All Sep 2013 485 APPROVALS & DISCUSSION - report here with details

[primus]

Very simple question:

I applied 485 on Aug 1st along with 765 and 131 (EB2 priority date Sep 2006 - not a porting). My wife and daughter's EAD have approved yesterday (mine one is still pending) Anyway, this is a good news for us as my wife can start working now :)

My question: After 180 days, If I move to other employer on AC21 (485 pending), will that nullify my wife's EAD? And she will have to sit back in home on H4 again? Any suggestion?

[suninphx]

Very simple question:

I applied 485 on Aug 1st along with 765 and 131 (EB2 priority date Sep 2006 - not a porting). My wife and daughter's EAD have approved yesterday (mine one is still pending) Anyway, this is a good news for us as my wife can start working now :)

My question: After 180 days, If I move to other employer on AC21 (485 pending), will that nullify my wife's EAD? And she will have to sit back in home on H4 again? Any suggestion?

Your job change has no effect on your wife's ability to work.

[primus]

Your job change has no effect on your wife's ability to work.

Thanks suninphx. That means EAD does not get expired on AC21 on employer change...awesome.

[RogerFederer]

Thanks suninphx. That means EAD does not get expired on AC21 on employer change...awesome.

Ead will be valid until aos is pending, whatever u do where ever u work. When ppl use ac21 they generally worry about rfes, question about similarity of jobs, revocation of 140 etc.. its very different question I have heard from a person who is planning ac21 :-)

[cool_guy_2004]

Hello friends,

I'm currently working on EAD, I was paroled on my last re-entry, my I-94 says paroled, and now my I-94 has expired, some reading online says when working on EAD the i-94 expiry is not a concern, I trust this forum the most and would like hear from the gurus to get a piece of mind...Gurus please advice!

Thanks

[qesehmk]

cool_guy - my understanding is that your status is AOS pending if your 485 is pending. So you shouldnt be worried about status.

EAD by itself doesn't give you any status whatsoever. A valid EAD only allows you to work in US.
Hello friends,

I'm currently working on EAD, I was paroled on my last re-entry, my I-94 says paroled, and now my I-94 has expired, some reading online says when working on EAD the i-94 expiry is not a concern, I trust this forum the most and would like hear from the gurus to get a piece of mind...Gurus please advice!

Thanks

[GCKnowHow]

Hello friends,

I'm currently working on EAD, I was paroled on my last re-entry, my I-94 says paroled, and now my I-94 has expired, some reading online says when working on EAD the i-94 expiry is not a concern, I trust this forum the most and would like hear from the gurus to get a piece of mind...Gurus please advice!

Thanks

When I got I-94 with expiration date of one year from Date of Entry where as my ead was close to 2 years. I checked with my companies legal team, I was told not to worry about it and its not a concern as long as a valid EAD is present all the time until approval.

[Kanmani]

cool_guy,

I concur with Q, as long as your I-485 is pending with uscis , you need not worry about status. Parolees' have no status as such, Spec had given an excellent explanation on this status less state in one of his earlier post.

[cool_guy_2004]

Q, Kanmani thank you so much for your responses...

[Maksimus]

Not sure where to ask this question about I-485 processing. Does anyone have any experience with their status getting stuck in "Extended Review"? Not "Additional Review" but Extended review. Thanks!

[pseudonym]

Finally got the text message that I was eagerly waiting for. Got it on Oct 3 for me (primary) and yesterday for my wife (dependent). I would like to say that it has been a long and painful wait, but I know that there are folks that have waited longer and are still waiting. While I did experience a feeling of extreme happiness and relief, I still continue to wish that the system operated in a better manner and in terms of true priority date. I sure hope the system gets better with time and wish the very best for those that are still waiting. I was starting each day with hope and felt disappointed when I did not get any status update. Yesterday, just as I had given up hopes for the day, the text message comes at 5PM Central. Below are my details:

PD: March 11, 2008
RD: Feb 2, 2012
Eb2I direct
TSC
RFE 1: No Birth certificate. Only affidavit provided. Got BC done in India somehow and submitted as response to RFE.
RFE 2(NOID): Reason for NOID was stated as "no explanation provided for why issue date on the BC was in 2012". No shit sherlock! Anyway, submitted an explanation of why issue date was 2012 (since I did not have BC and got it done only in 2012..blah blah) and submitted a gazillion affidavits and supporting docs listing my birth date.
RFE 3: Mass RFE for EVL on June 14
Steps taken after being current:
Sep 5: INFOPASS. Was useless. Officer pretty much read out the online case status. Suggested calling the Customer service line.
Sep 5: Called help line. L1 officer created SR and asked to wait 15 days to get a response.
Sep 15: Created a case with Ombudsman to express frustration around the fact that there seems to be no order to the approvals.
Sep 18: Got response for SR: "We have received your service request and researched the status of your case. We had to perform an additional review and this has caused a delay in processing time. Your case is currently under review. You should receive a decision or notice of further action within 90 days." Frustrated that visa numbers for FY2013 were exhausted around the same time.
Sep 23: Forwarded content of SR response to escalation email id:SCOPSSCATA@dhs.gov listed on the uscis website here: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem...
No response from ombudsman or SR escalation.
Oct 2: Tried calling ombudsman number to check status, but was closed due to govt shutdown.
Oct 3: Tried calling customer service again in the morning and asked for L2. L2 did not give any information and did not seem to have any either, but was friendly and could understand my frustration and explained how that is the case with India, China, Mexico and Philippines due to the backlogs.
Oct 3: Got CPO text at 5PM Central.

Not sure if any of the steps above triggered the approval or not. Also, I had applied for AP renewal on Sep 3 and historically it has taken about 30-40 days to be approved for me. Not sure if that showed up on an officer's desk for review and triggered the 485 approval or not either.

Anyway, that's how the story of my (painful) journey ends and finally there is light at the end of the tunnel.

On a ligher note, the theme song of the day for me since being approved has been (if there were ever to be a male version of it):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR7IvqqOae0
:-)
Good luck to all again. I wish the system were better and followed a true FIFO process.

[mannyt]

Posted below in the "Post 485 - Filing" thread but did not receive any response (as yet) hence sending out here. Please remove it if not posted at correct thread.

Hello to all,

I have filed 485 for the first time this Sept (2013), Recd receipts for me and my wife (I-485, I765, I131) and also the FP appt notice scheduled 10/09/13. I was wondering any chance of me getting GC before the retrogress season begins. Some of the experts on this forum believe that dates could hold on to June 08 for EB2I for another month. Is there anything I could do to expedite my GC process. If queries such as SR needs to be opened, I do not know which category should I pick for the reason for SR. Is there any adverse affect for opening SR query. Between my application is at NSC and have not recd EAD/AP yet.

Thanks in advance for your valuable input.

[qesehmk]

pseudo - congrats and thanks for sharing your experience.
Finally got the text message that I was eagerly waiting for. Got it on Oct 3 for me (primary) and yesterday for my wife (dependent). I would like to say that it has been a long and painful wait, but I know that there are folks that have waited longer and are still waiting. ..
Good luck to all again. I wish the system were better and followed a true FIFO process.

[tackle]

Posted below in the "Post 485 - Filing" thread but did not receive any response (as yet) hence sending out here. Please remove it if not posted at correct thread.

Hello to all,

I have filed 485 for the first time this Sept (2013), Recd receipts for me and my wife (I-485, I765, I131) and also the FP appt notice scheduled 10/09/13. I was wondering any chance of me getting GC before the retrogress season begins. Some of the experts on this forum believe that dates could hold on to June 08 for EB2I for another month. Is there anything I could do to expedite my GC process. If queries such as SR needs to be opened, I do not know which category should I pick for the reason for SR. Is there any adverse affect for opening SR query. Between my application is at NSC and have not recd EAD/AP yet.

Thanks in advance for your valuable input.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. But, I honestly do not think you could do anything at this time to expedite your GC process. According to the TSC processing times listed at https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplayInit.do , the processing times for I-485 is 4 months. So, I do not think they'd allow you to open an SR as you are well within normal processing times. Even if you request your congressman/senator, I'd think they'll get a response stating that your application is well within processing times and that you'll have to wait for 4 months to pass. All you can do is pray for some good luck. With luck, anything is possible.

[magva99]

Gurus,

I need your help to understand the online status of my GC.

The online status of my case moved directly from "Initial review" to "Decision" with following text. I did not receive the CPO mail or text. What does this mean? Is my case approved or do I need to worry about ADIT processing? Please let me know your thoughts. This twists and turns during the waiting are difficult to digest.


Decision

On October 9, 2013, we mailed you a notice that we had registered this customer's new permanent resident status. Please follow any instructions on the notice. Your new permanent resident card should be mailed within 60 days following this registration or after you complete any ADIT processing referred to in the welcome notice, whichever is later. If you move before receiving your card, please call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.


During this step the formal decision (approved/denied) is written and the decision notice is mailed and/or emailed to the applicant/petitioner. You can use our current processing time to gauge when you can expect to receive a final decision.

[SenorMeow]

@magva99: Congratulations! Don't worry about the ADIT processing language, you are registered as a permanent resident. If they need biometrics it will be explained in the welcome notice. Most of us received notices without any further instructions for ADIT, but even if you did it for some reason it is only a fingerprint appointment that you will have to complete before the card can be mailed out. Your application is still considered approved. Go celebrate! :)

[magva99]

Thanks a lot, SenorMeow.

Is it normal to move to "Decision" with CPO mail/text? I was planning to celebrate big time when I get to know about my approval. USCIS seems to know that so decided to take a route which is not normal. I was waiting every minute to see the CPO mail.


@magva99: Congratulations! Don't worry about the ADIT processing language, you are registered as a permanent resident. If they need biometrics it will be explained in the welcome notice. Most of us received notices without any further instructions for ADIT, but even if you did it for some reason it is only a fingerprint appointment that you will have to complete before the card can be mailed out. Your application is still considered approved. Go celebrate! :)

[mannyt]

Sorry to be the bearer of not bad news. But, I honestly do not think you could do anything at this time to expedite your GC process. According to the TSC processing times listed at https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplayInit.do , the processing times for I-485 is 4 months. So, I do not think they'd allow you to open an SR as you are well within normal processing times. Even if you request your congressman/senator, I'd think they'll get a response stating that your application is well within processing times and that you'll have to wait for 4 months to pass. All you can do is pray for some good luck. With luck, anything is possible.

Thanks Tackle,

I guess it is what it is....

[SenorMeow]

Thanks a lot, SenorMeow.

Is it normal to move to "Decision" with CPO mail/text? I was planning to celebrate big time when I get to know about my approval. USCIS seems to know that so decided to take a route which is not normal. I was waiting every minute to see the CPO mail.

Going by trackitt reports, case updates with USCIS have been anything but normal. People have been going thru status update changes in different order, with some of them missing certain updates altogether. So it is entirely possible that the 'CPO' status was skipped in your case and it went straight to decision. I would be very surprised if you don't get CPO status texts in the coming days as they print the card and mail it out. If you are still unsure, wait til Friday and call customer service. Their systems will be updated within 48 hours and the L2 rep will be able to confirm your approval and provide you with the USPS tracking number.

[magva99]

Thanks again. Will wait till Friday and call L2.


Going by trackitt reports, case updates with USCIS have been anything but normal. People have been going thru status update changes in different order, with some of them missing certain updates altogether. So it is entirely possible that the 'CPO' status was skipped in your case and it went straight to decision. I would be very surprised if you don't get CPO status texts in the coming days as they print the card and mail it out. If you are still unsure, wait til Friday and call customer service. Their systems will be updated within 48 hours and the L2 rep will be able to confirm your approval and provide you with the USPS tracking number.

[garihc27]

Nov Visa bulletin out, EB2I did not retrogress,
http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_6168.html

[desitiger]

Any thoughts on why TSC is freakin slow in comparison to NSC?

[tackle]

Any thoughts on why TSC is freakin slow in comparison to NSC?

Your guess is as good as mine. I feel that even though TSC starts out slow, it usually catches up with NSC towards the end of the month. At least that is what happened in Aug & Sep if I'm remembering the numbers correctly.

[primus]

Gurus,

TSC says their I-485 processing timeframe is 4 months. So in best scenario, if there is no RFE, then are they bound to process it within given time frame at any cost (if priority date remains current)? If not, then there is no significance of this timeframe..right? Or are there other factors that influence approval, apart from "current priority date".

[red200]

Guru's

Need a small clarification.
My wife's application is approved on Oct 8th but we got the following first message instead of CPO (CPO seems to be the norm)
so instead of CPO it directly went to Post decision activity in the first email itself.
Congress man confirmed that the case is approved through there liaison on the same day itself.
But we still didn't get the CPO email or any other email, even after 3 day's
Is this normal process ?, if yes in how many day's should we expect the CPO email.



################################################## ###################
Application Type: I485 , APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Your Case Status: Post Decision Activity

On October 8, 2013, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.
################################################## ###################


Thanks for any help, appreciate it

--red

[JosephM]

You are greened buddy. Wait for your cards now. Congrats..

[red200]

You are greened buddy. Wait for your cards now. Congrats..



Joseph thanks,
Its just that we normally see a lot emails after a CPO email within a period of two day's
It been three day's , but no email's after this POST DECISION EMAIL which was the first email.

[IJune05]

We got our CPO texts and emails yesterday...
For a process that started in 2005, I can just say that I am happy that it ended and I hope the same for everyone who have been still waiting.

I couldn't be grateful enough to Q and all other who contribute to this forum. The selfless contribution by all folks has been immensely helpful seeing through an otherwise completely opaque system made worse by complete lack of empathy by corporate attorneys in few cases

Again , thanks