Molly P
Jan 18, 2026
what does FTA0 mean??
A common trend reported on social media is approval 24h after the 3rd FTA0, though clearly it’s not the case for all. What exactly does the third FTA0 mean? Is the approval trend associated with 3 FTA0s, or 3 FTA0 with a silent event?
Am just curious as I’m one of those who have 3 FTA0 from way back in October, but nothing after.
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Sandy GJan 19, 2026
I've been at 3rd FTA0 since June 2025. I've heard people have upto 5 FTA0 before approval.
M IJan 19, 2026
@Sandy G are you from a banned country?
Sandy GJan 19, 2026
@M I not banned. paused 75 countries.
Aaron OJan 19, 2026
From what I've seen online, the 3rd FTA0 on your I-485 is the background check result. I've read that it should be followed shortly by a silent update to get an approval
D 3Jan 23, 2026
@Aaron O my husband (derivative) got his third FTA0 on December 22nd. He got a silent update after than on December 23rd and January 16th. We haven't heard anything since. I'm the primary and I didn't get a third FTA0. My silent updates were just December 22nd and 23rd. Do you know what that means? Our AOS was submitted back in March, it's been almost a year!
Aaron OJan 24, 2026
@D 3 I'm not sure. Maybe they're still waiting for yours to be processed. Derivative apps can't be approved before the primary
Momo - Jan 31, 2026
Took about a week ish to get approval after 3rd FTA0 code appeared
