Hi,

h1-b visa renewal came in today. Filed Jan 2026 under premium processing, got RFE, submitted RFR in April 2026. Got approval today Sept 1. Born in Syria (not a Syrian citizen, but citizen of a western country).

Best of luck to all of those waiting. This sub helped me a lot as I waited. Thank you.

Hello, wonderful community.

I’m from one of the 39 countries. As the primary applicant, I recently received an interview request at a field office close to my residence. However, my wife, who is a beneficiary didn’t get an interview request. Infact, her case is at a field office different from where we reside.
When heading to the interview (in roughly a month), is it still advisable to go with my wife (peradventure she didn’t get any interview request by the time I’m going for my own interview date) or am I supposed to go alone since the interview was only scheduled for me the primary applicant.
If anyone has also been through this process, did you eventually get the interview request for wife (dependent) as well before the date of the primary applicant interview?
Filed October 2024. EB2-NIW.

Thank you all in anticipation for your very helpful responses.

After countless congressional inquiries 2 expedites I’m finally glad to say that my I-765 was approved it is not the green card yet but I’m incredibly grateful because I haven’t been able to work for more than a year
Timeline
I-485 filing date : February 11, 2025
I-765 Filing date: June 20 2025
Receipt received : July 9 2025
Approval date: September 1 2026
API updates

May 8, 2026 - API update
• May 27, 2026 — API update
• June 15, 2026 - API update
• July 13, 2026 - FTAO
• July 15, 2026 - APl update
• July 24, 2026 - API update
• August 13, 2026 - FTAO activity
• August 25, 2026 - API + FTAO (#7) on I-485
• August 28, 2026 - API update
• August 31, 2026 - 3 API updates on I-485
• September 1, 2026 - SA event created; I-765 approved

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.

Hi everyone, I am so glad my AOS application has now been approved and i appreciate everyone in this subreddit for all the updates and encouragements. Here is my timeline.

April 17, 2026: Submitted all documents and received Priority Date

April 23, 2026: USCIS sends a request for evidence

April 29, 2026: RFE submitted by me.

May 16, 2026: USCIS schedules Biometrics appointment

May 19, 2026: Biometrics completed (I did this early because they allow a 10-14days early window before the actual scheduled day)

May 21, 2026: USCIS schedules interview for I-485 for June 30th, 2026

June 30, 2026: Interview day (Interview cancelled, as they were moving to a new office building in Edmond). Interview rescheduled for Aug. 24, 2026.

August 24, 2026: Interview day. God bless my FO..!!! and my WIFE ❤️

August 25, 2026: I-485 Approved 🎉 🎉

August 28, 2026: Green Card Produced

August 31, 2026: Green Card delivered to me.

I am so so Happy.

FO: Oklahoma City.

I’m on F-1 and planning to apply for OPT, but I already have a valid C09 EAD from my pending I-485.
If a job can’t wait for OPT approval, can I start working with the C09 EAD and then switch to OPT once it’s approved?
My immigration lawyer told me it’s fine, but I’ve seen conflicting information online and I’m confused. Has anyone actually done this?

Hi all, this subreddit has been really helpful so I wanna share my timeline so it can help and motivate others.

Category: EB2 NIW I-140 (2nd try, no RFE, self filing)
(From 39 banned country)

Here is my profile and timeline

Priority Date: April 2026 (Exceptional ability)
Premium Processing: 30th, June 2026
I-140 Approval: 1st, September 2026. Nebraska Service Center (44-45 Business days)

• PhD candidate in R1 University in the US
• 16 publications
• 60+ citations at the time of filing (~150 citations now)
• 6 awards
• Peer reviewer (reviewed about 15 publications)
• Professional memberships
• Industry funded research
• 6 patents of inventions
• 7 recommendation letters (3 independent, 4 dependent)
• PE: Improving high performance ceramic capacitors for energy storage in Naval ships and electric vehicles.

Just completed my interview from one of the banned countries. We got there an hour before our interview and waited. We were called in about 10 mins after our scheduled time. We got in and the officer was super friendly. Started on the I-30 asked basic questions like “name of your spouse, how did you meet, where do you work” etc. He then went into the I-485 and he asked me the yes/no questions. I overstayed and worked without authorization, and he even made a joke that how does the government except you to support yourself. Overall it went really good and he told us theyll let us know when they reach a decision. Fingers crossed 🤞🏾

Got api update, asked live agent and I485 moved to Reno from NBC. Wondering anyone has Reno as FO?

Timeline:

Filed march 2026,
april biometrics,
ead approved end of July,
FO assigned end of august

Partial banned country, eb gc not marriage

Seven years ago, I moved to New York in my early 20s, straight out of college with zero experience, and made myself a promise: one day, I would build something of my own and sponsor myself.

Years later, I built my own company and petitioned for my O-1B through it.

As a Venezuelan, my visa process was paused for almost a year. I eventually had to leave the U.S. my home, my friends, my life, EVERYTHING I had spent years building without knowing when I would be able to come back.

And today, I RECEIVED MY APPROVAL.

If you’re working toward something that feels impossibly far away, please don’t give up.

Sometimes the dream takes longer than you expected. Sometimes the path looks NOTHING like you imagined. Sometimes you have to lose your sense of stability for a while and keep believing anyway.

Seven years ago, I made a promise to myself.

Today, I got to keep it. ❤️🇻🇪

Hi Everyone,

Any EB-2 filers who filed in 2025 and are still waiting?

Have there been any recent issues with domestic air travel for individuals from the 19 banned countries? currently have a valid H-1B petition but my visa has been expired.

Has anyone seen an FTA0 event get updated weeks later like this? Mine was created on Aug 13 and updated again on Aug 31, but the event date is still July 16. Did anything happen with your case afterward?

Hi. I wanted your opinion on whether I should attend with a lawyer next week to my AOS interview.

I’m from Venezuela. PD Nov 2023. Started consular processing in Argentina. But then I got a position in a hospital and got an H1B last year, I’m a physician. I changed employers recently, and the renewal and extension of my current H1B is being processed by USCIS since May2026. No answer yet. I started working under portability, until getting response.

I submitted AOS on Oct 2025, got my EAD approved last week, and got my interview scheduled for next week.

I was wondering if I should go to the interview with a lawyer?
Also, any advice you could give me for preparing for the interview, and what to bring. Thank you!

So my OPT was approved last week. Here is my timeline:

• Applied: Feb 26 2026
• Biometrics: Mar 19 2026
• Api update on June 13th, then Aug 26th.
• August 27th I got an email on my school outlook mail saying my OPT was approved.
• Aug 28th USCIS portal changed said approval rendered.

EDIT: I did regular processing

I did file a case inquiry on July 31st. I have called uscis once before that earlier in July and they had told me that my case would get a decision by July 31st.

I hope everyone gets approved soon and I am wishing us all good jobs and peace of mind. The current immigration situation feels like a fever dream.

❤️

Petition submitted: 02.02.26 with premium processing

RFE: 02.16.26

Approval: 06.28.26

Office: California

Nationality: Venezuelan

I checked the posts here constantly for any updates and general info. Maybe this info can be useful to someone in a similar process. Hoping you all can get good news soon!

Posting to see if anyone has been through this and can give me a sense of real-world timelines.

My situation:

•    I-129 filed late August 2025 with premium processing

•    RFE received in September 2025 and responded to in de December 2025

•    Case has been pending ever since

•    Late July 2026 I got an I-797C, "Premium Fee Refund Notice" USCIS is refunding the $2,805 because they didn't meet the guaranteed timeframe

•    The notice says the request went to the Burlington Finance Center in Williston, VT, and to allow 90 days from the date of the letter for the check to arrive by mail

Questions for anyone who's been here:

1    How long did the refund actually take? Did they hit the 90 days or blow past it?

2    Did the check go to you or to your attorney? I understand it goes to the fee remitter whoever paid the I-907 fee but I'm curious how it played out in practice.

3    Has anyone managed to get it paid by transfer instead of a paper check? I'm currently outside the U.S. and depositing a physical check is a real problem.

4    Did calling the Finance Center (802-288-7600) accomplish anything, or do they just tell you to keep waiting?

5    The one that's really on my mind: in your experience, did the premium processing refund end up meaning anything about how the case turned out? I know technically it just means they missed the clock and the case continues under normal processing, but I'm curious whether people saw any pattern.

Any experiences appreciated. Thanks.

• PD: March 26, 2025 (I-130, I-485 & I-765).

• Sep 2025: EAD approved after congressional inquiry.

• Dec 2025: Interview scheduled for Jan 2026, but canceled after the 19 countries ban.

• May 2026: Interview scheduled.

• Jun 15, 2026: Interview, I-130 approved the next day.

• Aug 23, 2026: I-485 approved, received my card 5 days later.

I'm grateful for all the tips posted over here!

I feel relieved after all that wait, but also it's kinda bittersweet as I still can't visit my family abroad since I still need to renew my passport and it would be much easier and cheaper to just wait until I become a citizen.

Hi fam,

On 08/30 got a mail saying an action was taken on my case, a silent update and a FTA1 code. But when I checked my online portal, there was no change or update, no new document for RFE or interview. Emma is saying they don’t authority to discuss silent updates that do not produce a new notice of action.

Please what could this mean?

I can’t believe I am writing these words!! I am greened. 💚😭

Thank you so much to the Reddit community (although in the height of anxiety, I just deleted the app lol). Reading everyone’s timelines, experiences, and updates helped me so much throughout this process.

My timeline:
Category: EB-3
Country: Senegal
PD: September 2023
I-485 mailed: February 2, 2026
Delivered to Elgin Lockbox: February 3, 2026
SMS/email receipt notifications: February 6, 2026
Paper receipt received: February 15, 2026 (postmarked February 9)
Biometrics: Originally scheduled for March 6; rescheduled and completed February 24
I-485J approved: August 16, 2026
I-485 approved: August 17, 2026 🎉
email from USCIS that action was taken on my case: August 19 2026 (email mentioned card was shipped with USPS)
Card delivered: August 25, 2026

EAD/AP: Never approved before the green card
And just like that, after months of checking USCIS, analyzing every update, reading Reddit timelines, and stressing over every little change… it is DONE. 😭💚

For everyone still waiting: I know how hard the uncertainty can be. I spent way too much time trying to figure out what every update meant and comparing my case to everyone else’s. I hope sharing my timeline helps someone the same way other people’s timelines helped me.
Good luck to everyone still waiting for their turn. I hope you all get to make your “I am greened” post very soon! 💚