I wanted to come back and share my journey because I learned so much from reading other people’s posts here, especially during the long waiting periods. So many stories on this subreddit encouraged me when I was anxious or unsure, and I hope mine can do the same for someone else.
First and foremost, I give all the glory to God. He carried me through this process, opened doors at the right time, and gave me the strength to keep going.
My timeline:
Initial filing / priority date (form I-140): December 29, 2025
Premium processing: filed from the beginning
RFE received: March 2026
RFE response submitted: early June 2026
Approved: July 31, 2026
Attorneys: Ellis Porter
A little about my profile at the time of filing: I had a Bachelor of Science from my home country and a Master of Public Health from an R1 university in the U.S., one peer-reviewed publication where I was not first author with around 40+ citations, and 1 poster presentation at an international conference.
I did not submit recommendation letters with the initial petition.
For the RFE response, I strengthened the case with additional evidence. I added one dependent recommendation letter and two independent/expert opinion letters. One of the independent experts was someone whose work had cited our peer-reviewed article extensively, which I felt helped show that the work had influence beyond my immediate collaborators.
By the time I responded to the RFE, my citations had also increased from the 40s into the 60s.
I also added three funding testimonial letters connected to three different funded projects I had contributed to. My name was not listed directly on the original award notifications, so the principal investigators wrote letters explaining my role, my contributions, the importance of the funded work, and the impact of the projects. I included those letters together with documentation confirming the funding.
Another thing I added in the RFE response was evidence of two fully funded PhD offers I had received after the initial filling for programs starting this fall. I included them as additional evidence of the value of my background and the continued demand for my work.
This process was stressful, especially after receiving the RFE, but I kept reminding myself that an RFE is not a denial. It was an opportunity to understand what USCIS wanted to see more clearly and respond as thoroughly as possible.
I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has shared timelines, RFE experiences, approval stories, and advice here. Reading those posts genuinely helped me stay hopeful.
And again, all glory to God. I am so thankful.
If anyone is going through an RFE right now, I hope this gives you some encouragement. Strengthen what USCIS questioned, explain your contributions clearly, and do not assume that evidence has to look a certain way just because your name is not on every formal document. In my case, testimonial letters from project PIs helped explain contributions that were not obvious from the funding records alone.
