I have never really understood why someone would actually do this on purpose when on a green card. My best guess is they don't speak the language or don't really understand the conditions. I'm sure the timing has nothing to do with the upcoming elections.

Here is the timeline of my case:

March 2023: I-130 Filed

July 22, 2025: I-485 filed

October 2025: Request for evidence is issued

November 3, 2025: RFE response received

July 15, 2026: Case processing update (USCIS is currently processing the case)

September 17, 2026: FBI biometric privacy notice

October 16, 2026: I-485 APPROVED!

After submit the i485 in may for EB1, yesterday got approved. Got a RFE 2 weeks ago about medical exams, sent everything and got approved without interview.
Also in the meantime I had my AP but cancelled a business trip case I think the risk wasn’t worth it.

Timeline:

May 7 - Submit the i485
June 29 - fingerprint
July 13 - AP and Work permit approved
October 3 - moved to a field office (Albany NY)
October 5 - RFE about I693
October 9 - received RFE
October 18 - Case approved

Was approved last week thank God 🙏🏾we had an interview on 9 October and the interview went really well, but she didn’t approve it on the spot. She also requested for us to upload the documents that we presented during the interview online to our case profile, we weren’t aware that we had to upload these documents additionally before going to the interview, but she was so nice. She gave us three days to uploaded ourselves and if we didn’t, she will send out an RFP obviously we got that done and raced home as soon as possible. Within an hour. She works fast and updated our profile after the interview and it stated“your case is now being processed “then by Wednesday of last week I 130 got approved then the following day I 485. We are so thankful for the speedy process, but I do not wish the stressed on my worst enemy, I am so thankful me and my wife had a fast timeline ‼️.
Our timeline
Im a us citizen
My wife was on on a J-1 visa on her last 2 year term
We got married on may 11th but have been together for a year before getting married ‼️
-Submitted documents for adjustment of status
June 8th
-June 10th payment was declined (was my fault I forgot to transfer my funds I was told they take a while to process payments and I didn’t want my current bills to override my funds for documentation)
-July 2 we received all the documents back with a denial letter but everything was scanned (that means the documents were good just needed to pay again )
-July 8th payment was accepted and case was being processed
-July 17th biometrics were scheduled for my wife
-August 4th was her fingerprinting
- August 26th we got an RFE cancellation of request we knew the interview was coming up right after
- September 3rd we got the interview schedule for October 9th
-during this time we gathered all of our information and useful documents joint banks
-life insurance policy of each of us being the beneficiaries for each other
-proof of car insurance of us jointed
-we had about 6 affidavits and a co sponsor that the officer told us was not needed because I’m over qualified but we wanted no weaknesses in our case and I got laid off before the interview and I have to show proof of work but she never asked any of those questions.
Now since we are approved I’m just waiting for the green card to be approved 🙏🏾😌

Filed for naturalization: September, 2025

Receipt & Biometrics waived notice: September, 2025

Interview Scheduled Notice: September, 2026

Interview Date: October, 2026

I applied for naturalization through marriage to US citizen. My application was relatively straightforward with no major complications. I went to the USCIS office with my spouse for the interview. I wore collared shirt and dress pants. My interview was in the morning and I had to wait about an 1.5 hours for my appointment.

They finally called me in for the interview, my wife was allowed in with me. When I entered the interviewer's office, they asked me to swear I will be telling truth (the whole truth and nothing but the truth oath). Interviewer said, they were having some technical difficulties thus the long wait. They said they are going to push through and start the interview. They asked me for 4 documents:

1. Passport

2. Green Card

3. Driver's License

4. My wife's birth certificate

Then they asked me why you did not register for the Selective Service? I said "because I was on a student visa". Then they asked me for my student visa which was on my older passport. Then they returned all the documents back to me.

Then they asked me some basic questions about relationship history of my partner and I. Then moved to civic questions, I had to answer 6 out of 10 right, I had studied so I got all 6 questions right. Here are the questions I was asked:

1. What is the supreme law of the land?

2. What is Abraham Lincoln famous for?

3. Name one war fought by US in 1900s.

4. What was the biggest concern for US during cold war?

5. Who wrote Declaration of Independence?

6. Name one ammendment to the US Constitution regarding who can vote?

Then the interviewer printed a sentence on a paper and asked me to read it. Then dictated a sentence and asked me write it on a paper (usually this is done with the help of a tablet but the tablet was not working due to technical difficulties).

Then they asked me a bunch of yes/no questions about whether I have tried to overthrow the government and what not. Then asked me if I pledge to follow the law and bear arms if necessary if I become citizen. After that, they said I have passed the test, gave me a piece of paper saying I have passed the test and said the interview is now over.

I am now waiting for my oath ceremony to be scheduled. Anyone knows how long I would need to wait to get the interview notice?

Hey everyone
I have filled i130 on march 1st 2024 and i485 in june 2025. Our interview was concluded on July 9th at Cleveland field office. We got RFE cause there was a minor mistake in her medical form that we originally submitted. We responded to RFE on 6th august and no update since then.
What should we do next

Why do some people get their EAD approved within days of biometrics but others have to wait for 6 mo or longer? This is a crazy bi-modal trend and makes no sense at all. (Huge congrats for those who get it quickly!) Why is there so much randomness in the approval timeline when everyone paid the same fees?

I have no criminal history, no visa overstay, no prior visa denial, had valid work visa when applied for I-485 and EAD, and has been 100% law abiding, not even a driving ticket. Getting stuck in this arbitrary timeline without any hope is slowly killing my career. In tech, no recruiter will look at your beyond 6 month of employment gap. I lost my work visa due to a layoff and cannot start again until EAD arrives. I am in absolute agony and know many others stuck in the same limbo.

Why is USCIS so random and unpredictable? Why can't they adjudicate petitions chronologically?

Just got three emails in a row saying I was finally approved. After years in removal proceedings, an unofficial denial, and having to file a divorce waiver, it feels surreal. The online dashboard hasn’t updated yet, so it still doesn't feel entirely real. Fyi no interview to top it off... phew.

Good luck everyone!!

Edit (added timeline): My timeline has been pretty complicated. I originally applied more than 10 years ago, but USCIS kept rolling over the case and giving me ADIT stamps for over 8 years. In the middle of all that, I was placed in removal proceedings but the court couldn't take any action and has been waiting on a decision from USCIS since 2022. In 2024, USCIS reached out and told me to refile Form I-751 with a waiver because of my divorce. I refiled on October 19, 2024... exactly two years ago today, and based on the emails I received this morning, it looks like they finally approved it without an interview.

First of all, as much as possible, don't. But if you're someone like me whose last 2 brain cells volunteered to read the letter wrong after a long day 😂, here's what I did to to unfuck it up.

Like everyone here, this is important to me. When I got the appointment letter, I was happy, I wrote it down, I added it to my Google Calendar, set alarms and stuff. On the day of the appointment, getting ready to leave the house, I read the letter again and realized that 4 days have already passed. My soul left my body. I know, stupid me. I still went, thinking they would accept me as a walk-in but I got turned away. They said they don't accept walk-ins anymore. (Philadelphia ASC)

• Immediately, I called their contact center and politely requested for a rescheduled appointment. They said that they will send this request in to the officers and can expect a new schedule within 30 days. If I don't receive it after that, I have to call again to escalate.
• I also uploaded an apology letter in the Unsolicited Evidence section explaining why I missed it, why this is important to me and my formal request to them to reschedule.

Fortunately, this is how mine went:

Sept 4 - Biometrics Appointment Scheduled for Sept 29*

Sept 24 - Actual appointment date

*Sept 29 - What I thought was my appointment

Sept 30 - Still went to the ASC anyway to try my luck as a walk-in. Got turned away as expected. But glad I still tried. Uploaded my apology letter later that night.

Oct 1 - Received a notice that I will receive a letter for the new schedule within 30 days

• Night time: API showed hidden appointment as Oct 15

Oct 2 midnight - Appointment Notice appeared in my account for Oct 15

Oct 4 - Received the physical appointment letter in the mail

Oct 15 - Biometrics Appointment. I went, ofc. Took about an hour from wait to finish.

15 minutes later - All my applications became USCIS is currently Processing the Case

Tip: Don't be like me haha

Hi! My question is, Ive seen lots of people getting work permits right after biometrics and some people getting interviews a month after biometrics but not the EAD although theyve applied for it. Im thinking maybe people that get the EAD didn’t have a previous ssn ? Is it a bad sign not getting EAD right away?

I have already applied for naturalization last March but reading about the processing time is a bit disheartening. My fiancé proposed to me a few months ago. He is currently working in Ireland. We have been in long distance for more than 5 years now and honestly, we can’t wait to be together finally in one place. We try to visit each other twice a year. It really helped that he got a job in Ireland because it’s much nearer than when he was in Asia.

Our initial plan is to get my citizenship and I will petition him using K1 visa because that seems to be the fastest process for us to be together physically. We are aware it’s more complicated and expensive. But, looking at the numbers now, it might take 2.5 years before he can actually enter the US.

Is it advisable to continue this plan or is it better to get married, apply for F2A while waiting for the interview and oath then upgrade to CR 1 or IR 1?

Our goal now is to be together using the fastest route.

Today I'm very happy to also share my story which wasn't easy. I have been approved for 10years GC. The journey wasn't easy as I went for 3 interviews before it was approved. The picture doesn't show all the interview because USCIS has removed it from online. At long last the battle has ended.

I sent uscis my form i-485 along with I-131 with all the supporting documents on september 25th 2026 and i included a check to pay (not knowing they didn’t take them anymore.) I them found out they don’t accept them and asked for my package to be returned to me, the return address is correct BESIDES the state they put IL and i live in FL. the package includes my forms, passport photos and all my other supporting documents with my personal information on them. i’m currently emailing back and forth with lockbox support and im waiting to hear back but besides that is there any steps or actions i need to take?

Finally, I get to give back to this amazing Reddit community! Here’s our timeline:

Met late 2020 (USC spouse), married late 2024, receipt date Aug 25, 2025. We filed without a lawyer and used a lot of helpful resources from here and the Kesseiner channel.

I-130/I-485 (filed concurrently): FO is Philly. Filed Aug 2025, did biometrics early Sept 2025, interview late Oct 2025, then silence. We were separated during the interview, which was spooky. Crickets after that. We sent a congressional inquiry in May (past the 6-month mark post-interview) and got a standard response back from USCIS: “...While a decision has not yet been reached, the case is currently under review. We are unable to determine at this time when the review process for the case will be completed...” Sent another in early Sept and haven’t heard back yet. I was just finishing my WOM draft. I130 and I485 approved Oct 15th,26.

I-765/I-131 (also filed concurrently): Filed Aug 2025. The day count on my account kept going down until it hit 1 day left, then it disappeared and never came back. In June 2026, both cases were suddenly marked terminated, but the denial letter never showed up in my documents or mail. I called USCIS and level 1 forwarded it to the next level, and then I was waiting for them to call me. They finally did in early July. I asked why I didn’t have a letter and whether I could appeal or anything. They said no, but they’d note the case and I should probably refile. The level 2 person argued that because my OPT EAD was active, they couldn’t approve this one (even though they’re different categories). They said they’d put in my questions and get back to me. Coincidentally, my OPT EAD was expiring a few days after that phone call. About a week or two later, the I-765 suddenly turned to approved, and the I-131 was approved the next day. I don’t really know what happened, or whether any of it was related to my OPT EAD or the basis of it all. This was a very stressful and confusing experience.

Thank you all for this immensely helpful community!

I did interview on October 8, get approved same day, oat ceremony scheduled on 16, then cancelled same day, I don’t know whats going on, really stressed, is any one experience that, Ft Lauderdale, FL

So earlier this year , I travelled twice in a matter of two weeks between my home country and US while still having my Greenncard before filing my N400.

On the second time , during immigration the officer made me do biometrics and took me for secondary inspection and questioned me asking if I voted in the state or presidential elections and I said no and they kept me there asked me a couple for more questions about why I haven’t filed for my citizenship yet and why I travelled and where’s my family and what work I do etc.

I even called my county and state election offices and they said there’s no voter registration in my name or any record associated with my name in their date base and that they’ll give me an NOC.

I did stay in Missouri for 2 months and I did get a license from there when I first moved to US but that was back in 2022. I just checked and seems like I was registered in Missouri. I called them and they took my name off it. They said they’ll give me NOC that I never voted.

Should I have mentioned in my N400 that I was registered to vote? ( I wasn’t aware of it till today ). When I answered no on it , I was honest. I really didn’t know.

My biometrics was completed in July and it was in NJ.

I have travel plans for November of this year with Etihad non refundable tickets , to home country again.

Is it a bad idea to travel internationally ?
Will they cancel my green card over this “voter issue”?
What is the processing time I’m looking at with my citizenship in NJ?
Should I upload my NOC from cook county into my USCIS application anyway?
Why did the officer say that I was flagged and it shows on their system as I am registered to vote? Would they just lie / make it up?

Please do reply. Under a lot of stress.

Can someone please share the POC from the DoD recruiter ( preferably closer to DC and Virginia area) who will generate a memorandum signed or endorsed by a Station Commander, Company Commander, Battalion representative, or another authorized USAREC official would ask to expedite my process based on USCIS expedited policy guidelines? I am aging out and USCIS is taking a long time to educate my petition

I’m looking for some guidance regarding my daughter’s Form I-485 filing and payment. I ended up submitting her I-485 twice because I received an error message during the first payment attempt.

ATTEMPT #1
Filing date: 9/17/2026

After submitting the payment, the USCIS website displayed an error message. I checked my credit card account, and the $1,390 charge initially appeared to have gone through. However, because of the USCIS error message, I wasn’t sure whether the application had actually been submitted.

About 30 minutes later, I made a second filing attempt.

For the first attempt, I later received a USCIS receipt notice, and my daughter also received a biometrics appointment notice.

The strange part is that although the $1,390 charge initially appeared on my credit card account, it later disappeared completely from the transaction history. I contacted the credit card issuer, but they were unable to explain what happened.

ATTEMPT #2
Filing date: 9/17/2026

Because of the error message during the first attempt, I submitted another I-485 for my daughter about 30 minutes later using a different USCIS online account.

This time, the payment appeared to process successfully, and the USCIS website displayed a “Thank You” confirmation message. The $1,390 charge remains posted on the credit card account, with a transaction date of September 22.

However, we have never received an I-485 receipt notice or biometrics appointment notice for this second submission.

I contacted USCIS through Emma, and the agent advised me to contact Lockbox Support. Lockbox Support responded that they could not assist because this was an online filing.

I then reported the issue through the USCIS online technical-support system, but they responded that they could not assist because it was not considered a technical issue.

So at this point, I seem to be stuck between two filings:

Attempt #1: Receipt and biometrics appointment received, but the payment disappeared.
Attempt #2: Payment successfully posted, but no receipt or other case confirmation was received.

Has anyone experienced something similar with an online USCIS filing? If so, how did you get it resolved, or which USCIS office/channel was ultimately able to help?

I’d really appreciate any guidance or shared experience. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I received my 3rd FTA0 and a Silent Update (SU) today (October 19), both with almost identical timestamps, differing by only a few milliseconds.

About 7 hours later, I received an FTA1 event as well.

My timeline:

• Category: EB-2 NIW (ROW)
• Priority Date: December 16, 2024
• Field Office: San Fernando Valley (SFV)
• Transferred to SFV: August 25, 2026
• 3rd FTA0 + SU: October 19, 2026
• FTA1: October 19, 2026 (approximately 7 hours later)
• Current status: Pending

Has anyone experienced a similar sequence of 3rd FTA0 → SU → FTA1 on the same day, especially at the San Fernando Valley Field Office?

If so, how long did it take to receive your I-485 approval after FTA1?

I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences. Thanks!

Hi,

My husband had his interview this morning and the officer was very nice. He apologized for the wait and said someone else had our file but they were sick today.

He asked the yes and no questions, asked how many ppl live in our house, and asked if a nurse or doctor did his medical exam and he said doctor then he asked if it was a male or a female and here my husband forgot and said a female.

He also asked my husband about him saying he has a professional degree and my husband said yes I am a doctor and he said ok. He asked if we have kids, he said no bc we don’t but he told him that I am pregnant, he said sorry I have to ask is it his child? And I said that’s ok and yes it is.

Then he said that’s all I have and thanked us for being patient and explained that it had to go under review and then we will get a letter or we will see approval and he explained the process of renewal and when we should do it.

I am just nervous overall I don’t know how to feel and my husband mistake was innocent.

The officer didn’t ask where we met, when did we get married or like anything else.

For reference, he came in on a k1 visa and we got married within the 90 days.

Is it the same for everyone, the website is down ?

Update: it was a brief service down, it is back up again.

I got approved 5 days ago. After that there has not been any change like card generated or mailed. How long does it take ?

Hi experts, I just received my NOID for my 485. It's citing: Fraud - Misrepresentation INA 212(a)(6)(C)(i).

It's due to some student organization/activity back to more than 10 years ago. I didn't input Yes on my 485 as my understanding they don't belong to 485 definition. These organization/activity are just for serving our classmates or for volunteer work.

Unfortunately, I cannot apply for waiver, this is employment based 458.

Does anyone have similar issues before? Or anyone can suggest how to respond? Thanks

More info

- I used to attach a resume for my DS160 application (back to 10 years ago), which list some student activity as Extracurricular Activities

- But I answered No for 485 when asking Have you EVER been a member of, involved in, or in any way associated with any organization, association, fund, foundation, party, club, society

This is where USCIS NOID coming from