Jon C
Sep 6, 2025
Green cards Finally Approved!!
Hi community,
I wanted to share my EB1C journey with you (Employment based green card for Executive Managers). In June 2024, my employer sent the I-140 form for me. My company did not approve the premium processing because for internal protocols I was not allowed to receive that benefit. I felt that the lawyers did not do a great job explaining and documenting my case because other friends working in other companies mentioned to me that they were asked a lot of information, but the lawyers of my company asked very little info.
By Dec 2024, I had not received a response yet, and I was impatient. I asked my company again if they could approve the premium processing, and they said no, however, they mentioned that the internal policy allowed me to pay it on my own! I was very upset with them because if I had known that since the beginning, I would have paid for it. So, I paid for it, and after two weeks, on Dec 16, 2024, I received a Request for Evidence (RFE). I was very sad, but it did not surprise me because as I mentioned before, I felt the lawyers did not ask me so much info about me to support my case. After that, the lawyers asked me for a lot of information and documentation of my duties, my managerial experience, etc. Of course, I had a lot of information because my case was solid. So, on February, 28, 2025, they responded the RFE. After two weeks, my I-140 was approved, on March 16, 2025. Remember that if you paid premium processing and receive RFE, your response to the RFE submission will arrive soon too.
After that, the lawyers sent the adjustment for status request (I-485), Work authorization, and parole for me and my wife. Additionally, they sent the Supplement J to support the I-485 too. All of that was sent on April 18, 2025.
They told me that given the current circumstances in the US, my response could arrive in a year or more, and that very possibly, my wife and I would be required to have an interview.
I was very impatient but I decided to mentally accept the reality. To add more drama, in my employer there were many organizational changes happening.
I had some friends who told me that they received their work authorization and parole after 2 months, and their green cards after 6 months of the I-485 submission.
After 5 days, my wife and I received an invitation for the fingerprints. We completed them in May 18.
After that, I was waiting, looking every day lawfully and my USCIS account. By the end of May, my wife and I realized that our I-485 cases and work authorization cases appeared in an Stage of “Interview completed”. We asked ourselves what does it mean? We did not have any interview. So we asked Emma, the chat in the USCIS, and they told us that our interviews were waived. It was like good news, but some friends told us that they also had the same message in their case in the USCIS portal, but later, they were scheduled to have the interview. So, we decided to not focus on it and continue to wait. Addinionally, the estimated time to get a response in the USCIS portal was many months. Do not pay attention to it! it is useless!
Then, on July 20, 2025, my work authorization and parole, were approved. I received an email saying “we took a decision on your case”, and then, I was approved. However, my wife did not receive a response yet! This was very different from other cases from friends who told me that their work authorization approvals and those of their spouses arrived at the same time!
I started praying God. After two weeks of the approval, I received the actual card for the work authorization, it a
was a combo card that was useful for both EAD and parole. When I received the cards, I noticed that my EAD and parole were approved in the Texas Office according to the mail I received. This was very interesting since when we just received confirmation that the USCIS received our requests for I-485, EAD, and parole, it came from the National Benefit Center. So, I decided to ask Emma again where each of my and my wife’s cases were, in which center. They told me that my wife parole and EAD cases were on the National Benefit Center (so, only my EAD and parole were sent after to the Texas center, but my wife’s remained in the NBC!). AND they also mentioned that on June 26, they sent my and my wife’s I-485 cases to a local office, in California. When they said that, I was very optimistic because if they had the intention to schedule interviews they would have sent our cases to a local office close to where we live, but it was sent to the most distant place possible.
Then, On July 25, my wife’s and my green card cases changed the status from “your case is being actively reviewed” to “we are still processing your case”. Several people on the internet say that such an update is just a system thing and that it does not mean a thing, however, I had good feelings. On August 1, 2025, after 3 months and a half after we submitted our I-485, my wife’s and my green cards were approved !! without interviews. We received our green cards just a week after that. Important!! If you are moving to another home to live, and your case was just approved and you did not receive your physical card yet, I recommend not changing your address and speak to your previous home owner to check your mail for your green card. That happened to my wife and I; we moved to another home on July31, and On August 1, one day after, our green cards were approved. I contacted the lawyers of my company and they told me:” just update your address in the USCIS portal”, which I did immediately after knowing the results. However, the physical cards arrived at our previous home!! and Thank God the other owner let me retain the keys for my mail until he rents the apartment to another person. So, it seems that when they approve, they immediately put an order to send it to the adress in the system.
So, the entire process took a year more or less. Finally, my wife EAD and parole were closed administratively by the USCIS because the green card makes them irrelevant.
BIG takeaways
1. Have hope and believe in God, Jesús
2. Every case is Different, do not think that because your friend case happened in one way, it will be the same for you. My case, was very different from other friends. So, do not waste your time on asking specifics about other cases.
3. Do not pay attention to the estimated processing times from the USCIS portal, but do pay attention to the case statuses.
4. Document your I-140 very well. Even if the lawyer does not ask, overcommunicate and oversend information.
5. Ask internally to your company policies! They may allow you to do somethings that you do not know! Like paying for the premium processing.
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Joseph ClimberSep 6, 2025
congratulations! and thanks for sharing!
nikki susunaSep 6, 2025
congratulations and thanks for sharing. my story was very similar but back then i didn’t know all these. this post helps many!
MK SPSep 8, 2025
Congratulations and Thanks for sharing your experience. I am in similar boat… My I-485 was filed at NBC on May 12, 2025. My spouse who was dependent on me had his Biometrics earlier than me on June 16,2025. My Biometrics was scheduled after few escalations on Aug 11, 2025. My EAD and Advance Parole was Approved on Sep 4, 2025 and the address is Texas. After reading your post I contacted USCIS Live Agent and I was informed that my EAD and Advance Parole is approved by Texas and my I-485 is moved to Chicago Field Office whereas I live in Seattle. My spouses EAD is still with NBC and has no update other than Your case is taking longer time than usual
Jon CSep 9, 2025
@MK SP , was your spouse’s I-485 case also moved to the Chicago field office? mine and that of my wife were moved together. If not, they may require an interview for your spouse, if they were moved together and your I-485 cases appeared like “Interview completed” on the USCIS portal, you will likely receive together the green cards
MK SPSep 10, 2025
No, his is currently still with NBC. USCIS portal shows Interview completed status for both of us. Last step “Case decision “ is seen..
