Community
NIW approved. Switching law firms for next stage
Hi everyone,
My NIW finally got approved. My PD suddenly became current and I just paid for PP. After 11 days, my NIW got approved with no further RFE.
My law firm didn't do a great job, though. I got a RFE on all three prongs that could have been avoided if they had provided the existing evidence when they filed my case in 2023. They didn't do a thorough job. For the RFE, I basically did everything myself. No paralegal help at all.
Now, I seek to hire a competent law firm to support my green card application. I am probably doing consular processing since I am currently in the US on a G visa. I don't think I can't do a change of status inside the US while on this visa.
Would you recommend any law firms? How much should I expect to pay for this process? How long would it take to obtain a green card?
Thanks in advance.
EAD/AP Notice
My case is crazy right now. I supposedly file my EAD/AP in Nov 2024 with my lawyer,
only for the notice to come in June 1st and it stated that “ I’m eligible for extension 540 days if the received date is before the EAD expiry date. the card expired 03/03 and they received it 03/17
not sure if my job can use it.
can I still use it ?😩
NO RESPONSE
hi everyone, I had an interview for emergency travel permit, September, 2024, on the same day our i130 was approved and i485 changed to actively reviewing. I am waiting i485 since September 2024. I requested couple more times service request and contacted to congress person couple times but not responding 🥹🥹.
does someone hear like that experience? thank you
Question for Approval
Hi. My post-OPT (F-1 visa) case was received on April 2, 2025, and I received the receipt notice.
However, there hasn’t been any update for 65 days.
Does anyone else have a similar case or receipt number?
I'm really worried. My OPT start date is June 20, but I’m not sure if I’ll get approved before then.
Based on a request by a qualified F-1 academic student
Total Days: 98 days
Case
2025-04-02
2025-07-09
I-765
98 Days
Potomac Service Center: I-765
GC in hand
hello everyone I had my 10 years GC, I just want to say never lose hope every day is one day that close to your goal, I wish everyone get good news soon, thanks for all the support see ya soon!
IR-1/CR-1
U.S. citizen filing for a spouse
Total Days: 778 days
Case
2023-04-13
2025-05-30
I-130
393 Days
I-485
249 Days
I-765
63 Days
Nebraska Service Center: I-130
National Benefits Center: I-485, I-765
Parents Green Card Approval
hello everyone, interview was yesterday. it was over in 12mins. We also received work permit 2 weeks ago. Everything was approved thanks be to God. I started the process in February.
IR-5
U.S. citizen filing for a parent
Total Days: 105 days
Case
2025-02-24
2025-06-09
I-765
66 Days
I-130
100 Days
I-485
103 Days
National Benefits Center: I-765, I-130, I-485
i485 Based on Vawa
Hello
my lawyer sent my i485 2weeks ago(Vawa was approved ), I just want to know how the visa bulletin works I’m confused.
which table am I supposed to use A OR B and category .( my ex-spouse is a Legal permanent resident )
lets say the received the case July 9, does that means that I need to wait until that date or closer in order for them to start working on my case?
I went thru this case from 2017 in federal court. An asylee adjusted to LPR and traveled with RTD and country of origin passport. Take a read, let me know what you think!
some of you know I run an immigrant community and interview immigration attorneys to help break down confusing topics. I wanted to share a case from 2017 that touches on a question many people including myself are curious about:
- If you got your green card through asylum, are you still considered an asylee? And do you still need a Refugee Travel Document (RTD) to travel?
This came up in Mahmood v. Sessions — a man who was granted asylum in 1997 and became a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) in 2012. He had traveled abroad multiple times, sometimes with a Refugee Travel Document and sometimes with his Pakistani passport (in i131 he answered as never renewed his Pakistani passport). He wasn’t always honest in his applications, and immigration officials eventually caught up on that tried to remove (deport) him, after he got his green card, for fraud.
His argument? That he was still technically an asylee and couldn’t be deported unless USCIS formally terminated his asylum status.
But the court said no. They ruled that when you adjust your status from asylee to lawful permanent resident under INA § 1159(b), you no longer hold asylee status.
You’re just an LPR now — and like any other green card holder, you can be removed without going through asylum termination procedures.
The court also directly mentioned that a green card holder doesn’t need permission to leave or re-enter the U.S. — specifically calling out the Refugee Travel Document as something that no longer applies once you’ve adjusted status.
But here’s where it gets confusing:
USCIS regulations (8 C.F.R. §§ 223.1 and 223.3) still say that if you got your green card through asylum, you must use a Refugee Travel Document to travel. That regulation hasn’t been updated and the court hasn't directly given a more detailed answer to this since the question seemed to be if the guy held the rights as asylee even after becoming LPR.
So even with this case, it’s not fully cleared up. There’s still a disconnect between the regulation and the court’s interpretation.
I’m continuing to interview attorneys and research this issue and many others!
If you want to stay updated:
👉 Join the community here: https://www.skool.com/uscis/
👉 Follow updates on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uscis_immigration
👉 Watch short clips on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@immigrationusatoday
