Case Processing

J
Joan T
1h
EB-2 NIW (ROW) — sharing our timeline and asking if anyone has seen something similar
We are currently current for I-485, and according to a USCIS Emma agent our I-485 is at a field office. We were also told early on that the case moved to “case decision” shortly after biometrics, which made us think it might be close to adjudication. However, something happened recently that confused us: the principal applicant’s I-765 was just approved, even though he already has a recently approved H-1B. Earlier, my derivative I-765 had already been approved shortly after his H-1B, but at that time the principal’s I-765 was not. So we are trying to understand what this new movement might mean. Could this indicate that our I-485 is actively moving and maybe close to approval, or could it simply mean the case may still take longer and USCIS is just finishing pending benefits? Timeline: - PD: June 2024 (EB-2 NIW ROW) - I-485 / I-765 filed: October 2025 - Biometrics: completed → case moved to case decision 10 min after - Dec 2025: Principal applicant H-1B approved - ~1 week later: Derivative I-765 approved - Early 2026: Emma agent says I-485 at Providence Field Office - March, we became current - Now: Principal applicant I-765 approved, despite already having H-1B We are mainly confused about the timing: if the principal’s I-765 was going to be approved anyway, why wasn’t it approved together with the derivative EAD shortly after the H-1B? Has anyone seen cases where the principal’s I-765 was approved shortly before the I-485 decision? Any similar timelines or experiences would be very helpful.
1
Lady B
5h
Combo Card Travel Experience
I wanted to share my experience for anyone that has combo card with Vawa pending. I went to Tijuana, Mexico yesterday and came back same day. crossed via card through San Ysidro. I was taken to secondary inspection, officer that walked me was not familiar with my combo card and was asking for my AP approval. I was asked to sit in the lobby and wait for my name to be called, and he asked me if I have a digital copy of my approval to search for it. as I was in my phone gathering all my VAWA receipts, a supervisor walked by and told me I couldn’t be on my phone i explained to her what the offer told me and she said, i didn’t need that but she will look into it. she came back about 20 mins later, asked me what was the reason I left, when did I leave, what did I do in tj, she asked about my vawa case and my current DACA. she then asked me if I had my AP approval letter because they needed to confirm if my parole was granted because of daca or vawa. by this time it was already 9:50 pm, and she told me she would be back. they do shift changes at 10 pm and she had to pass along all my information to the next shifts supervisor. the next supervisor came to talk to me at around 11pm and asked me the same questions, when did I leave, what did I do there. I showed him my AP & EAD approval. I asked what exactly was it they needed so I can try to help. he said my entry was approved, the only thing they are waiting on was verification on if I needed to pay the $1,000 fee. they were all very nice and it seemed like this type of combo card is not something they see often. my fees were waived, my passport was stamped. total time I was in secondary inspection was 5hours, part being the shift change, me having to dig for my copies in my emails and how complicated the case was for anyone else that came in to be processed. I recommend traveling with your approval documents to help speed up the process.
4
A
A S
7h
RFE - Medical exam + I-693
My EB1A priority date is 9/23/22 (I-140 approved 1/31/23) and I relocated to India (currently working for the Indian entity of the same US company) in Jan 2025. I received an Request for Evidence (RFE) from USCIS for my pending Adjustment of Status case recently saying I need to get my medical examination done and submit the results + duly filled out I-693 again since the original results are no longer valid. I have a few questions, hoping I can get some guidnance here: Can I get my medical examination done and submit the results on my own per the steps mentioned in the RFE, or must the response go through the attorney of record? When I moved back to India, I filed an AR 11 and gave my friend's local US address as my physical/mailing address (same as where the RFE has been received). Should I give the same local US address when submitting the I-693 this time even though I actually live in India? Is this going to be the final RFE or there could be more RFEs that can be issued ?
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