Case Processing

Mariana Cabezas
9h
O-1A Visa
Hi everyone, I wanted to share my O-1A journey here. We filed my petition with premium processing on November 18. On December 20 we received an RFE, but one criterion had already been acknowledged in the process. My attorneys submitted a very detailed response, and USCIS updated the case to “Response to RFE received” on March 4. Now I’m in the final waiting stage and hoping for a decision in the coming days. Feeling very anxious but also hopeful, and grateful to have found this community where people understand the ups and downs of this process. Wishing the best of luck to everyone going through the same journey.#O1AVisa #ExtraordinaryTalent #PremiumProcessing

O

Extraordinary ability

Total Days: 118 days
Case
2025-11-18
Today
I-129
118 Days
Texas Service Center: I-129
Comments
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Joan T
1d
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
1d
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.
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