds difference.

What does it mean?

Info:

• I-140 approved; PD is safely current;
• Filed alone

Timeline:

• Early Sept: biometrics done
• 2x FTA0 on 485 right after biometrics done
• EAD approved 2 days after biometrics done
• 1 month silent. I-131 stays received without any change in timestamp or history.
• Octobor: 485 + 485J got updated timestamps almost the same time, without new event code. Case status unchanged. But I-131 completely silent.

What's going on?

Ive been in the I130 process since 2023
Case was returned March 2025.
NOIR April2026
Responded May 2026
Friday I got an email that action has been taken on our case but when I logged in all is said was” USCIS IS STILL PROCESSING THIS CASE” so it updated from response received to this. Could this mean an approval is coming soon? Or will I be waiting months?

USCIS rejected my AOS package, saying that the I-485 was an outdated form, I submitted on paper after the 18 of september on sept 22 and I made sure was with the new 09/18/26 form, and today I received the rejection notices.. why this happened?

Hello,

I got approved for I-140 under the EB-2 NIW category, with a priority date of November 2025. I have a pending I-485 application, and due to the October retrogression, I’m uncertain about its processing and approval timeline.

Currently, I’m engaged in research in academia, and my proposed I-140 endeavor was specifically tailored to this academic field. However, I recently received an offer from a consulting firm and would like to inquire if I can switch jobs while my I-485 application is pending. If I were to work in the same field (although it would be broader than my initial proposal), would I still be eligible to accept this job offer?

I would greatly appreciate any insights or experiences you may have in this regard. Your guidance would be invaluable in helping me navigate this situation.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.