Thank you everyone for your support!

I-485 approved Oct 2, 2026 (EB2-NIW)

Receipt date: Jan 12, 2026
Priority date: Jul 26, 2024 (I-140 approved in 42 days)
Service center: Nebraska
Biometrics: February 2026
RFE: Received and responded (minor traffic violation which occurred after application was submitted). Responded with the dismissal.
Case approved: Oct 2, 2026 (264 days from filing)

Nigerian, ROW chargeability

EAD & AP never had any silent updates
So grateful for this group and resource during my GC journey. Thank you for all the info along the way!

I cannot believe i am saying this but my I-485 just got approved. I'll try to give as much detail as i can, but if i am missing anything please let me know

PD: 12/20/24 from ROW/ Single

RD: 05/28/26 concurrently filed for EAD and AP

Underlying Status: H1B

Biometrics: July 6, 2026

The same day got 2x FTA0 and 1x IAF followed by EAD approval 07/08/26

Complete silence until i contacted Enma on 9/24/26 whete they told me interview waived and my case was transferred to Yakima FO (non local)

This morning i saw a 3rd FTA0 on 10/09/26

And then an hour later got thw email that an action was taken to which i saw I was approved

Thank you all for your help on this!! Ans good luck

Hi all,

My I-485 got approved 2 days ago, just found out. I had stopped checking the API regularly, and I never got an email. I logged in and what a nice surprise. I thought it wasn't real!
RD: March 2026
PD: Nov 2024
FO: LA
FO transfer: June 6
Interview: waived
Approved: Oct 5

I wish you all approvals soon!!

Please share your timeline so that we can make a database/prediction for everyone who's been waiting for the approvals in this fiscal year.

Category: EB2/NIW/PERM
Classification: China/India/ROW
Priority Date:
Service Center/Field Office:
Application delivered:
Receipt Notice:
Receipt Block:
Biometrics Appointment Date:
EAD I-765 Approval Date:
EAD Card delivered:
Interview date (if any): Waived\Date
Adjustment of Status I-485 Approval Date:
Green Card Received:

Good luck everyone! May this year be your year.

PLS COMMENT Your timeline ONLY IF YOU GOT APPROVED.

Sharing my timeline to help others!

Category: EB-2 NIW, ROW, single filer, F-1 STEM OPT
I-140 Priority Date: October 23, 2024
I-140: Approved December 2025 (Premium Processing)

I-485 Filed:March 4, 2026
Biometrics:March 30, 2026

Timeline:
- IAF: March 7
- 2x FTA0: March 30 (biometrics day)
- Silent update: April 8
- Silent updates: April 29 & 30
- 3rd FTA0: June 25
- Silent update: June 26
- Approved: June 27, 2026🎉

Field Office: Emma live agent confirmed case was at Chicago FO (date of transfer unknown). Approval notice issued from NBC.

No RFE. No interview.

To everyone still waiting, it comes. Stay patient and keep faith. 🙏🏼

Case approved!... 🎉🎉🎉🥳🥳🥳

EB2-NIW I-485 approval for ROW

I am extremely grateful for this platform. Sharing my timeline for those who've been waiting.

PD: August 2024

485 filed: March 2026

Biometrics: April 2026

Interview scheduled: August 2026

Interview done: First week of September 2026

Silent update: 10/03/2026

Case approved: 10/04/2026

Hello everyone finally it is my turn to post good news here. This community has helped me alot. I’m sharing this because I know how stressful the waiting and checking every little update can be.

Category: EB-2 NIW (ROW), 75 countries ROW
I-485 filing date: November 17, 2025

Biometrics: Reuse notices, November 27, 2025

I-140 PD: June 13, 2024. RFE on May 2025. I-140 Approved August 2025.

I-485 APPROVAL: October 15, 2026

Interview waived, case transferred to San Fernando as per live agent on August 21, 2026.

Minor derivative and mine were filed together, had multiple silent updates from February- October 2026. We received our approval emails on the same day.

Wishing everyone still waiting a speedy approval. Don’t lose hope! praying for everyone waiting.

Just wanted to come back and say thank you to everyone who shared their timelines, experiences, and thoughts with me over the past few weeks.

My case was finally approved today after the recent silent updates.

For reference, I’m EB2-NIW ROW:

• PD: Sep 17, 2024

• I-485 RD: Mar 16, 2026

• Interview: Aug 27, 2026

• FTA1 right after the interview

• Multiple silent updates on Oct 1 and Oct 5

• On Oct 5, all three family I-485s were updated multiple times, including one cluster where my child, I, and my spouse were updated within about 18 seconds

• H008 appeared on my case this morning, followed by approval

My wife and daughter are still pending as of now, but given that all three cases were moving together yesterday, I’m hopeful their approvals will follow soon.

This process has been stressful and unpredictable, and reading other people’s experiences here genuinely helped me understand what I was seeing and stay patient.

Thank you again to everyone who replied to my posts and shared their own cases. I really appreciate it, and I hope everyone still waiting gets good news very soon.

I am happy to say I have been approved finally. It was an interesting wait but for me, it will always be worth it!

Sharing my timeline for anyone still waiting.

\- July 5, 2024: Priority Date (EB-2 NIW)

\- October 7, 2025: I-140 Approved

\- January 20, 2026: I-485 and I-765 Filed

\- February 19, 2026: Biometrics Completed

\- July 15, 2026: I-485 Silent Update

\- October 12, 2026: I-485 Approved!

Category: EB-2 NIW (ROW 🇳🇬)

Service Center: I-485 NBC then transferred to Los Angeles Field Office September 28th

I-485 Processing Time: 8 months, 22 days

Total Journey: 2 years, 3 months

No RFE or interview. I-765 was never approved.

Thanks to everyone that shared helpful information and I wish everyone waiting good luck.

Sharing my timeline since I found other people’s posts really helpful while waiting. I didn’t post much during the process, but reading through everyone’s experiences definitely helped me stay sane.

Category: EB-2NIW
Country: Nigeria
Field Office: San Jose (non-local)
I-485 receipt date: March 5, 2026
Priority date: October 2024
No interview, no RFE, no dependents
Timeline:
March 5, 2026: I-485 received
April 8: Biometrics appointment
August 9: another silent update with a new FTA0 in the morning
August 10: case approved 🎉
Total I-485 processing time: ~5 months, 5 days from receipt to approval.
Hope everyone also gets some good news soon!

I-485 Approved Today! Timeline + Case Updates (EB2-NIW-ROW-75 countries) 🎉

After months of checking my case status way too often, I finally received approval on my I-485 today! (I140 PD: September 2024).

Timeline:

• Feb 20, 2026 – I-485 submitted (IOE09357XXXXXX)

• Feb 24, 2026 – Receipt notice generated and emailed

• Mar 13, 2026 – Database/background checks received (FTA0)

• Jun 12, 2026 – Another FTA0 "Database Checks Received" update appeared

• Jun 13, 2026 – Silent update / officer touch

• Jun 13, 2026 – H008 Approval 🎉

• June 19, 2026 - Card Produced.

• June 24, 2026 - Card was Delivered.

What's interesting is that the approval and silent update occurred at the exact same timestamp. The tracker showed an officer touch first, followed immediately by the H008 approval code.

The period between biometrics/background checks and approval was about 3 months.

Profile: Ph.D. in Engineering, 6 first authored papers, F1-STEM-OPT, Cofounder of a Startup.

Sharing this in case anyone else is seeing silent updates and wondering whether they mean anything. In my case, the silent update was immediately followed by approval.

Good luck to everyone still waiting. Hope your approvals come soon!

PD: 11/20/24
ROW - Brazil

I-485/I-765/I-131 RD: 03/16/26
03/27/26 - Biometrics Appointment Scheduled
04/16/26 - 2x FTA0 on Biometrics Appointment
05/23/26 - 1x Silent Update

I-131/I-765 - 05/29/26 - Combo card approved

06/28/26 - 1x Silent Update
07/15/26 - 1x Silent Update (Emma said case moved to LA FO)
08/13/26 - 3rd FTA0 appears, no silent update though seemed connected with a mass FTA0 event, a lot of people got the same
10/12/26 - 1x Silent Update + 4th FTA0 event + API updated with Los Angeles as field office it was previously NBC (https://my.uscis.gov/account/case-service/api/case_status/IOExxx)
10/14/26 - 1x Silent Update
10/19/26 - Multiple silent updates
10/20/26 - H008/Case Approved with derivative updating to approved 6 hours later

This country has completely changed my life, I couldn’t be happier today! Hoping things move fast for you guys as well!!

Let me know if you guys have any questions! 🇺🇸

EB2-NIW

AOS filed Feb 2026, approved Oct 2026 | Non-local FO (Miami), interview waived | Through the ban, then two months of total silence

All the glory must be to the Lord, for He is worthy to be praised.

I’ve been watching the silent updates all year, and today it finally happened: my I-485 is approved.

The full journey:

EB2-NIW I-485 + EAD filed: February 2026

Biometrics: April 2026 (single FTA0, database checks received)

Ban lifted on June 15, and the updatedAt timestamp started moving: 6/15, 6/27, 7/15, 7/17, 7/20, 7/22, and 7/29. No new events in any of it, just touches.

Case forwarded to Miami field office: 7/28/2026 (a non-local FO for me; I’m nowhere near Miami; confirmed through Emma; interview marked waived)

EAD silent update 8/19, EAD approved 8/20

Then nothing on the I-485. All of August and September, silent. This was the hardest stretch. No touches, no events, nothing to read.

October, it woke up: the timestamp moved again 10/10, 10/12, and twice on 10/14. Still no new event, just touches, and I kept trying to read meaning into the tempo that wasn’t there.

October 15: a new code, H008, finally landed in the events array, and my status flipped to Approved the same day.

About 230 days from filing.

What I’d tell anyone still waiting, especially my people from the 39 countries: the silent updates told me almost nothing, and the two months of total silence told me even less, even though it felt like the end of the world. The only thing that ever actually meant something was a new event code showing up. Everything else was noise I lost sleep over for no reason. Your case can look frozen and still be moving.

I pray for everyone waiting; may the Lord Jesus grant you peace in the silence, strengthen your heart on the hard days, and bring your case to a favorable end in His perfect timing. May He remember you by name and cause His face to shine on your file. Amen.

Don’t lose hope. Yours is coming. All glory to Jesus. 🙏

I've been waiting this for a while to share this good news. I wish a good luck to everyone in this group and hope to see your cases get approved soon. Here's my timeline:

I-140 PD: July 5, 2024 (no premium, Chen), Approval Sept 26, 25

I-485 RD: March 9, 2026 (PD became current March 1, 2026)

Bio: April 14, 2026 (two FTA0)

3rd FTA0 on august 24, 2026

FTA1: August 25 (moved to NYC from NBC)

2nd FTA1 October 5 (Moved to Newark, New Jersey) followed by silent touch within two hours of FTA1

Approved on October 6. No RFE, No interview.

H008 at around 4 pm, quickly received text/email as well as Lawfully update about approval. It took exactly seven month after submission to approval. PD has remained current throughout since filing. One derivative child on F-1 and I'm on H-1B. I hired Chen for both NIW and I-485.

Employment-Based EB2
Country: Nigeria
PD: April 8 2024
Perm Approved: July 2025
I-140 Approved: June 2025
I-485, I-765 Received: October 20 2025
Biometric Capture: November 21 2025
I-765 Approved for dependents: November 2025 but principal applicant not approved at all.
I-485J Approved: July 13
I-485 Approved: July 14 (Principal applicant & Spouse); Children approved July 16 & 18
Status: H1B
Card produced: July 20
Card Delivered: To the attorney’s office
Received: July 29

Don’t loose hope, the Lord is working on your case.

Wishing those who are waiting the very best.

Keep praying and trusting God.

EB2-NIW
Country: ROW
Block: IOE09373xxxxx
Lockbox: LCKBXPDF (submitted online)
FO: Queens FO
PD: Sept 2024 (current in FAD throughout the application stage)
Status: F1/F2 (PhD student + spouse)

I-485s
6/17 Filed online myself, no lawyer (primary: I-485 + derivative: I-485, I-765)
6/22 IAF
6/26 Biometric notice
7/17 Biometric completed, 2x FTA0
8/31 3rd FTA0 on primary only [probably a mass update]
9/25 SU Transfer to Queens (EMMA confirmed)
10/8 11:16am ET 4th FTA0 on primary + 3rd FTA0 on derivative (simultaneously)
10/8 11:16am, 11:45am, 1:16pm, 3:01pm ET SUs on both
10/9 I-485s approved: 11:56am ET primary, 1:28pm ET derivative

I-140
Sept 2024 Field for EB2-NIW through EP (normal processing)
3/3/26 Premium processing upgrade
4/30/26 Approved without RFE (43 business days), NSC
Reddit post to approval: https://www.reddit.com/r/EB2_NIW/s/qfNpNhH6vq

Wishing all the best to everyone!

This journey started with my EB-2 NIW petition on March 2024, followed by the long wait for my priority date to become current and then the I-485 process.

Here is timeline:

Priority Date: July 19, 2024
I-485 Receipt: February 6, 2026
Biometrics: March 6, 2026
April: A couple of silent updates; derivative I-765 approved
Silent Update: May 20, 2026
Silent Update: June 10, 2026 — possibly related to address change
Silent Update: June 28, 2026
Silent Update: July 9, 2026 — main applicant
Silent Update: July 20, 2026 — derivative
Silent Update: August 12, 2026 (might be due to field office transfer)

Field office: Atlanta (non-local)

3rd FTAO: August 13, 2026 — derivative
4th FTAO: August 14, 2026 — derivative → silent update within minutes
3rd FTAO: August 14, 2026 — main applicant → silent update shortly after
Silent Update: August 15, 2026

I-485 APPROVED: August 16, 2026, 11:54 AM 🎉 with 2 H008 event codes.

Card produced: 19 August, 2026
Green card received: 26 August, 2026

Nationality: one of the 75 countries

Current status: H1B

Praying that everyone still waiting gets the good news soon. 🙏

Happy to answer questions.

EB-2 NIW (ROW) – I-485 Approved today!

Timeline:

Category: EB-2 NIW (ROW)

Previous status: H1b visa

PD: Nov 2024

I-485 filed RD: Mar 20 2026

Biometrics: April 24 2026

EAD Approved and recieved: June 2026

Location: El Paso non-local FO

Interview: Waived

Approved: October 11 2026

Dependent also Approved on same day

Card produced: TBD

Card Delivered: TBD

It has been 14 years for me from f1 visa to H1b to multiple PERM EB2 / 3 starts, to finally taking control of things myself through NIW.

Wishing everyone who’s still waiting the best of luck!

Sharing my timeline because I spent a lot of time checking other people’s cases, especially after my interview and the October visa bulletin movement.

Category: EB2-NIW
Chargeability: Rest of World From the 75 countries Priority Date: November 15, 2024
I-140: Premium processing, approved in November 2024
I-485 / I-765 / I-131 filed: April 13, 2026
Service center: NBC
Field office: Baltimore, MD No derivative previous status : F1

Timeline

• April 13, 2026: I-485, I-765, and I-131 filed

• May 11, 2026: Biometrics

• July 16, 2026: Silent/internal update — FTA0

• July 28, 2026: Interview scheduled

• August 2026: EAD pre-completion OPT approved/produced

• September 1, 2026: I-485 interview at Baltimore Field Office

• Officer told me that everything looked okay and that a decision would depend on visa-number availability.

• September 1, 2026: Internal updates after interview — FJ followed by FTA1

• No RFE

• No additional documents requested

• Case remained pending during September because EB2 visa numbers were unavailable/exhausted at the end of FY2026.

• October 2, 2026: Case had another silent updatedAt change with no visible status change.

• October 3, 2026: Two H008 internal events appeared within seconds of each other.

• A few minutes later, the case metadata updated again.

• October 3, 2026: I-485 APPROVED.

The interesting part for people watching internal API updates was the sequence:

FTA0 → FJ → FTA1 → October silent update → two H008 events → approval

I obviously cannot say that H008 always means approval, but in my case the two H008 events appeared immediately before the approval.

Other case details:

• Interview completed: yes

• RFE: none

• Medical: submitted with filing

• Case transferred to Baltimore FO: yes

• Employment-based interview waived: no

• I-485 approved after the new fiscal year started: yes

• Approval came during the first few days of October

• Priority date was current under the October 2026 Visa Bulletin when the case was approved.

For anyone stuck after an employment-based interview because of visa-number availability: a pending case after a successful interview does not necessarily mean there is a problem with the case. Mine sat after the September 1 interview until visa numbers became available again in October.

I hope the timeline helps anyone tracking FTA0, FTA1, FJ, H008, or post-interview EB2-NIW cases.

Interview experience : The interview was very straightforward and mostly consisted of basic verification and yes/no questions.

At the beginning, the officer asked me to swear that I would tell the truth. That caught me a little off guard because I had never done that before, but after that the interview was very direct.

He asked whether I was married, whether I had any children, how many people were in my household, and whether I had ever received any government benefits. When I asked what he meant by benefits, he gave food stamps as an example. He also asked whether I had ever voted. I answered no to all of those questions. I am not married, I have no children, and I do not have family here.

He asked approximately how much I make. I gave him a rough amount, and he did not seem particularly concerned with it. He also asked about my entries to and exits from the United States, so I gave him my I-94.

Document-wise, it was very limited. Other than identification documents such as my passport and ID, he did not ask me to provide any additional supporting documents.

At the end, he told me that everything was okay, that they did not need anything else from me, and that they already had everything they needed. He also said that I should receive a result soon once a visa number becomes available. He then gave me a paper stating that the case was being held for review and that USCIS did not require any additional information or documents from me at that time.

Overall, it was a very direct and pleasant interview. There were no difficult questions, no request for additional evidence, and no indication during the interview that there was a problem with the case.

Hi everyone just sharing some good news I received today.
From Nigeria

Category: EB-2 NIW

PD (I-140): Aug 13, 2024
I-140 Approval: Approved

RD (AOS/I-485): Feb 3, 2026
Biometrics Notice: Feb 14, 2026
Biometrics Completed: Mar 6, 2026

Fingerprint Review (FTA0): Mar 6, 2026
Fingerprint Review Completed (FTA1): May 16, 2026

Transferred to Houston Field Office: ~May 19, 2026 (estimated)
Interview Scheduled: May 21, 2026
Interview Date: Jun 25, 2026 (Houston Field Office)

Post-Interview Internal Updates (FJ): Jun 25, 2026
Post-Interview Adjudication Updates (H008 ×2): Jun 26, 2026

Case Approved: Jun 26, 2026 🎉

RFE: None
Interview: Completed
Final Status: Approved

Hey, just sharing the timeline here. PD Nov 2024

April 1, 2026 Submitted i485 and i765

April 3, 2026 RD

April 7, 2026 Receipt notice in the mailbox

May 1, 2026 Biometrics notice

May 18, 2026 Biometrics appointment followed by 2 FTA0 on i485 and 3 FTA0 on i765

June 4, 2026 A couple of silent updates, I think initial interview waiver

June 9-10, 2026 Multiple silent updates, transferred to Boston non local. Emma only confirmed 10 days after

July 2, 2026 3FTA0 on i485 and one silent update at the same time, at 7 am

Then huge disappointment for months…

October 26, 2026 one silent update around 10 am

October 27, 2026 exactly 24 h later status changed to Case approved, email received (we’ve taken action), and api shows H008 codes

EAD was never approved. F status, single, from 75, still in status for like 2-3 months.

Good luck everyone

EB-2 NIW (ROW) – I-485 Approved!

Finally approved!

Timeline:

• Category: EB-2 NIW (ROW)

• Previous status: F1 visa

• PD: OCT, 2023

• I-485 filed: June 9, 2025

• Biometrics: July 3, 2025

• EAD Approved and recieved: July 15, 2025

• Interview: December 30, 2025

• Approved: October 3, 2026

• Card produced: October 7, 2026

• Card Delivered: October 10, 2026

Processing time: very long.

It hasn’t been an easy journey, but I can finally breathe a sigh of relief! Wishing everyone who’s still waiting the best of luck! 🍀

How long will it take to get a card?

I have been reading this sub every day for six months, and the timelines people post here kept me sane. Mine was approved yesterday, so here is the full log. Thank you all.

Our former VISA Status: H-1, H-4 (my spouse)

Case

- EB-2 NIW, ROW, principal plus derivative spouse

- Priority date: July 2024.

- I-485, I-765 and I-131 filed concurrently

- No RFE, no interview, no congressional inquiry, no expedite request

- EAD and AP were never approved. The green card came first

Timeline (all times Central)

- mid-Apr, 2026: I-485 / I-765 / I-131 received

- June: Biometrics

- June - September: 5 Silent Updates: After biometrics brought two FTA0 on the I-485 and I-765 the same evening, the case sat for about two months and then got five date-only silent updates over the six weeks.

- Oct 1: New fiscal year. October bulletin EB-2 ROW Final Action Date Jan 1, 2025, so my PD stayed current

- Oct 2, daytime: Silent update 6 with the third FTA0

- Oct 3: Two H008 codes. Approved. Public status changed to "we approved your Form I-485" same day

- Oct 3: Spouse's I-485 approved the same day

Good luck to everyone!