EB2-3 Predictions (Rather Calculations) 2015-2020

[mesan123]

Hi All, if anyone not received receipt notices, I came to know that uscis chat will give 485 receipt no. Is this true
Yes. If your checks are cashed. I got it like that, before i got my physical reciepts home. I used A # to get reciept numbers.

[inspired_p]

i have it on my I-485 reciept notice

Maybe because mine was filed concurrently - there was no priority date mentioned on the 85 receipt notice. That is only plausible reason I can think of.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Maybe because mine was filed concurrently - there was no priority date mentioned on the 85 receipt notice. That is only plausible reason I can think of.

I filed normal EB2. Priority date was indicated only on my I-485 filing receipt, not on the other 5 receipts.

[skpanda]

Yes. If your checks are cashed. I got it like that, before i got my physical reciepts home. I used A # to get reciept numbers.

Was there a live person in the chat? If yes, what options did you choose to get it?

I am chatting with a bot and it just says

You will have to wait for your receipt number to arrive in the mail, or be sent to you electronically if you filed G-1145 along with your application/petition. If it has been more than 30 days since you submitted your application/petition and you have not received your receipt notice, please check to make sure your payment was cashed by USCIS.

If your payment was not cashed, your application/petition might have been lost in the mail or rejected by the Lockbox for some reason. Please email the Lockbox at lockboxsupport@uscis.dhs.gov to inquire about your application/petition.

If your payment was cashed, please call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 or 1-800-767-1833 (TTY).

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Was there a live person in the chat? If yes, what options did you choose to get it?

I am chatting with a bot and it just says

You will have to wait for your receipt number to arrive in the mail, or be sent to you electronically if you filed G-1145 along with your application/petition. If it has been more than 30 days since you submitted your application/petition and you have not received your receipt notice, please check to make sure your payment was cashed by USCIS.

If your payment was not cashed, your application/petition might have been lost in the mail or rejected by the Lockbox for some reason. Please email the Lockbox at lockboxsupport@uscis.dhs.gov to inquire about your application/petition.

If your payment was cashed, please call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 or 1-800-767-1833 (TTY).

Depending on the chat volume, they do that periodically. You just have to keep trying periodically. You could also try calling the number. If your A-number has not changed, then you may be able to get your receipt numbers. If it has changed, they will not be able to pull it up unless they have a way to pull up the updated A number using your name, dob and address.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2021/visa-bulletin-for-december-2020.html

Oof they pulled back EB3 filing dates by a year!!

[idliman]

Dec 2020 VB is out.
EB1 FA - 01APR19 -> + 121 days
EB1 DF - 01NOV20 -> + 61 days

EB2 FA - 01OCT09 -> + 9 days
EB2 DF - 15MAY11 -> No Change

EB3 FA - 15MAR10 -> + 14 day
EB3 DF - 01JAN14 -> - 365 days

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

The massive Eb2-EB3 downgrades are already having an effect. Wonder how long they are going to keep inching EB2 FAD like this?!

[Zenzone]

The massive Eb2-EB3 downgrades are already having an effect. Wonder how long they are going to keep inching EB2 FAD like this?!

I bet not too long...once they receipt the applications filed, things should start moving. Plus the change in admin.

[Sebiswaiting]

I did anticipate filing date to retrogress..
But I was also hoping that FAD moves ahead, it seems really odd that FAD moved in few days inspite of the huge spillover. I can think of only two reasons - 1. interference, 2. And/or manpower



I feel eb2 FAD should move my 4 months, considering they expects it to reach FD my sept21. EB3 is still tricky as they still won't have clear numbers of downgrade, but I think EB3 FAd should move by 3.5 months.
They might still consider FD for December, but more and more I look at numbers and downgrade news , I feel FD for EB3 might be moved up to mid of 2014 as precaution.
By end of December, with reciepts/rejection trend, and possibly CO's insight, we get clearer picture.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

I bet not too long...once they receipt the applications filed, things should start moving. Plus the change in admin.

February bulletin is one to watch out for :) Inauguration is Jan 20 which is Wed. Maybe they will open the FAD floodgates that Fri as a welcome present.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

I did anticipate filing date to retrogress..
But I was also hoping that FAD moves ahead, it seems really odd that FAD moved in few days inspite of the huge spillover. I can think of only two reasons - 1. interference, 2. And/or manpower

The obvious point being made after every bulletin still stands: why not move EB2 FAD to May 1, 2010 where it was 8 years back. Give those people who have all documents filed their GCs. I don't follow trackitt but looks like there have not been any medical RFEs either, so no idea why they are sitting on their hands.

[EB2IndSep09]

Not sure how they are planning to complete the quota of Q1 by not moving dates? Hope there is not going to be any wastage which is a disservice.

[vsivarama]

Are they focusing/diverting all their energy on collecting applications and will divert them to processing applications starting Q2? At least it will be encouraging if the continue to accept DF.

[Noesis]

3 Bulletins are out and this simply shows that they would be wasting the visas; this admin is doing everything they can to torture the already frustrated community.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Are they focusing/diverting all their energy on collecting applications and will divert them to processing applications starting Q2? At least it will be encouraging if the continue to accept DF.

Will be interesting to know if USCIS is going to accept FD or FAD. If they think they have enough applications to process and stop accepting FD, maybe that will be a trigger to start moving FADs.

[longwaitgigu]

Every bulletin we expect our dates would move and we give Hopes to others saying next bulletin should be good for indians
My prediction is both eb2 and eb3 will be somewhere in Q1 of 2011 by end of September 2021
I dont expect any huge movements for eb3 like 2012 or 2013

[inspired_p]

Dec 2020 VB is out.
EB1 FA - 01APR19 -> + 121 days
EB1 DF - 01NOV20 -> + 61 days

EB2 FA - 01OCT09 -> + 9 days
EB2 DF - 15MAY11 -> No Change

EB3 FA - 15MAR10 -> + 14 day
EB3 DF - 01JAN14 -> - 365 days

This is disappointing to say the least. Both EB2 and EB3 should move well past 2010 by the end Sept 2020 but these kind of movements it seems impossible to reach that date.

[longwaitgigu]

Where r they going to use 65,000 for first quarter- 27% of 261,000?
Can this number be carried forward for 2nd and 3rd quarters

[Viking]

Every bulletin we expect our dates would move and we give Hopes to others saying next bulletin should be good for indians
My prediction is both eb2 and eb3 will be somewhere in Q1 of 2011 by end of September 2021
I dont expect any huge movements for eb3 like 2012 or 2013

With this pace, if both Eb2/Eb3 after downgrades will not cross June 2010 by end of September 21

[mar2010er]

Hi guys, My priority date is exactly March 15th, 2010. Did I miss it by one day? or does it include the 3/15 as well?

[monsieur]

Hi guys, My priority date is exactly March 15th, 2010. Did I miss it by one day? or does it include the 3/15 as well?

Unfortunately you missed by 1 day. As its FAD, I hope you have already filed for your EAD which you can do so any time (DF is 2014 till Nov-30, 2013 from Dec-1 onwards)

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Hey good news is that they are accepting DF for December.

https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/visa-availability-priority-dates/adjustment-of-status-filing-charts-from-the-visa-bulletin

[mar2010er]

Unfortunately you missed by 1 day. As its FAD, I hope you have already filed for your EAD which you can do so any time (DF is 2014 till Nov-30, 2013 from Dec-1 onwards)

Thanks Monsieur. Yes, I have EAD already. Hope to get it next time (sigh)

[monsieur]

Thanks Monsieur. Yes, I have EAD already. Hope to get it next time (sigh)

You have waited patiently for 10+ yrs, this one month shall pass too. One more reason for you to look fwd to 2021

[mar2010er]

You have waited patiently for 10+ yrs, this one month shall pass too. One more reason for you to look fwd to 2021

Yes, 2020 was a complete wash-off including immigration! More reasons to look forward to 2021.

[AceMan]

February bulletin is one to watch out for :) Inauguration is Jan 20 which is Wed. Maybe they will open the FAD floodgates that Fri as a welcome present.

Watch out for April bulletin. That would be the beginning of the 3rd quarter, and EB1 India would be current or close to current in the next 3 months. EB2 and Eb3 India would have to move further.

[AceMan]

You have waited patiently for 10+ yrs, this one month shall pass too. One more reason for you to look fwd to 2021

As long as there is cut off date, some body would always miss the cutoff. This month it is him, next month it is going to somebody else.

[idliman]

As long as there is cut off date, some body would always miss the cutoff. This month it is him, next month it is going to somebody else.
There have been reports that DT admin (S.Miller) is working overtime to issue new regulations before they leave office on 20Jan. Among those are H1B, H4, etc., type regulations. I am even surprised that they moved the EB2 days by 9 days. DT admin will try to burn everything before they leave. So we should not expect anything before Feb VB. Hopefully it will be issued after Jan 20th and not before Jan20th. I really thought that the DOS career officials will move it. Seeing how DT is firing anyone and everyone, I think DOS/CO will try to stay under the radar and invisible till Jan20th.

[EB32010]

There have been reports that DT admin (S.Miller) is working overtime to issue new regulations before they leave office on 20Jan. Among those are H1B, H4, etc., type regulations. I am even surprised that they moved the EB2 days by 9 days. DT admin will try to burn everything before they leave. So we should not expect anything before Feb VB. Hopefully it will be issued after Jan 20th and not before Jan20th. I really thought that the DOS career officials will move it. Seeing how DT is firing anyone and everyone, I think DOS/CO will try to stay under the radar and invisible till Jan20th.
Did your friend’s friend’s friend’s friend said this?:D

[AceMan]

There have been reports that DT admin (S.Miller) is working overtime to issue new regulations before they leave office on 20Jan. Among those are H1B, H4, etc., type regulations. I am even surprised that they moved the EB2 days by 9 days. DT admin will try to burn everything before they leave. So we should not expect anything before Feb VB. Hopefully it will be issued after Jan 20th and not before Jan20th. I really thought that the DOS career officials will move it. Seeing how DT is firing anyone and everyone, I think DOS/CO will try to stay under the radar and invisible till Jan20th.

If we think Miller is working overtime to stop the visa movement to prevent some exceptionally skilled and regular skilled people who are here in the country even before he hit puberty, then I think we should be writing conspiracy theory novels :-)

[idliman]

If we think Miller is working overtime to stop the visa movement to prevent some exceptionally skilled and regular skilled people who are here in the country even before he hit puberty, then I think we should be writing conspiracy theory novels :-)
I think you guys missed two articles that came out quoting Jessica Vaughan. I found the CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/19/politics/immigration-trump-transition/index.html) one. I think there was one in Hill also. They said that the admin is calling conservatives asking them what can they do before leaving office. Mind you that DT fired Christopher Krebs for going against him. I think it is reasonable that DOS is trying to stay low. There is no check-in with CO articles recently. No word of what happened to the 25K GCs that were announced in June 2020.

[jimmys]

I don't know what USCIS is thinking. The EB-2 India FAD should be at May 1, 2010 or close to it by now. The more time it takes to reach May 1,2010 the more visas will be wasted in FY 21. Even the new applications should have receded by now so much less workload. What else is stopping them to approve the cases that don't have interview mandate?

[idliman]

Did your friend’s friend’s friend’s friend said this?:D
No CNN and The Hill articles did.

[idliman]

I don't know what USCIS is thinking. The EB-2 India FAD should be at May 1, 2010 or close to it by now. The more time it takes to reach May 1,2010 the more visas will be wasted in FY 21. Even the new applications should have receded by now so much less workload. What else is stopping them to approve the cases that don't have interview mandate?
Interference. There is no other way of explaining this at all. We have spent enough time here to see what's the math and what's happening.

[mesan123]

Was there a live person in the chat? If yes, what options did you choose to get it?

I am chatting with a bot and it just says

You will have to wait for your receipt number to arrive in the mail, or be sent to you electronically if you filed G-1145 along with your application/petition. If it has been more than 30 days since you submitted your application/petition and you have not received your receipt notice, please check to make sure your payment was cashed by USCIS.

If your payment was not cashed, your application/petition might have been lost in the mail or rejected by the Lockbox for some reason. Please email the Lockbox at lockboxsupport@uscis.dhs.gov to inquire about your application/petition.

If your payment was cashed, please call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 or 1-800-767-1833 (TTY).
I called USCIS ph no, didnot ise chat, the no i called 800-375-5283

Mentioned 485 status check, it asks for reciept number, told ‘i dont have one but i have A#” .. after couple of repeats connected to live agent

By the way when did your application reach USCIS

Mine was in Dallas texas service center..

[jimmys]

Interference. There is no other way of explaining this at all. We have spent enough time here to see what's the math and what's happening.

Interference only in EB-2 and EB-3 categories? In the last 3 months EB-1 India moved 10 months. I find it hard to believe. Most, if not all, of these EB-2 and EB-3 backloggers are already in the country and employed (Well paid too). Kicking the can down the road for only two categories don't make much sense to me.

[AceMan]

I think you guys missed two articles that came out quoting Jessica Vaughan. I found the CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/19/politics/immigration-trump-transition/index.html) one. I think there was one in Hill also. They said that the admin is calling conservatives asking them what can they do before leaving office. Mind you that DT fired Christopher Krebs for going against him. I think it is reasonable that DOS is trying to stay low. There is no check-in with CO articles recently. No word of what happened to the 25K GCs that were announced in June 2020.

25 K was allocated to Eb1 India. In 2018 we had about 34,000 Primaries waiting for approval till March 2018

[msbmsb]

Since this is a predications thread - here's a shot at trying to determine why EB2 is not moving as much...

Eb2 today has Eb2 + Eb3 > Eb2 as part of the queue. People with PDs < Apr 2010 have had a lot of time to move to EB2. The pending inventory simply does not reflect this. For someone in that group, who originally filed in Eb3 and ported to EB2, they have a choice to make. Either wait in the EB2 queue or go back to EB3. However from what I know going back to EB3 means they need to file a new petition. Which will take time. So for those who are prior to Apr 2010, they may not be keen on starting a downgrade at this time.

This would imply that EB2 has all those applications that need to be processed.

Granted there are EB2 users who ported to EB3 back in 2018 - 2019. But those were not much. Most who did that were the ones who missed the 2012 window to file.

I am not an expert in calculations but a quick back of the book calculation with perms split at 1:2:3 ratio, 70% EB3 > EB2 porting, 2.5 dependents per application and 0% EB2 > EB3 porting tells me there are about 23k applications in the EB2 queue till it hits Apr 2010.

Considering EB2 gets 5.9k before any spillover calculations which in theory should be available Oct 1st, even my calculations are convervative.

Long story short - I think the Eb2 > Eb3 factor may only play out for PDs after Apr 2010. EB2 will continue to lag till it clears this hurdle. This also means, anyone with PD > May 2010 should look into the EB3 downgrade

[rabp77]

I don't know what USCIS is thinking. The EB-2 India FAD should be at May 1, 2010 or close to it by now. The more time it takes to reach May 1,2010 the more visas will be wasted in FY 21. Even the new applications should have receded by now so much less workload. What else is stopping them to approve the cases that don't have interview mandate?

another slightly strange thing is the slowing pace of movement for EB2-1 and EB3-1 over the last 3 bulletins. EB3 movement was 106 days in Oct, 44 days in Nov, and 14 days in Dec. EB2 moved 55 days in Oct, 21 days in Nov, and 9 days in Dec. Similar slow down can be seen in movement of EB2-China and Eb3-china also.

They have been approving cases at a decently fast clip based on trackitt data. So a slow down in FAD movement does not look to be processing capacity related, but more related to visas numbers usage itself. Its difficult to make any sense when so little information is shared. Hopeing the new quarter will result in better news, and that pace would pick up after all applications have been received for the year.

[bones20]

Unfortunately you missed by 1 day. As its FAD, I hope you have already filed for your EAD which you can do so any time (DF is 2014 till Nov-30, 2013 from Dec-1 onwards)

why/how did he miss? his date is 03/15/10 which is now current for FAD, no?

[kbakshi]

i dont see dec visa bulletin any more on state website

[EB22010Dec]

why/how did he miss? his date is 03/15/10 which is now current for FAD, no?

It's everyone 'before' that FD.

[Justmyself]

I think you guys missed two articles that came out quoting Jessica Vaughan. I found the CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/19/politics/immigration-trump-transition/index.html) one. I think there was one in Hill also. They said that the admin is calling conservatives asking them what can they do before leaving office. Mind you that DT fired Christopher Krebs for going against him. I think it is reasonable that DOS is trying to stay low. There is no check-in with CO articles recently. No word of what happened to the 25K GCs that were announced in June 2020.

Can this mean they can pass the H4 EAD revoke rule by jan 20?

[Moveon]

Can this mean they can pass the H4 EAD revoke rule by jan 20?

I doubt if they will do that as they have not done that for the last ~4 years. About the date movement , I had mentioned a couple of weeks ago that we will need to wait for the Biden Administration to staff these departments and give them the green signal to start issuing the GCs. So it will be the Feb or probably the march bulletins where dates will move
The Current administration will do what it can to stop/slow the issuance hoping that there will be less time for the depts to issue the 265K GCs. This windfall of GCs is an unintended consequence of the consulate closures and they will do what ever they can to "poison the well" and see to it that issuance will get harder for the Biden Admin as they need to complete it by sept 2021.
Those in the govt depts will not move dates until they feel its safe as they don't want their heads to roll given that the current administration has less than 60 days left. They will just wait it out till the coast is clear or they fell the threat no longer exists.
So it will be the Feb or probably the march bulletins where dates will move as the departments will not feel the heat from the admin to stop/slow the issuance .

[Moveon]

i dont see dec visa bulletin any more on state website

PLease clear the cache or go incognito . Firefox has issue with caching for the state website

[mitul75]

Guys,

I am an avid follower of this forum and appreciate the contribution from all of you that helps me stay informed in my path to GC. I did some research on how many green cards are issued in the various employment preference categories by country of birth, and found a disturbing trend for EB2 visas issued for people whose county of birth is India. Between 2012 and 2015 EB2-I got 15k+ visas each year on an average, which went down to 3.3k on an average between 2016 and 2019, a drop of 80%!!!

Based on this, I think granting EB2 visas is not a priority for the current admin. Most stunning is the stat that only 2,604 GCs were issued in EB2-I category for the whole of 2019, which means they did not meet the 7% country quota of 2800+ visas for that year. This also leads me to believe that most of the 2021 spillover visas for Eb2/3 may just get wasted, unless the new admin takes an about turn and follows the policy of Obama admin (see data for 2012-2015). I welcome your thoughts/comments.

source: https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/readingroom/LPR/LPRcounty

==========================
Year EB1-I EB2-I EB3-I (Skilled)
----- ------ ------ ----------------
2012 8,152 17,878 2,571
2013 8,253 15,693 6,862
2014 11,314 21,024 3,102
2015 10,527 6,853 5,695
2016 9,289 3,823 3,986
2017 11,122 2,843 5,414
2018 9,676 3,894 4,891
2019 8,001 2,604 4,135

1765

[gcconnect]

Guys,

I am an avid follower of this forum and appreciate the contribution from all of you that helps me stay informed in my path to GC. I did some research on how many green cards are issued in the various employment preference categories by country of birth, and found a disturbing trend for EB2 visas issued for people whose county of birth is India. Between 2012 and 2015 EB2-I got 15k+ visas each year on an average, which went down to 3.3k on an average between 2016 and 2019, a drop of 80%!!!

Based on this, I think granting EB2 visas is not a priority for the current admin. Most stunning is the stat that only 2,604 GCs were issued in EB2-I category for the whole of 2019, which means they did not meet the 7% country quota of 2800+ visas for that year. This also leads me to believe that most of the 2021 spillover visas for Eb2/3 may just get wasted, unless the new admin takes an about turn and follows the policy of Obama admin (see data for 2012-2015). I welcome your thoughts/comments.

source: https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/readingroom/LPR/LPRcounty

==========================
Year EB1-I EB2-I EB3-I (Skilled)
----- ------ ------ ----------------
2012 8,152 17,878 2,571
2013 8,253 15,693 6,862
2014 11,314 21,024 3,102
2015 10,527 6,853 5,695
2016 9,289 3,823 3,986
2017 11,122 2,843 5,414
2018 9,676 3,894 4,891
2019 8,001 2,604 4,135

1765

May be Dumb question. Help me understand

I am not good at numbers. I have seen these kind of year wise numbers earlier and with following this forum (Thanks to Gurus), came to know that those years got spill over which allocates extra for EB2I or EB3I and when no spill over only 7%.

So, with more or less 7% every year as per Law, what exactly happening to EB2I or EB3I?

Are these categories supposed to get more spillover every year which is not getting?

[mitul75]

May be Dumb question. Help me understand

I am not good at numbers. I have seen these kind of year wise numbers earlier and with following this forum (Thanks to Gurus), came to know that those years got spill over which allocates extra for EB2I or EB3I and when no spill over only 7%.

So, with more or less 7% every year as per Law, what exactly happening to EB2I or EB3I?

Are these categories supposed to get more spillover every year which is not getting?

I think they get a lot more horizontal spillover each year than what’s been used. Again this is purely based on historical trend. It may well be that ROW has consumed a lot more of these visas over the last few years, but that too does not explain the huge consistent drop in EB2-I. EB1-I has been the recipient of 10k plus visas each year, which is expected given the demand from EB1C. But the spillovers from other categories are just not being allocated to EB2, either due to lack of resources or due to lack of will, or both. I may be totally off base in this analysis, so would like to hear from gurus.

[rabp77]

Things may not be that bad. Slow movement so far may only mean horizontal spillover has not been applied yet. If that's the case, once it starts getting applied, the pace of movement should increase.

[inspired_p]

Things may not be that bad. Slow movement so far may only mean horizontal spillover has not been applied yet. If that's the case, once it starts getting applied, the pace of movement should increase.

I feel the same .. they are still looking country cap per quarter limit

[rocketfast]

According to the link at [1], USCIS approved 73,000 I-485 petitions in the first 3 quarters of FY 2020.

[1]: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/Quarterly_All_Forms_FY2020Q3.pdf

[AceMan]

I think you guys missed two articles that came out quoting Jessica Vaughan. I found the CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/19/politics/immigration-trump-transition/index.html) one. I think there was one in Hill also. They said that the admin is calling conservatives asking them what can they do before leaving office. Mind you that DT fired Christopher Krebs for going against him. I think it is reasonable that DOS is trying to stay low. There is no check-in with CO articles recently. No word of what happened to the 25K GCs that were announced in June 2020.

The article offers nothing new other than few quotes and wish list.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

If you anecdotally look at trackitt, there are a number of people who are still waiting for receipts for filings as early as second-third week of Oct. It's very hit and miss as some who filed in third or fourth week have receipts. So safe to say, USCIS as usual are flying blind without a good handle on the number of applications, especially downgrades. So no idea how and when they would have a proper count and accordingly start moving FADs and start issuing GCs.

[AceMan]

If you anecdotally look at trackitt, there are a number of people who are still waiting for receipts for filings as early as second-third week of Oct. It's very hit and miss as some who filed in third or fourth week have receipts. So safe to say, USCIS as usual are flying blind without a good handle on the number of applications, especially downgrades. So no idea how and when they would have a proper count and accordingly start moving FADs and start issuing GCs.



They have enough Eb2 pending files till May 2010 and Eb3 had reached April 2010 couple of years back itself.

The speed at which the EB1 India has moved over the 6-7 bulletins, shows they can move if they want.

[ak7419]

They have enough Eb2 pending files till May 2010 and Eb3 had reached April 2010 couple of years back itself.

The speed at which the EB1 India has moved over the 6-7 bulletins, shows they can move if they want. Agree that they have enough EB2I files until May 2010 but TSC seems to have stopped processing 485 files. Does anyone know where they are spending their manpower on, these days? NSC seems to be doing okay.

[mitul75]

Here's some additional data that I compiled. Comparing the data from 2012-2015 and 2016-2019 and taking an average of the total between these 2 segments, we are getting the following 3 factors that are primarily contributing to the huge drop in EB2-I visas on a YoY basis:
-- 16% increase in EB2 ROW visas
-- 24% increase in EB visas through CP
-- 71% increase in visa wastage

Year EB2-I EB2-ROW EB(AOS) EB(CP) Wasted Visas (based on 140k limit)
================================
2012 17,878 13,028 106,968 19,137 13,895
2013 15,693 23,554 119,432 21,144 -
2014 21,024 11,198 114,347 21,365 4,288
2015 6,853 18,888 106,393 21,613 11,994
2016 3,823 18,234 100,108 25,056 14,836
2017 2,843 20,031 101,020 23,814 15,166
2018 3,894 19,252 100,885 27,345 11,770
2019 2,604 19,872 101,890 28,538 9,572

So even with consulates closed at least until February 2021, there's a good chance of spillover visas getting wasted no matter what. Again, this might change dramatically with the new admin and things will start improving from day 1, or it may be too late if they wait till Q3/Q4 of this FY.

[rocketfast]

I do believe that we need to organize and open a line of communication with Zoe Lofgren's office to atleast make her aware that USCIS's current speed will lead to large wastage.

[srimurthy]

May be Dumb question. Help me understand

I am not good at numbers. I have seen these kind of year wise numbers earlier and with following this forum (Thanks to Gurus), came to know that those years got spill over which allocates extra for EB2I or EB3I and when no spill over only 7%.

So, with more or less 7% every year as per Law, what exactly happening to EB2I or EB3I?

Are these categories supposed to get more spillover every year which is not getting?

I may not be able to give you a complete picture. But there are multiple factors that come in play every year.
We had EB1C filing increasing between 2012 and 2018 where international managers on both H1 and L1 could file and get the GCs with in 6 months to start with and then that response times increased with more backlog applications.
Also we had a good spill across from EB2 ROW during those years for EB2I and spill over from EB1 as the usage was not that high. Once EB1 I and C started getting backlogged the spillover to EB2 either stopped or reduced.

[srimurthy]

Here's some additional data that I compiled. Comparing the data from 2012-2015 and 2016-2019 and taking an average of the total between these 2 segments, we are getting the following 3 factors that are primarily contributing to the huge drop in EB2-I visas on a YoY basis:
-- 16% increase in EB2 ROW visas
-- 24% increase in EB visas through CP
-- 71% increase in visa wastage

Year EB2-I EB2-ROW EB(AOS) EB(CP) Wasted Visas (based on 140k limit)
================================
2012 17,878 13,028 106,968 19,137 13,895
2013 15,693 23,554 119,432 21,144 -
2014 21,024 11,198 114,347 21,365 4,288
2015 6,853 18,888 106,393 21,613 11,994
2016 3,823 18,234 100,108 25,056 14,836
2017 2,843 20,031 101,020 23,814 15,166
2018 3,894 19,252 100,885 27,345 11,770
2019 2,604 19,872 101,890 28,538 9,572

So even with consulates closed at least until February 2021, there's a good chance of spillover visas getting wasted no matter what. Again, this might change dramatically with the new admin and things will start improving from day 1, or it may be too late if they wait till Q3/Q4 of this FY.

Having applications with a 485 filed in 2012 for EB2I and still not process, having the visa wastage every year is what really hurts and that is what should not have happened.

[mitul75]

Agree completely. What can change things for the current FY are 2 things -
1. Fewer Consular Processing & fewer ROW demand for the rest of FY'21 due to COVID and the time to get everyone vaccinated
2. Intent to not waste visas and speed things up in EB2/3 lines - this is most important, since with the right intent they are fully capable of approving 20-30k EB2s in a single year as seen in the past. If Biden's admin gets rid of the interview process, that will speed things up dramatically.

[ak7419]

Agree completely. What can change things for the current FY are 2 things -
1. Fewer Consular Processing & fewer ROW demand for the rest of FY'21 due to COVID and the time to get everyone vaccinated
2. Intent to not waste visas and speed things up in EB2/3 lines - this is most important, since with the right intent they are fully capable of approving 20-30k EB2s in a single year as seen in the past. If Biden's admin gets rid of the interview process, that will speed things up dramatically.
I don't think interviews are delaying the process in short term. We still have substantial number of applicants who need to get approved even though they were/are current since three months. What is causing the delay?

[mitul75]

I don't think interviews are delaying the process in short term. We still have substantial number of applicants who need to get approved even though they were/are current since three months. What is causing the delay?

I guess this is the same trend we've seen in the past several months, right? Moving the dates conservatively by 2-3 days to 2-3 weeks at a time. Logically speaking, they may have assumed that EB2-I gets around 5,500 visas this year including SO and assuming no vertical or horizontal spills from other EB categories and hence moving the dates cautiously. That's the worst case scenario, and if that happens, that would perhaps move the dates to the end of 2009 at best by end of FY-21.

But realistically speaking, they'll find a huge number of unused visas in Q4 due to point #1 above, and then they won't have enough time to reallocate those visas. Jan bulletin will give us a clear indication how they want to move the dates in Q2 & Q3. I don't expect anything dramatic happening in the first few months of Biden presidency, so without a course correction as early as January, we may be looking at more visa wastage.

[AceMan]

I don't think interviews are delaying the process in short term. We still have substantial number of applicants who need to get approved even though they were/are current since three months. What is causing the delay?

The objective of the interview was to avoid giving GC to people who have abandoned the process and moved on. However it does really slow down the process, back in 2012 my co worker had his date current for Jan 2012 bulletin and he got his GC by March 2012. Those time lines are un achievable anymore with interview

[idliman]

The objective of the interview was to avoid giving GC to people who have abandoned the process and moved on. However it does really slow down the process, back in 2012 my co worker had his date current for Jan 2012 bulletin and he got his GC by March 2012. Those time lines are un achievable anymore with interview
USCIS has been turned into an enforcement agency instead of a service agency. The processes have been designed to slow down the approval process in conformance with the objectives of the DT administration. After Jan 20, DHS will be run by a Cuban immigrant who was heading the USCIS when DACA was formulated. I am sure they will have the means and staff to undo the road blocks crafted by the DT admin. Everything from Supp-J, interview mandate, expiry of medicals, public charge, etc., is designed to slow down the process. I am especially mad at how the Supp-J was designed to force people to go back the the company attorneys. Previously I-485 was an individual petition.

[qesehmk]

USCIS has been turned into an enforcement agency instead of a service agency. The processes have been designed to slow down the approval process in conformance with the objectives of the DT administration. Very well said!

[ak7419]

USCIS has been turned into an enforcement agency instead of a service agency. The processes have been designed to slow down the approval process in conformance with the objectives of the DT administration. After Jan 20, DHS will be run by a Cuban immigrant who was heading the USCIS when DACA was formulated. I am sure they will have the means and staff to undo the road blocks crafted by the DT admin. Everything from Supp-J, interview mandate, expiry of medicals, public charge, etc., is designed to slow down the process. I am especially mad at how the Supp-J was designed to force people to go back the the company attorneys. Previously I-485 was an individual petition.

I am afraid we will not see any changes for legal immigration. If at all, they will take time to implement them.

[AceMan]

USCIS has been turned into an enforcement agency instead of a service agency. The processes have been designed to slow down the approval process in conformance with the objectives of the DT administration. After Jan 20, DHS will be run by a Cuban immigrant who was heading the USCIS when DACA was formulated. I am sure they will have the means and staff to undo the road blocks crafted by the DT admin. Everything from Supp-J, interview mandate, expiry of medicals, public charge, etc., is designed to slow down the process. I am especially mad at how the Supp-J was designed to force people to go back the the company attorneys. Previously I-485 was an individual petition.

Let us not push everything to Trump. Expired medicals were a norm during Obama times too. The employee employer relationship was during that time. The introduction of filing dates without any worthwhile movement for 5 years was under his admin. The watered down H4 EAD and nothing for kids was his handout. Kids aging out due to oversight or design of not accepting filing date again by Obama.

[idliman]

Let us not push everything to Trump. Expired medicals were a norm during Obama times too. The employee employer relationship was during that time. The introduction of filing dates without any worthwhile movement for 5 years was under his admin. The watered down H4 EAD and nothing for kids was his handout. Kids aging out due to oversight or design of not accepting filing date again by Obama.
Ace, after being at this "Trishanku Swarga" status (EAD/AP), I am starting to get tired of this process. I agree with most of your views above. In my opinion the single thing that messed up EB2I folks is the introduction of the Dual VB dates (DF/FA) by the Obama admin. I was cheering for it when it was announced and many years older, now I look back and reflect the harm it has done. In simpler words it made sure that spillover was systematically denied to India folks. Kids age-out is a greater sin than DACA. I am sure the JB admin will change the rule-book to include the DF dates. Immigration is very complicated. After being in the queue for so long, I realize that small things can have unintended consequences. The consulate closure unexpectedly now allowed many folks till 2015 to attain the EAD/AP status. I supported JB mainly for the reason that his admin will issue as many GCs as possible without the wastage that you expect from DT admin. Time only will tell if we were right to support our candidates. Even though EAD/AP Trishanku status is fine for a while, after 8+ years many will start getting tired of it.

[ak7419]

Have you maintained H1-B for the last 8 years?

I did until last year. so, for about 7 years post EAD!

[Moveon]

Have you maintained H1-B for the last 8 years?

As humans, we all get bored with "status quo" . When on an L1 , you hope to just get an HIB lottery . After that you get the HI , you tell yourself that an EAD is good enough as your are very loosely connected to an employer after 180 days. But then with the renewals of EAD every two years and AP every year plus sitting secondary immigration for 3-4 hrs you long for a GC . Once on GC, you want citizenship as that liberates you from all this mess. Its a long journey , but after a while you want change where ever you are .
About the movement of dates if Trump concedes by Dec 5th we could have dates moving from the next bulletin as the departments will have more autonomy . Else we will need to wait for Biden administration to staff the agencies and give them the green signal.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Trump has conceded. Wishing for better times from now on. Don't expect any immigration reform for another four years, hope that the Executive Actions don't end up stabbing us in the back.

[gcconnect]

As humans, we all get bored with "status quo" . When on an L1 , you hope to just get an HIB lottery . After that you get the HI , you tell yourself that an EAD is good enough as your are very loosely connected to an employer after 180 days. But then with the renewals of EAD every two years and AP every year plus sitting secondary immigration for 3-4 hrs you long for a GC . Once on GC, you want citizenship as that liberates you from all this mess. Its a long journey , but after a while you want change where ever you are .
About the movement of dates if Trump concedes by Dec 5th we could have dates moving from the next bulletin as the departments will have more autonomy . Else we will need to wait for Biden administration to staff the agencies and give them the green signal.

That's True. Where ever we are change required, but Change required with boredom is different than change required with pain. This is pain and sad part is our kids needs to start over from the beginning.
As per my understanding the FD movement indicates that this year is very different than any previous years. If they don't want to issue GCs, would not have been moved the FD so far . The FAD movement will start soon.

[Moveon]

Trump has conceded. Wishing for better times from now on. Don't expect any immigration reform for another four years, hope that the Executive Actions don't end up stabbing us in the back.

Yes , its hard for any good reform to pass for Legal immigration given the senate and house numbers . If they can issue the 265K GCs this fiscal , that would be the best we can hope for and probably a decent spillover for the next one too.

[longwaitgigu]

Can anyone explain this
How 436 gc issued in eb3 for month of October via CP if EO is still existing
Spectator has mentioned in CP processing

[Spectator]

Can anyone explain this
How 436 gc issued in eb3 for month of October via CP if EO is still existing
Spectator has mentioned in CP processing
longwaitgigu,

There are various exceptions in the EOs and the Consulates have some latitude.

Notably, there's an exception for health workers due to COVID-19. Nearly 60% of the EB3 approvals are for Philippines, known for providing nurses.

I think CO has mentioned that priority is also given to cases where age-out is a consideration.

In short - it's not a total blanket ban.

[08jul11]

Hi Gurus: please move this to the appropriate page but wanted to ask about the Expedited processing options for H4 visas due to Financial loss. Has anyone been able to avail this service? When I try to call the 800 number, there is no way to get to an agent to take up the case. Is there any other way to reach them ?

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

USCIS is not going to furlough anyone this year, which should be welcome news for processing more applications in a timely fashion. Hopefully they do their job, at least beginning from noon on Jan 20, 2021.

https://twitter.com/Haleaziz/status/1331256633180127233

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Hi Gurus: please move this to the appropriate page but wanted to ask about the Expedited processing options for H4 visas due to Financial loss. Has anyone been able to avail this service? When I try to call the 800 number, there is no way to get to an agent to take up the case. Is there any other way to reach them ?

https://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-information/how-to-make-an-expedite-request

[Orchid1987]

My PD is 2012 June and we just downgraded to eb3. When do u think we can expect a GC? How many years from now on? Provided our downgrade application gets approved.

Thanks,
Orchid

[rabp77]

My PD is 2012 June and we just downgraded to eb3. When do u think we can expect a GC? How many years from now on? Provided our downgrade application gets approved.

Thanks,
Orchid

After USCIS stopped publishing pending inventory data, this question can be answered only by making a few assumptions. My assumption may sound too optimistic for some, but in the best case scenario you may get yours in a year. The assumptions made here are full spillover is utilized without any being wasted, and most people before May 15 2011 PD would not be downgrading. But i have no data to say how realistic these assumptions are. You could use whereismyGC service to get a more accurate date (which is likely to use more available data into account). Good Luck.

[waitin4gc]

My Priority date is Mar 2011. I filed my I-485 in EB2 category. What is the estimated date for getting GC. Will it be any sooner if I downgrade to EB3 (after getting EB3 I-140 approved). Is it worth downgrading? I ask this because Gurus are suggesting that use of EAD/AP will jeopardize future Downgrade/Upgrade. Its like - we can have the cake but not eat it.

[AceMan]

After USCIS stopped publishing pending inventory data, this question can be answered only by making a few assumptions. My assumption may sound too optimistic for some, but in the best case scenario you may get yours in a year. The assumptions made here are full spillover is utilized without any being wasted, and most people before May 15 2011 PD would not be downgrading. But i have no data to say how realistic these assumptions are. You could use whereismyGC service to get a more accurate date (which is likely to use more available data into account). Good Luck.


With the current rules the best case for date movement is May 15th 2011 before the end of FY 21 for Eb3. To reach there it has to move forward by close to 45 days every bulletin and the movement was on par for the first quarter.

[skpanda]

My Priority date is Mar 2011. I filed my I-485 in EB2 category. What is the estimated date for getting GC. Will it be any sooner if I downgrade to EB3 (after getting EB3 I-140 approved). Is it worth downgrading? I ask this because Gurus are suggesting that use of EAD/AP will jeopardize future Downgrade/Upgrade. Its like - we can have the cake but not eat it.

Take it with a grain of salt. You may get your GC faster in EB3 rather than EB2.

This is from the collective wisdom in this forum that anybody after Apr 2010 PD is trying to downgrade as much as possible to EB3. Simply because EB2 Queue is crowded 5 times to 1 of EB3 Queue.

[Orchid1987]

I think at some point eb2 and eb3 will go in parallel. If SO is applied correctly. Without any wastage. 2010,2011 will clear for sure. 2012 May clear next yr if there is low demand from row.

[aqvamoorthy]

My PD is EB2 May 2013, Recently applied EB2 >>EB3 Downgrade (I-140& I-485), I hold General Manager[GM] title with SOC code 11:1021 with wage of $120K, Planning to start my own business exactly same field and plan to hold GM title in additional small change[90% remain same] in responsibility but with pay of $75[due to startup]+ 100% Company ownership, thinking to use AC21 to sign my own 1-485J,, Please let me know if this still in compliance of existing ac21 policy for self employment or not? Pls explain if any risks involved. FYI: I plan to do only after 180 days of both I-140& I-485 Which ever comes latest.

[gc_dedo]

My Priority date is Mar 2011. I filed my I-485 in EB2 category. What is the estimated date for getting GC. Will it be any sooner if I downgrade to EB3 (after getting EB3 I-140 approved). Is it worth downgrading? I ask this because Gurus are suggesting that use of EAD/AP will jeopardize future Downgrade/Upgrade. Its like - we can have the cake but not eat it.

Is is not possible to upgrade/downgrade once you switch to EAD?

[rabp77]

I think at some point eb2 and eb3 will go in parallel. If SO is applied correctly. Without any wastage. 2010,2011 will clear for sure. 2012 May clear next yr if there is low demand from row.

This thing has been mentioned by many people since more than 4-5 years ago. In theory, it makes sense because most people who filed EB3 10 years ago, would now qualify for EB2, and any petition that qualifies for EB2 will qualify for EB3. However, this has not been the case so far because, there are costs and hurdles associated with switching. Some companies refuse to downgrade or file a 2nd petition, and in other cases people have used the EAD, and changed companies, so upgrading or downgrading can require a new perm. If you observe China, Eb3 is currently 1.5 years ahead of EB2, and that has been the case for most part for a few years.

[nbk1976]

My PD is EB2 May 2013, Recently applied EB2 >>EB3 Downgrade (I-140& I-485), I hold General Manager[GM] title with SOC code 11:1021 with wage of $120K, Planning to start my own business exactly same field and plan to hold GM title in additional small change[90% remain same] in responsibility but with pay of $75[due to startup]+ 100% Company ownership, thinking to use AC21 to sign my own 1-485J,, Please let me know if this still in compliance of existing ac21 policy for self employment or not? Pls explain if any risks involved. FYI: I plan to do only after 180 days of both I-140& I-485 Which ever comes latest.

My lawyer once told me that self-employment, freelance consulting, etc., are fine for AC21 as long as the job duties are similar and you are able to clearly prove that you won't be a public charge and have the ability to generate income to support yourself. If you have a history being successfully self-employed, it won't be a problem. But if you get into your own business and within a few months you had to respond to an RFE/Supplement-J with financial information, you might have a harder time since your business has just started.

[Moveon]

My lawyer once told me that self-employment, freelance consulting, etc., are fine for AC21 as long as the job duties are similar and you are able to clearly prove that you won't be a public charge and have the ability to generate income to support yourself. If you have a history being successfully self-employed, it won't be a problem. But if you get into your own business and within a few months you had to respond to an RFE/Supplement-J with financial information, you might have a harder time since your business has just started.

People have done this in the past. But first get a good immigration lawyer and a CPA who can together formulate the paper work so as to not have a conflict with the law .
With your PD of May 2013 you could get your GC in 4 years provided there is a huge SO this year too. The Biden Admin will be more lenient towards AC21 so the next 4 years could be OK. But if things change in 2025 , that's when you need a good lawyer and CPA who would have filed the right paper work .

[tenyearsgone]

Urgent question on behalf of a friend.

My friend has to travel to India urgently due to a family emergency. He recently filed for I485 & EAD/AP in October and has not got the receipt numbers yet. Is there any impact to the pending I485 or AP applications if he travels at this time? He is currently on a H1B visa and intends to re-enter with the same.


@admins - I posted on this thread for visibility. please move this to an appropriate thread later.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Urgent question on behalf of a friend.

My friend has to travel to India urgently due to a family emergency. He recently filed for I485 & EAD/AP in October and has not got the receipt numbers yet. Is there any impact to the pending I485 or AP applications if he travels at this time? He is currently on a H1B visa and intends to re-enter with the same.


@admins - I posted on this thread for visibility. please move this to an appropriate thread later.

https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/travel-documents/emergency-travel

[kumareb2]

thanks for the link. Good information

[tenyearsgone]

https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/travel-documents/emergency-travel

Thanks for the link. It was a useful read, but a little confusing w.r.t I-485 withdrawal. Attorney clarification was that the I-485 would be fine, but the AP would be denied since this is a first time application for AP and there's no valid AP during the travel duration. The advice was to reapply for AP after returning based on the pending I485.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Thanks for the link. It was a useful read, but a little confusing w.r.t I-485 withdrawal. Attorney clarification was that the I-485 would be fine, but the AP would be denied since this is a first time application for AP and there's no valid AP during the travel duration. The advice was to reapply for AP after returning based on the pending I485.

Yes, the attorney is correct. There will not be any impact on the I-485, but the I-131 will be denied due to not having a valid I-94 and will have to be reapplied for once back in the US.

[Noesis]

There is a tweet from IV on S386 being passed by UC.! Did anyone hear from any other source.? Nothing is coming up on the news or .gov yet.

[idliman]

There is a tweet from IV on S386 being passed by UC.! Did anyone hear from any other source.? Nothing is coming up on the news or .gov yet.
Any S386 / HR1044 discussion: Please post in the following thread:
https://www.qesehmk.org/forums/showthread.php/2033-Discussion-On-The-Politics-of-Immigration-Reform-(Comprehensive-Or-Otherwise)?p=68454#post68454

[Noesis]

Thank you.

[inspired_p]

Any predictions for the visa bulletin for January ;). USCIS should have garnered enough information in EB1 , and ROW categories in the last 2 and half months to anticipate the horizontal spillover likely for this year. From Q2 there has to have movement in action dates if they do not want to waste visas.

[rocketfast]

Any predictions for the visa bulletin for January ;). USCIS should have garnered enough information in EB1 , and ROW categories in the last 2 and half months to anticipate the horizontal spillover likely for this year. From Q2 there has to have movement in action dates if they do not want to waste visas.

USCIS has not approved any GCs for 2 weeks now (very few, but practically 0). They are right now slower than their speed last year this time (based on trackitt approvals). We can make all the predictions we want, but if no one is applying pressure on USCIS to speed up, they are unlikely to exceed 150,000 GCs this year.

[Justmyself]

Filed on Oct 27 and no receipt yet. Tried asking Emma but was directed to a customer service number and they keep disconnecting saying all agents are busy. Any idea how to get the receipt numbers through a live agent?

[vbollu]

Filed on Oct 27 and no receipt yet. Tried asking Emma but was directed to a customer service number and they keep disconnecting saying all agents are busy. Any idea how to get the receipt numbers through a live agent?

I did chat with them this morning, but agent said they didn't see any receipt number for my I-485 which was filed on oct 27. mine is eb2 downgrade to eb3 case.

[Justmyself]

Would you mind running me through a step by step process on how to get that info?

[vbollu]

Would you mind running me through a step by step process on how to get that info?

Ask emma "Live chat", it will come up with option "case status" and few others and select the "case status". It will ask again "do you have receipt number" and some other, select the option and it will say what can I help you and ask "live chat" it will connect to you to the live person. keep your alien number with you before you chat.

[EB20112021]

Hi, filed 10/26 and got my receipt numbers through live chat. Keep waiting each time Emma says agents are busy try again. I got someone chat with me within 30mts and hence kept trying every 10mts or so with Emma. Good luck !

[vbollu]

Hi, filed 10/26 and got my receipt numbers through live chat. Keep waiting each time Emma says agents are busy try again. I got someone chat with me within 30mts and hence kept trying every 10mts or so with Emma. Good luck !

A small question, is your case is also similar to us like downgrade from eb2 to eb3 or straight forward case?

[AceMan]

Hi, filed 10/26 and got my receipt numbers through live chat. Keep waiting each time Emma says agents are busy try again. I got someone chat with me within 30mts and hence kept trying every 10mts or so with Emma. Good luck !

October 26th, nothing yet.

[Justmyself]

Thank you so much. I finally was able to connect but they still don’t have our receipt numbers in the system. It’s sad to see how slow uscis has become now.

[rabp77]

October 26th, nothing yet.

wow..things have certainly slowed down. normally it used to come in around 2-3 weeks. With the volume being much higher now (my guess is its around 3-5 times the volume), it may take around 2 months now, if their processing capacity remained the same. Hoping they can speed it up so that the full spillover is utilized. The good thing is once its received, USCIS will accept it for processing if everything is properly filed, so the receipt number is just a formality.

[Justmyself]

Some of my co workers that filed before and after were able to get the receipt numbers through the live agent. Only ours wasn’t found. Sorta worried . Dallas lockbox on Oct 27.

[aGCHopefull]

Some of my co workers that filed before and after were able to get the receipt numbers through the live agent. Only ours wasn’t found. Sorta worried . Dallas lockbox on Oct 27.

Mine was filed on Oct 7 (no downgrade) to Tx center and I just received the receipts today. Live agents were not able to locate until Nov 20th. When I called Live agent yesterday, they provided me receipt numbers and I received the receipts today (notice date : Nov 25)

[cool_dude]

Some of my co workers that filed before and after were able to get the receipt numbers through the live agent. Only ours wasn’t found. Sorta worried . Dallas lockbox on Oct 27.

I am in the same boat.Reached texas service center on oct 27th

[dus_saal_baad]

Hi folks,

My priority date is Aug 20 2009 and current for a couple of months now under EB2 India. My i485 was applied back in 2012 and have been on EAD since 2012. I have not received any communication from USCIS. My last activity was an RFE back in 2016 to which I had responded already.

I call USCIS at 1-800-375-5283 for a service request but apparently it keeps going in a loop where it provides the old 2016 case status and I am not able to connect to person. I contacted two lawyers so far and they both advised to wait or call USCIS (but the latter is not working).

Please advise as this is a bit unnerving. I do not have my H1b anymore.

What should I do?

[qesehmk]

Hi folks,

My priority date is Aug 20 2009 and current for a couple of months now under EB2 India. My i485 was applied back in 2012 and have been on EAD since 2012. I have not received any communication from USCIS. My last activity was an RFE back in 2016 to which I had responded already.

I call USCIS at 1-800-375-5283 for a service request but apparently it keeps going in a loop where it provides the old 2016 case status and I am not able to connect to person. I contacted two lawyers so far and they both advised to wait or call USCIS (but the latter is not working).

Please advise as this is a bit unnerving. I do not have my H1b anymore.

What should I do?

Since you have waited 2 months ... now it is time to contact your congressman or senator. It works like a charm. Good luck and let us know.

[dus_saal_baad]

Since you have waited 2 months ... now it is time to contact your congressman or senator. It works like a charm. Good luck and let us know.

Thanks Q. If anyone has done such a thing, please walk through the step? Do I call the office? How do I present the story? A written letter?

[subbuss]

All - First time poster here, though I check this forum from time to time. Have a question on EAD/AP filing fees. Thanks for running a clean, insightful forum.

Scenario: I got current for Filing Dates in October (Aug 2010), and my attorneys filed for 485, but did not file for EAD/AP. Their rationale was they wanted to get in as many applications as possible before any retrogression. Anyways, thats done.
Now, they are open to filing, but are charging $1800 per application including lawyer fees, so comes to $3600 for my and my wife. I have not yet received the receipt notice for 485.
Question: I am confused about application fees for EAD/AP when I485 is pending.
1) Are there any filing charges for filing EAD/AP when I485 is pending, when it is not applied along with 485? In some pleases I see no fees when 485 is pending (after the courts stuck down the fee increase), but its unclear.
2) If there are fees, where can I get the correct fee amounts, if I plan to file indpendently?

If the filing fees is ~$1K, I dont mind paying another $800 to lawyers, but if its free, I dont want to pay $1800 for very simple forms.

Appreciate any inputs, and please move it to the right thread.

[qesehmk]

Thanks Q. If anyone has done such a thing, please walk through the step? Do I call the office? How do I present the story? A written letter?
Just write an email. I did it long time back. Sen. McCain (god bless his soul) responded and asked more information but I received GC even before that. Senators and congresssmen do help out and have better reach into government agencies than you and I.

[mitul75]

All - First time poster here, though I check this forum from time to time. Have a question on EAD/AP filing fees. Thanks for running a clean, insightful forum.

Scenario: I got current for Filing Dates in October (Aug 2010), and my attorneys filed for 485, but did not file for EAD/AP. Their rationale was they wanted to get in as many applications as possible before any retrogression. Anyways, thats done.
Now, they are open to filing, but are charging $1800 per application including lawyer fees, so comes to $3600 for my and my wife. I have not yet received the receipt notice for 485.
Question: I am confused about application fees for EAD/AP when I485 is pending.
1) Are there any filing charges for filing EAD/AP when I485 is pending, when it is not applied along with 485? In some pleases I see no fees when 485 is pending (after the courts stuck down the fee increase), but its unclear.
2) If there are fees, where can I get the correct fee amounts, if I plan to file indpendently?

If the filing fees is ~$1K, I dont mind paying another $800 to lawyers, but if its free, I dont want to pay $1800 for very simple forms.

Appreciate any inputs, and please move it to the right thread.

Hi subbuss,

You don’t need to pay filing fees for EAD/AP applications filed under (c)(9), I-485 Adjustment of Status category. Please review the official I-765 filing instructions here -
https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-765instr.pdf

[subbuss]

Thanks for the quick guidance.

I am going to ask the law firm to justify charging this for these forms especially when there is no fee to file.

[incredible]

Thanks for the quick guidance.

I am going to ask the law firm to justify charging this for these forms especially when there is no fee to file.

Or alternatively, you can wait for your 485 receipt numbers and then once you get them, file EAD/AP through your own attorney. No need to stick to company attorney for those. I am hoping you have your documents like Labor, I140, etc.

[Zenzone]

I am in the same boat.Reached texas service center on oct 27th

Not sure if this helps, mine (me and my wife) was received by USCIS (TX lock box) on 10/22 and a receipt was generated on 11/12 and we received all our 6 receipt copies by regular USPS mail by sometime around 11/22. Currently our I-485 rceipt status shows that our finger print fee was received. We still haven't received our biometrics appointment notice yet.

[kash80]

Not sure if this helps, mine (me and my wife) was received by USCIS (TX lock box) on 10/22 and a receipt was generated on 11/12 and we received all our 6 receipt copies by regular USPS mail by sometime around 11/22. Currently our I-485 rceipt status shows that our finger print fee was received. We still haven't received our biometrics appointment notice yet.

Was yours just a 485 case, or was there a downgrade involved? My application was received on 10/23 at the TX location, no receipts yet. Mine's a Eb2 to 3 downgrade with the same employer

[subbuss]

Thanks. That’s a good idea. I have my 140 and will apply after 485 approval. Not sure about labor.

I want to make sure I am not missing anything since the lawyer fees seem really high assuming there is no filing fee USCIS charges. Probably going with a different reputed lawyer would be a good option.

[mjaggu]

Thanks. That’s a good idea. I have my 140 and will apply after 485 approval. Not sure about labor.

I want to make sure I am not missing anything since the lawyer fees seem really high assuming there is no filing fee USCIS charges. Probably going with a different reputed lawyer would be a good option.

My 2 cents, 765 and 131 are straight forward and simple. And you save a ton of money by filing them yourself.

[Zenzone]

Was yours just a 485 case, or was there a downgrade involved? My application was received on 10/23 at the TX location, no receipts yet. Mine's a Eb2 to 3 downgrade with the same employer

Mine was filed under EB2 and same employer, no downgrade.

[fishelusa]

I tried to call also via live chat no receipt no.s till now. My application sent in October 26 th and received by uscis on oct 27th. No downgrade.

[delguy]

My 2 cents, 765 and 131 are straight forward and simple. And you save a ton of money by filing them yourself.

I second that. They both are easy to fill forms. Most of the information is already in your I-485. Try filling them yourself first and ask questions here if you are stuck anywhere. Also you can consult an immigration attorney online if there is something that you are not clear about.

[vicks23]

Hello All, I got my EAD/AP approved. USCIS sent me the approval receipts but somehow USPS lost it. I am trying to work with USPS to locate it. Does any one has some idea if USPS does not able to find it then what are the next steps?

[cool_dude]

I tried to call also via live chat no receipt no.s till now. My application sent in October 26 th and received by uscis on oct 27th. No downgrade.

I am in same situation...frustrating

[GCdreamz]

Hello All, I got my EAD/AP approved. USCIS sent me the approval receipts but somehow USPS lost it. I am trying to work with USPS to locate it. Does any one has some idea if USPS does not able to find it then what are the next steps?

Please share Date when you filed EAD/AP. Will help me and other in estimating timeline.

Not sure on next steps but hopefully you should receive EAD card soon, I guess.

[subbuss]

Thanks All. I felt it was fairly straightforward, which was why I am surprised that the fee quoted is high.

Most likely I will file it myself, but need to wait for my 485 receipt.

[ak7419]

Does anyone know when I can expect RFE from TSC? Also, what is TSC spending its manpower on, these days?

[maverickwild]

Thank you moon80,AceMan,Vedu.

And yes downgrading did help getting GC probably a year early.

had i got my EAD in 2012 I would have left that employer eventually, i would still be on EAD
I don't know what was better getting EAD 7 years early or GC 12 months early :).

Reminds me of the story of Chinese farmer


https://youtu.be/OX0OARBqBp0

[vedu]

Reminds me of the story of Chinese farmer



What a great lesson in the story of Chinese farmer! Thank you for sharing that!

[qesehmk]

Thank you moon80,AceMan,Vedu.

And yes downgrading did help getting GC probably a year early.

had i got my EAD in 2012 I would have left that employer eventually, i would still be on EAD
I don't know what was better getting EAD 7 years early or GC 12 months early :).

Reminds me of the story of Chinese farmer


https://youtu.be/OX0OARBqBp0

What a beautiful story. All the best Maverick for life ahead.

[vedu]

Congratulations and a great story. Guess, at the end of the day, it is what it is. We will find out benefit/loss of a thing in unexpected ways.

I will give you my own example which is in many ways similar to the lesson in this story. My employer applied GC for me and for my colleagues from other countries at the same time. They got it in 1-2 years and became citizens 5 years after that while I am still in limbo. Now the consequences! When time came to renew my H-1B a few years ago, the prevailing wages were completely different. They had to upgrade my salary significantly higher, while nobody cared to adjust my other colleagues' salary because it wasn't mandatory thanks to their citizenship. Then more recently (after another three years), same thing repeated again due to another round of increase in prevailing wages. Only way for my colleagues to get a significant salary raise now is to change the job. So, you are right. It is what it is and nobody knows the consequences of good and bad things that happen in life. The story is on point!

[incredible]

I will give you my own example which is in many ways similar to the lesson in this story. My employer applied GC for me and for my colleagues from other countries at the same time. They got it in 1-2 years and became citizens 5 years after that while I am still in limbo. Now the consequences! When time came to renew my H-1B a few years ago, the prevailing wages were completely different. They had to upgrade my salary significantly higher, while nobody cared to adjust my other colleagues' salary because it wasn't mandatory thanks to their citizenship. Then more recently (after another three years), same thing repeated again due to another round of increase in prevailing wages. Only way for my colleagues to get a significant salary raise now is to change the job. So, you are right. It is what it is and nobody knows the consequences of good and bad things that happen in life. The story is on point!

Absolutely. There are so many stories for each one of us on our GC journey, I guess each one can be made into a great film. I used to work for a large company back in 2007 (when the flood gates opened once) and was seeing my colleges rushing to file 140/485. I was not interested at that time and decided to take it easy and not rush. Eventually left large company in 2008 and moved into a small firm and they promised that they will file labor/140 "very soon". Unfortunately that company got acquired in late 2008 and the whole acquisition process took more than an year and then they went by letter of the law in filing labor which took its own time and eventually got it filed in 02/2010. Then I got EAD and decided to quit and went to another company on EAD and have since been on EAD. Now brighter side is EAD is better than H1, but darker side is been on EAD and not sure when I will be greened. Those folks who were with me back in 2007 all became citizens few years back and were discussing with me on voting and whom to vote etc.

[gc_dedo]

Absolutely. There are so many stories for each one of us on our GC journey, I guess each one can be made into a great film. I used to work for a large company back in 2007 (when the flood gates opened once) and was seeing my colleges rushing to file 140/485. I was not interested at that time and decided to take it easy and not rush. Eventually left large company in 2008 and moved into a small firm and they promised that they will file labor/140 "very soon". Unfortunately that company got acquired in late 2008 and the whole acquisition process took more than an year and then they went by letter of the law in filing labor which took its own time and eventually got it filed in 02/2010. Then I got EAD and decided to quit and went to another company on EAD and have since been on EAD. Now brighter side is EAD is better than H1, but darker side is been on EAD and not sure when I will be greened. Those folks who were with me back in 2007 all became citizens few years back and were discussing with me on voting and whom to vote etc.

I see that you are on EB2. Can't you downgrade to EB3? Is there a law that if you are on EAD, you can't upgrade/downgrade? Or it's too much of a hassle?

[incredible]

I see that you are on EB2. Can't you downgrade to EB3? Is there a law that if you are on EAD, you can't upgrade/downgrade? Or it's too much of a hassle?

Yes. Too much of hassle and also don't think I can. I have been on EAD/AP from 2012, never used H1 after that. I guess I have decided not to try anything now and wait it out and hopefully will get greened in the next year or two. The risk is too much now to downgrade. If there are any rejections, etc. in 140, the whole thing may blow up.

[inspired_p]

Thank you moon80,AceMan,Vedu.

And yes downgrading did help getting GC probably a year early.

had i got my EAD in 2012 I would have left that employer eventually, i would still be on EAD
I don't know what was better getting EAD 7 years early or GC 12 months early :).

Reminds me of the story of Chinese farmer


https://youtu.be/OX0OARBqBp0
So very true.. and only way being on EAD for 7 years would have been advantageous if one improved on the situation ( spouse employment, secondary income which might not in line with H1B rules etc.). Not to forget hassles with H1-B extensions
Opportunity cost is very very hard to determine in any situations..
If one stays with single income - same employer, then definitely getting GC 1 year earlier is the better outcome.

[maverickwild]

Congratulations !!! Awesome News..
Also the interview seem to have been waived for you?

Went through the interview in October 2019.
And thank you for the greetings

[AceMan]

That's re-assuring even to think I can probably do something else as a sidekick for fun :)

What is your wish list for 2021? Now with the possibility of EAD within first couple of months, anybody actively looking for a change?

The biggest wish now has to be getting the GC if possible in the year 2021. Few other wishes like improved covid situations and travel back to India after not leaving the country for more than a decade. Yes immediate family members visited you, but nothing like taking you teen kids to a nostalgic trip down your memory lane.

I can assure that they will just shrug it off anyways as usual, but I want to do it for myself. Like the song, Chinna chinna asai, which I enjoyed for a long without knowing the meaning, later appreciated even more after understanding the lyrics.

[mitul75]

Also, with your I-485 pending and while you are on AOS status, you can take a break in employment without losing your status, as long as there's a valid bona-fide job offer in same or similar category to your original petition. You'll need this to support your I-485 application (with a I-485 supplement J) whenever USCIS reviews your case and requests for evidence.

[ak7419]

We have applicants who are getting GC without being current. We have applicants getting RFE when not being current but yet the applicants who have been current since three months are not receiving RFEs or GCs. Strange and weird.

[inspired_p]

Thank you everyone for this discussions I was really under the impression that I would need to abide by all the H1-B rules to stay in H1-B . But allowing second/third employment using EAD while still not loosing H1-B status with you current employer is much more applicant friendly and it does have common sense logic behind it. But we never expect applicant friendly rules from the USCIS ( its very employer friendly generally).

[inspired_p]

Question : I Got a USCIS case status update
December 9, 2020
Case Transferred To Another Office
On December 9, 2020, we transferred your Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, Receipt Number LIN########, to another office for processing and sent you a transfer notice. The notice explains why we transferred your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you do not receive your notice by January 8, 2021, please go to www.uscis.gov/e-request to request a copy of the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

What does this mean ?

[qesehmk]

Question : I Got a USCIS case status update
December 9, 2020
Case Transferred To Another Office
On December 9, 2020, we transferred your Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, Receipt Number LIN########, to another office for processing and sent you a transfer notice. The notice explains why we transferred your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you do not receive your notice by January 8, 2021, please go to www.uscis.gov/e-request (http://www.uscis.gov/e-request) to request a copy of the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange (http://www.uscis.gov/addresschange) to give us your new mailing address.

What does this mean ?

If this is the first time you filed 485 then understand that the processing will take 3-4 months minimum. The transfer could just be load balancing between centers.

[ak7419]

Question : I Got a USCIS case status update
December 9, 2020
Case Transferred To Another Office
On December 9, 2020, we transferred your Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, Receipt Number LIN########, to another office for processing and sent you a transfer notice. The notice explains why we transferred your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you do not receive your notice by January 8, 2021, please go to www.uscis.gov/e-request to request a copy of the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

What does this mean ?

Please pray that it is not going to TSC.

[inspired_p]

Please pray that it is not going to TSC.

Okay I will pray :-) . it was at Nebraska before ( I-140 and I-485 concurrently filed)

[inspired_p]

If this is the first time you filed 485 then understand that the processing will take 3-4 months minimum. The transfer could just be load balancing between centers.

Thank you. Yes I am not expecting any outcome on my case anytime soon( my PD is not current either) , hence was surprised they even touched the file

[ak7419]

Thank you. Yes I am not expecting any outcome on my case anytime soon( my PD is not current either) , hence was surprised they even touched the file

don't try to make sense because they work in their own mysterious ways. As I mentioned before applicants who are not current are receiving RFEs and GCs whereas applicants who have been current since three months are not seeing any movement....LOL.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Thank you. Yes I am not expecting any outcome on my case anytime soon( my PD is not current either) , hence was surprised they even touched the file

My case also got updated, but just with the message that fingerprints were accepted for the I-485 and I-765s.

[qesehmk]

American government agencies generally are run with a very consistent set of laws regulation rules and processes. There almost used to be NO political interference in how they were run until Trump. But even today I will say you should rest assured that USCIS and DOS will do their job as per their policy objectives and processes laid our and according to the law.

So if you have filed 485 then you should just let things take their course.

[srimurthy]

I moved the dual status of EAD and H1 and work opportunities and the discussion to a new thread:
https://www.qesehmk.org/forums/showthread.php/2921-EAD-and-H1-Dual-Status-holding-and-opportunites

[inspired_p]

My case also got updated, but just with the message that fingerprints were accepted for the I-485 and I-765s.

Yes I got that update as well last week.

[incredible]

What is your wish list for 2021? Now with the possibility of EAD within first couple of months, anybody actively looking for a change?

The biggest wish now has to be getting the GC if possible in the year 2021. Few other wishes like improved covid situations and travel back to India after not leaving the country for more than a decade. Yes immediate family members visited you, but nothing like taking you teen kids to a nostalgic trip down your memory lane.

I can assure that they will just shrug it off anyways as usual, but I want to do it for myself. Like the song, Chinna chinna asai, which I enjoyed for a long without knowing the meaning, later appreciated even more after understanding the lyrics.

Guess change probably is going to be the norm for most of the people who get freed from H1B. Other than that, hopefully the world becomes safer to travel again and new normal would be bearable. I guess 2020 hit the psyche of people so badly and made all realize that we are nothing but a speck of dust at the mercy of elements powerful (and yet tiny) than us.

[ak7419]

American government agencies generally are run with a very consistent set of laws regulation rules and processes. There almost used to be NO political interference in how they were run until Trump. But even today I will say you should rest assured that USCIS and DOS will do their job as per their policy objectives and processes laid our and according to the law.

So if you have filed 485 then you should just let things take their course.

I completely understand and agree Q. However, processing of 485 cases seems to be handled quite differently between NSC and TSC. Do you know, by any chance, why majority of applicants whose cases are with TSC have not received RFE yet. Is TSC in holding pattern and waiting for some direction?

[qesehmk]

I completely understand and agree Q. However, processing of 485 cases seems to be handled quite differently between NSC and TSC. Do you know, by any chance, why majority of applicants whose cases are with TSC have not received RFE yet. Is TSC in holding pattern and waiting for some direction?

Yes. TSC has always been a holdout but eventually at the end of every year they have no way other than coming to parity with NSC. I do not know why it has been like that. But yes your observation about TSC is correct.

[vckomara]

So very true.. and only way being on EAD for 7 years would have been advantageous if one improved on the situation ( spouse employment, secondary income which might not in line with H1B rules etc.). Not to forget hassles with H1-B extensions
Opportunity cost is very very hard to determine in any situations..
If one stays with single income - same employer, then definitely getting GC 1 year earlier is the better outcome.

I am on EAD for 8 years now. Switching to EAD helped my wife get a job almost immediately and she was not working before that. I travel out of the country almost every month (pre-covid era) for work and not having to stamp the visa was extremely helpful and extension of EAD was free of cost and virtually guaranteed. I personally would rather wait for GC extra couple of years and be on EAD for longer period than waiting on H1B for several years and get GC early. Maybe useful tip for people who are trying to decide between the two.

[rocketfast]

My case also got updated, but just with the message that fingerprints were accepted for the I-485 and I-765s.


Yes I got that update as well last week.

Guys,
Does this mean that your biometrics were waived and you don't need biometrics appointment? Or did you guys do biometrics?

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Guys,
Does this mean that your biometrics were waived and you don't need biometrics appointment? Or did you guys do biometrics?

No, I had to do Biometrics and it almost instantly updated after that.

[Zenzone]

Thank you. Yes I am not expecting any outcome on my case anytime soon( my PD is not current either) , hence was surprised they even touched the file

If you are Sep 2009 PD (EB2I), I would expect things to even move (as a pleasant surprise). A good friend of mine (first hand) got their GC by mail a few days ago and had no clue about it. Their PD is May-2010 - yes you read it right (originally filed in EB2 and later downgraded to EB3). Looks like things are beginning to move.

[Zenzone]

No, I had to do Biometrics and it almost instantly updated after that.

If I may ask, how long did it take to get the Biometrics Appt. for you after filing. Also, did the case status change at all after you received the appointment notice. Mine shows a status of "your biometrics fee was received" and my 485 notice creation date was 11/12 with a received date of 10/22. Still awaiting the biometrics appointment notice to arrive!

[vsivarama]

@Zenzone, sorry to be a downer here. Please ask your friend to check with a lawyer ASAP. I have heard some cases in the past where GC's were approved by mistake and later they had to go through hell when they wanted to naturalize. Getting a GC when PD is not current should always raise a red flag. Maybe it's nothing and you are right, but it's always best to check to have some peace of mind. Maybe they can also check with USCIS.

[Zenzone]

@Zenzone, sorry to be a downer here. Please ask your friend to check with a lawyer ASAP. I have heard some cases where GC's were approved by mistake and later they had to go through hell when they wanted to naturalize. Getting a GC when PD is not current should always raise a red flag. Maybe it's nothing and you are right, but it's always best to check to have some peace of mind. Maybe then can also check with USCIS.

Ahh...Got it. I don't know how I will break this news to them though :) May be will casually mention. I also had another friend of mine who went to an interview and the officer told him that although your PD is current now I don't have the visa anymore because its all been issued for your country and told him that they have a current tally of inventory available real-time to allot visas. I was thinking may be they released new visa numbers adjusting for demand although the bulletin didn't have that PD current. I'm hoping that their case is a real approval. As you can imagine the couple was ecstatic!

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

If I may ask, how long did it take to get the Biometrics Appt. for you after filing. Also, did the case status change at all after you received the appointment notice. Mine shows a status of "your biometrics fee was received" and my 485 notice creation date was 11/12 with a received date of 10/22. Still awaiting the biometrics appointment notice to arrive!

I filed on Oct 8th. I received paper receipt notices around Nov 11th. I received FP notices just a couple of weeks after that. FP was done on Dec 8th. And no, there was no separate status update when they sent out the fingerprint notices. It only directly updated the status after the fingerprints were in the system.

[rainmaker12]

I filed on Oct 8th. I received paper receipt notices around Nov 11th. I received FP notices just a couple of weeks after that. FP was done on Dec 8th. And no, there was no separate status update when they sent out the fingerprint notices. It only directly updated the status after the fingerprints were in the system.

I believe the appointment for biometrics is based on where we live. I live in Seattle and I'm not aware of anyone getting a biometric appointment who filed in October for the 1st time. I guess, it depends on how busy ASC offices are in your location and probably USCIS does not have control over the availability of biometric appointment at your local ASC office. some people may get biometric appointment sooner based on where they live.

FYI -
I filed for AOS on October 20th (EB2-I; PD:07/12/2010).
Receipt notice received on November 13. Status online says "Fingerprint Fee Was Received".

[rainmaker12]

https://cilawgroup.com/news/2020/12/05/asc-biometrics-backlog-at-uscis-likely-to-take-months-to-clear/?utm_source=Capitol+Immigration+Law+Group+Newslett er&utm_campaign=6df8c41f15-Weekly_Newsletter_Feb_28_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1074141ca5-6df8c41f15-390868161&mc_cid=6df8c41f15&mc_eid=e5081d1a04

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

I believe the appointment for biometrics is based on where we live. I live in Seattle and I'm not aware of anyone getting a biometric appointment who filed in October for the 1st time. I guess, it depends on how busy ASC offices are in your location and probably USCIS does not have control over the availability of biometric appointment at your local ASC office. some people may get biometric appointment sooner based on where they live.

FYI -
I filed for AOS on October 20th (EB2-I; PD:07/12/2010).
Receipt notice received on November 13. Status online says "Fingerprint Fee Was Received".

Yeah, without revealing identity, I live in a complete gaav with an acre around me :-D) there was literally no one at the ASC. So likely that's the reason why it may have gotten done quickly.

[vsivarama]

Ahh...Got it. I don't know how I will break this news to them though :) May be will casually mention. I also had another friend of mine who went to an interview and the officer told him that although your PD is current now I don't have the visa anymore because its all been issued for your country and told him that they have a current tally of inventory available real-time to allot visas. I was thinking may be they released new visa numbers adjusting for demand although the bulletin didn't have that PD current. I'm hoping that their case is a real approval. As you can imagine the couple was ecstatic!

https://www.facebook.com/rnlawgroupUS/videos/373761023770515/

Ask them to check out this video at 25:25 mark. Hope it's a real approval but cannot be too careful these days.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Looking at some of the trackitt folks from early 2010 starting to get RFEs, is the expectation for FADs to move more than the paltry couple of weeks it's been moved thus far?

[Sebiswaiting]

In my 10 years here, I have visited native Assam each year, so I wish I don't miss that in 2021... I.e. hoping for a vaccine, so we all meet like each hear and worry less about covid.

3 other wishes..
2. Get more time for kids.. work from home is making us spending less quality time with kids..Even though we are seeing them more.
3. Faster clearing of GC backlog, as I am still not seeing any light towards my case.
4. People all around get less political and see each other as fellow human..


What is your wish list for 2021? Now with the possibility of EAD within first couple of months, anybody actively looking for a change?

The biggest wish now has to be getting the GC if possible in the year 2021. Few other wishes like improved covid situations and travel back to India after not leaving the country for more than a decade. Yes immediate family members visited you, but nothing like taking you teen kids to a nostalgic trip down your memory lane.

......

[rabp77]

Looking at some of the trackitt folks from early 2010 starting to get RFEs, is the expectation for FADs to move more than the paltry couple of weeks it's been moved thus far?

Yes. Once the horizontal spillover starts getting applied, the pace of movement should increase. Hoping all necessary biometrics and interviews are done fast enough, or have a process to waive them for straightforward cases. But that is where the bottleneck that could result in not using the spillover will be if nothing is done.

People who have applied getting rfe's is definitely a very good sign

[newyorker123]

Any news on the S386 / HR 1044 work in the House ? When is the last date for the combined bill to pass both houses ?

[Kesid23]

Since December 25th is a Friday, what are the chances that the January visa bulletin will get released on the 18 ?
Hoping for the dates to more at least a couple of months !

[rabp77]

Any news on the S386 / HR 1044 work in the House ? When is the last date for the combined bill to pass both houses ?

if it does not come by 18th, it unlikely to come out this year. Next year with new congress, the priorities will likely be different. i hope i am wrong.

[Zenzone]

Looking at some of the trackitt folks from early 2010 starting to get RFEs, is the expectation for FADs to move more than the paltry couple of weeks it's been moved thus far?

Are these EB2 RFEs?

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Are these EB2 RFEs?

I believe it was a Mar 2010 but honestly don't recall it properly. Under Covid quarantine now and everything else has taken a backseat. Child got exposed to someone at school and everyone has to be shuttered in for the most part for another couple of weeks.

[mohan_jgd]

Hi folks,

My PD is March 5, 2011 and i have applied for 485 in EB2-I on 29th Oct. I haven't received any updates on receipt notices yet. My H1 extension is also coming up in March 2021 and my company is working currently to apply for it in premium.

My wife is working on H4-EAD and intention is to get the EAD before March to avoid any job disruptions. I was hoping to apply for H4-EAD in premium as there is no idea how much time it would take for 485 EAD to come through. But I was told by our immigration lawyer that i cannot apply in premium for H4 and H4-EAD as bio-metrics are now required for it. I am in a dilemma whether to apply for H4-EAD as that would mean duplicate lawyer and USCIS fees and no idea on when that would come too.

Our only hope now is to get 485-EAD before March 2021. My question is should i apply for H4-EAD renewal in the hope that it comes faster.

Any thoughts?

Please move to the right thread if needed.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Hi folks,

My PD is March 5, 2011 and i have applied for 485 in EB2-I on 29th Oct. I haven't received any updates on receipt notices yet. My H1 extension is also coming up in March 2021 and my company is working currently to apply for it in premium.

My wife is working on H4-EAD and intention is to get the EAD before March to avoid any job disruptions. I was hoping to apply for H4-EAD in premium as there is no idea how much time it would take for 485 EAD to come through. But I was told by our immigration lawyer that i cannot apply in premium for H4 and H4-EAD as bio-metrics are now required for it. I am in a dilemma whether to apply for H4-EAD as that would mean duplicate lawyer and USCIS fees and no idea on when that would come too.

Our only hope now is to get 485-EAD before March 2021. My question is should i apply for H4-EAD renewal in the hope that it comes faster.

Any thoughts?

Please move to the right thread if needed.

I-485 EAD processing timeline is anywhere from 5-7 months. With the volume of applications being exceedingly high, that may not be far from the real timeline. We will only know once the first EADs will be issued to those who applied in the first few weeks of Oct.

[19YRSNOGC]

I-485 EAD processing timeline is anywhere from 5-7 months. With the volume of applications being exceedingly high, that may not be far from the real timeline. We will only know once the first EADs will be issued to those who applied in the first few weeks of Oct.
on telegram saw 1 person get https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/12/how-to-paralyze-the-immigration-system-in-one-ill-conceived-step/ Application reached on OCtober 1st.

[texas_]

Does case prefix LIN vs MSC Vs TSC make any difference in processing time?
Please guide

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Does case prefix LIN vs MSC Vs TSC make any difference in processing time?
Please guide

You can go here and determine the processing times for different forms for different centers: https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/

For example, Nebraska (LIN) is 7-16 months for I-485 applications and Texas (TSC) is 18 to 43 months.

[texas_]

You can go here and determine the processing times for different forms for different centers: https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/

For example, Nebraska (LIN) is 7-16 months for I-485 applications and Texas (TSC) is 18 to 43 months.

Thanks TD
I have only applied for 485 no Ead/Ap yet while my case receipt starts with MSC
I was confused as a lot of folks getting their receipt with TSC

[Zenzone]

on telegram saw 1 person get https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/12/how-to-paralyze-the-immigration-system-in-one-ill-conceived-step/ Application reached on OCtober 1st.

Biometrics need to be completed and accepted before the EAD card can be issued.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Thanks TD
I have only applied for 485 no Ead/Ap yet while my case receipt starts with MSC
I was confused as a lot of folks getting their receipt with TSC

MSC is the National Benefits Center in Missouri. Because of the massive number of filings, they are distributing the loads to different centers.

[Zenzone]

MSC is the National Benefits Center in Missouri. Because of the massive number of filings, they are distributing the loads to different centers.

Mine start with MSC and hence from NBC too. Does that mean it will be allocated back to a different service center eventually or it means NBC will process my application from here on.

[jimmys]

Hi folks,

My PD is March 5, 2011 and i have applied for 485 in EB2-I on 29th Oct. I haven't received any updates on receipt notices yet. My H1 extension is also coming up in March 2021 and my company is working currently to apply for it in premium.

My wife is working on H4-EAD and intention is to get the EAD before March to avoid any job disruptions. I was hoping to apply for H4-EAD in premium as there is no idea how much time it would take for 485 EAD to come through. But I was told by our immigration lawyer that i cannot apply in premium for H4 and H4-EAD as bio-metrics are now required for it. I am in a dilemma whether to apply for H4-EAD as that would mean duplicate lawyer and USCIS fees and no idea on when that would come too.

Our only hope now is to get 485-EAD before March 2021. My question is should i apply for H4-EAD renewal in the hope that it comes faster.

Any thoughts?

Please move to the right thread if needed.

If your wife's job depends on receiving EAD, it makes sense to apply for H-4 EAD as well.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Mine start with MSC and hence from NBC too. Does that mean it will be allocated back to a different service center eventually or it means NBC will process my application from here on.

I think MSC only does the initial review and forwards it later to the closest geographical center for processing. Honestly I am not sure, as I have never applied for I-485 before :-).

[Moveon]

Biometrics need to be completed and accepted before the EAD card can be issued.

Has the procedure changed. back in 2012 I got my EAD couple of months before my Biometrics .

[AceMan]

Has the procedure changed. back in 2012 I got my EAD couple of months before my Biometrics .

Is biometrics needed for EAD (765) or GC(485)?

[Zenzone]

Has the procedure changed. back in 2012 I got my EAD couple of months before my Biometrics .

I'm not aware of any procedural change but my comment was based on anecdotal evidence of recent times. I may be very well wrong (hopefully!).

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Is biometrics needed for EAD (765) or GC(485)?

I do believe it's needed, not sure if this was long standing or a current admin change. The current admin did add in more stringent interview requirements to slow down case processing. I hope once Jan 20 rolls around, they will at least waive the interview requirements for the I-485. The virus is going to range for another 3-4 months minimum with the delay in getting everyone vaccinated and convincing morons that Bill Gates is not going to inject 'nanites' or 'radio trackers' through the vaccine to track you and he can track you through your damn phone if needed.

[Zenzone]

I do believe it's needed, not sure if this was long standing or a current admin change. The current admin did add in more stringent interview requirements to slow down case processing. I hope once Jan 20 rolls around, they will at least waive the interview requirements for the I-485. The virus is going to range for another 3-4 months minimum with the delay in getting everyone vaccinated and convincing morons that Bill Gates is not going to inject 'nanites' or 'radio trackers' through the vaccine to track you and he can track you through your damn phone if needed.

LOL this cracked me up on your vaccination comments. And yes this is not the 1800's and we are actually saying this in 2020 when we can send a spaceship and land it back safely to a pin-pointed GPS location! Who knows earth is may be flat and I heard some people say it to me but who knows...Guess we will find out! ;) If you know whom I mean right now.

[vsivarama]

The virus is going to range for another 3-4 months minimum with the delay in getting everyone vaccinated and convincing morons that Bill Gates is not going to inject 'nanites' or 'radio trackers' through the vaccine to track you and he can track you through your damn phone if needed.

Unless they stop using cellphones as 5G causes COVID. :D
Then we may need to come up with a new argument.

[mohan_jgd]

If your wife's job depends on receiving EAD, it makes sense to apply for H-4 EAD as well.

Thanks TD and jimmy for your comments.

Leaning towards applying for H4-EAD as well. Whichever (H4-EAD or 485-EAD) comes first before March would be great. Keeping fingers crossed.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

A load of info in this doc from AILA meeting with State Dept.
https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/AILA/AILA-Agenda-Fall-2020.pdf

A lot of it may not be relevant to us here in the forum, and they skated on providing any info like why the VBs are being delayed.

Were there specific reasons behind these unprecedented delays in the release of
the October and November Visa Bulletins?

We understand the importance of the Visa Bulletin and every effort is made to
make the bulletin available as soon as possible each month.

b. Are the October and November Visa Bulletin releases an aberration, such that
AILA and the public should expect future Visa Bulletins to be released midmonth?

Those release dates should not be considered the new norm.

(And here we are on Dec 15th, and no January VB yet)

c. Is DOS able to share any information at this time regarding its plans discussed in
the March 2020 liaison meeting to more effectively communicate the Final Action
Dates and Dates for Filing to the public?

We do not have any information to share at this time.

[2011Feb]

Thanks TD and jimmy for your comments.

Leaning towards applying for H4-EAD as well. Whichever (H4-EAD or 485-EAD) comes first before March would be great. Keeping fingers crossed.

I'm in the same boat (may be ahead of yours). My wife's H4 EAD expires on Dec 30.we applied H4 and EAD extension on Aug. Still waiting for Bio metrics. Most likely we will not receive EAD and she has to take a break.

Meanwhile applied I-485 and EAD on Oct 1st ,Waiting for that one too.

[srimurthy]

I'm in the same boat (may be ahead of yours). My wife's H4 EAD expires on Dec 30.we applied H4 and EAD extension on Aug. Still waiting for Bio metrics. Most likely we will not receive EAD and she has to take a break.

Meanwhile applied I-485 and EAD on Oct 1st ,Waiting for that one too.

Did you also apply for a H1 extension at the same time with H4 and EAD extensions? If yes, they may keep the EAD in q until the H1 extension is approved. I was in the same boat last year with things taking more time, when I did not see any movement in 3 plus months time, I filed the premium for H1 and within 2 to 4 weeks all the documents got approved. I had to get the H4 EAD extended on time and card in hand as my wife could not take a break in Work as its tough to get back when you are out of an organization.

[gcconnect]

Did you also apply for a H1 extension at the same time with H4 and EAD extensions? If yes, they may keep the EAD in q until the H1 extension is approved. I was in the same boat last year with things taking more time, when I did not see any movement in 3 plus months time, I filed the premium for H1 and within 2 to 4 weeks all the documents got approved. I had to get the H4 EAD extended on time and card in hand as my wife could not take a break in Work as its tough to get back when you are out of an organization.

It may be case by case:) . I applied h1 premium and h4/h4EAD in july2020. I got h1 approved in 2 weeks and till now no h4 ead . Biometrics done last week. Totally unpredictable.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Coming back to predictions, for the Jan bulletin I think the Admin will give one last middle finger to us by not moving it much. But they could also be eagerly looking forward to break ritual on the late VBs to release the next bulletin before Jan 20, 2020 to screw us over one last time.

[vsivarama]

Did you also apply for a H1 extension at the same time with H4 and EAD extensions? If yes, they may keep the EAD in q until the H1 extension is approved. I was in the same boat last year with things taking more time, when I did not see any movement in 3 plus months time, I filed the premium for H1 and within 2 to 4 weeks all the documents got approved. I had to get the H4 EAD extended on time and card in hand as my wife could not take a break in Work as its tough to get back when you are out of an organization.

Unfortunately, those were simpler times. These days with biometrics being made mandatory (It was one way to take down H4-EAD without need for legislation) the premium processing of H1 will no longer be extended to H4-EAD.

[vsivarama]

Coming back to predictions, for the Jan bulletin I think the Admin will give one last middle finger to us by not moving it much. But they could also be eagerly looking forward to break ritual on the late VBs to release the next bulletin before Jan 20, 2020 to screw us over one last time.

At this point, since it's all but certain that the current admin is on it's way out next month, I would assume that DHS and USCIS would want to extricate themselves from Stephen Miller's agenda and start cozying up to the Biden Administration.

[Zenzone]

Unfortunately, those were simpler times. These days with biometrics being made mandatory (It was one way to take down H4-EAD without need for legislation) the premium processing of H1 will no longer be extended to H4-EAD.

Agree for H4 EAD but for I-485 EAD its still a grey area as far as I understand.

[jimmys]

Is biometrics needed for EAD (765) or GC(485)?

It's needed for EAD/AP Combo card and I-485 background check.

[texas_]

It's needed for EAD/AP Combo card and I-485 background check.

Do you have to go for biometrics twice one for Ead/Ap and second for gc?

[AceMan]

Do you have to go for biometrics twice one for Ead/Ap and second for gc?

It appears that if there has been a recent biometric information, UScis is waiving a second biometric request.

[Zenzone]

It appears that if there has been a recent biometric information, UScis is waiving a second biometric request.

That's what I have been hearing.

[march1612]

I know this question would have been asked many times before and I apologize for asking again. But this is more of an assessment to plan many personal things.

Is there a possibility of Final Action date for EB2-India moving to April 2010? and When?

[Zenzone]

Got my (our) biometrics appointment notices for an early Jan appointment today. Notice date is 12/12 which is a Saturday. Looks like USCIS is burning the midnight oil here to get through the volumes ;)

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

I know this question would have been asked many times before and I apologize for asking again. But this is more of an assessment to plan many personal things.

Is there a possibility of Final Action date for EB2-India moving to April 2010? and When?

Don't know if anyone could say anything with certainty. Most of us were expecting the VB to move 2 months every month for EB21 to reach May 2011, but of course that did not happen. If they keep dragging their heels, they may end up wasting a lot of the spillover. Everything depends on what happens after Biden admin takes over and how aggressively they move the dates and try to max out the spillover usage.

[kuku82]

Got my (our) biometrics appointment notices for an early Jan appointment today. Notice date is 12/12 which is a Saturday. Looks like USCIS is burning the midnight oil here to get through the volumes ;)

Does the status gets updated for the receipt number when they mail out biometrics appt notice?

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Does the status gets updated for the receipt number when they mail out biometrics appt notice?

No it did not for me. But the I-485 and I-765 statuses got immediately updated as soon as the fingerprint appointments were done.

[Zenzone]

Does the status gets updated for the receipt number when they mail out biometrics appt notice?

Nope no updates on the online case status for me either.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

With HR1044 now dead as a dodo, it's going to be imperative for anyone who can file using DF to file asap. I don't believe any of the fantastical immigration plans Biden has is going to pass since there will likely not be a Senate majority. So anyone beyond May 2011 is going to have a really long wait unfortunately. Biden will just pass some executive orders on DACA and that will be that.

[Moveon]

That's what I have been hearing.

I had my last Bio Metric in 2012 and got my ED/AP then . When my date becomes current , would I need another one ?
What does recent bio metric mean - do finger prints at the airport immigration count ?

[srimurthy]

Moved the GC allocation prior to date being current in Bulletin to a new thread:
https://www.qesehmk.org/forums/showthread.php/2923-GC-issuance-by-USCIS-before-date-is-current-in-Bulletin?p=68764#post68764

[rabp77]

Is biometrics needed for EAD (765) or GC(485)?

biometrics are needed if uscis does not have valid biometrics in file. I believe previous biometrics are valid for 15 months. So if you had biometrics taken in the prior 15 months, uscis could skip the bio metrics. my friend got EAD twice without a bio metrics appointment, as the prior biometics were with USCIS.

[qesehmk]

Friends -

A general reminder about some things that we follow on this blog.

1. We never censor.
2. We never speak ill of any other immigrant group. Legal illegal country category doesn't matter.
3. We try to be objective. So more data and less opinions please.

[mitul75]

All, or even some of the things stated in this article could have huge positive impact on the millions of people, mostly Indian nationals who are waiting in line for a GC. Simple logical steps like not counting dependents in the yearly quota, or recapturing unused visas from past years can be big if the new admin shows the right intent. Along with that, if the admin can remove restrictions around letting everyone with approved I-140 apply for status adjustments and an EAD/AP along with locking the age of their children to help tackle the issue of aging out minors, that can be massively beneficial for the immigrant population.
https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/530948-leading-legal-experts-urge-aggressive-immigration-actions

[rabp77]

Friends -

A general reminder about some things that we follow on this blog.

1. We never censor.
2. We never speak ill of any other immigrant group. Legal illegal country category doesn't matter.
3. We try to be objective. So more data and less opinions please.

Thanks Q. Those are certainly great principles to follow, everywhere online, and in real life too.

[ak7419]

So, are we expecting the Jan bulletin to come out next week or the week after?

[inspired_p]

I know this question would have been asked many times before and I apologize for asking again. But this is more of an assessment to plan many personal things.

Is there a possibility of Final Action date for EB2-India moving to April 2010? and When?

Everyone is waiting to see how USCIS wastes the numbers this year. I am hoping Final action dates reach at least end of 2010 for both EB2 and EB3 India. But it seems a long way off for EB2-I based on movement in the first quarter.

[08jul11]

Hi Gurus: My wife was on H1 for about an year(till 2015) and then started working on H4 EAD. Her current H4 EAD expired earlier this month and H4 / H4 EAD approval is pending. We don't have much hope of getting them completed soon. So we were planning to do Change of Status to her old H1 which she used only for an year. Since the current H4 is expired and H4 renewal is pending, is her current I-94 is valid? Can we use the new H4 receipt number to file Change of Status to H1? I verified with two attorney's ….. new company's Attorney said NO while another one said, it is possible with current pending H4 receipt notice...please share your thoughts...

[rabp77]

Everyone is waiting to see how USCIS wastes the numbers this year. I am hoping Final action dates reach at least end of 2010 for both EB2 and EB3 India. But it seems a long way off for EB2-I based on movement in the first quarter.
I believe this is because horizontal spillover has not been applied till now, and it should get faster once that happens. But there is not much data to back this up till now. Once we get the quarterly visa issuance data, we will know for sure. Data publication is one thing that has taken a back seat under the current admin. Hoping this would be changed. With years long wait time, publishing visa and inventory data would at minimum bring some predictability in this process

[YTeleven]

Wait for one more month. USCIS printers will be unleashed to print 1000 GCs per day.

[Justmyself]

We got our 485 receipts today and while the primary’s A# and priority date is fine, the dependents A# is different from what we had previously and the priority date on the 485 receipt is blank. Is this normal? Any thoughts?

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

We got our 485 receipts today and while the primary’s A# and priority date is fine, the dependents A# is different from what we had previously and the priority date on the 485 receipt is blank. Is this normal? Any thoughts?

Same happened for my wife. My only assumption is that the previous A# was generated for her while applying for OPT EAD (F1) while I never had OPT and got mine while applying for I-140. Seen others report the same, so it's not anything abnormal.

[skpanda]

Just for a Datapoint:

1. We (my wife and I), applied for I485, I765 and I131 on 29th Oct 2020.
2. No receipts so far.
3. I contacted USCIS chat. Provide all the details including A#.
4. They confirmed that they received my application and sent receipts on 17th Dec 2020.
5. They gave me the receipt numbers for the above applications.
6. One observation is that the receipt numbers start with MSC. (Missourie Service Center). I have never seen MSC in my 16 years of dealing with USCIS.
7. I tried to check the processing time in USCIS website and could not find MSC/Missourie.

Any body has any inputs on MSC?

Thanks!

[bikenlalan]

Just for a Datapoint:

1. We (my wife and I), applied for I485, I765 and I131 on 29th Oct 2020.
2. No receipts so far.
3. I contacted USCIS chat. Provide all the details including A#.
4. They confirmed that they received my application and sent receipts on 17th Dec 2020.
5. They gave me the receipt numbers for the above applications.
6. One observation is that the receipt numbers start with MSC. (Missourie Service Center). I have never seen MSC in my 16 years of dealing with USCIS.
7. I tried to check the processing time in USCIS website and could not find MSC/Missourie.

Any body has any inputs on MSC?

Thanks!

MSC is referred to as National Benefits Center

[skpanda]

MSC is referred to as National Benefits Center

Thanks!

But i could not find National Benefits Center for I485 Processing status. Any idea?
I was able to find it for I765 and I131.

[bikenlalan]

The only plausible guess I can make is, for cases that do not require interviews before it was made mandatory are processed by mainly Nebraska and Texas service centers, and post when interviews are made mandatory, cases are transferred to field offices for processing. MSC is typically a holding facility and processes background checks, and transfers cases to FO.

[bangaloreboy]

That’s reassuring skpanda!
Are your checks cashed?
My application was delivered to USCIS Lewisville TX same day as yours but haven’t seen checks cashed nor received receipt notices

[mohan_jgd]

Just for a Datapoint:

1. We (my wife and I), applied for I485, I765 and I131 on 29th Oct 2020.
2. No receipts so far.
3. I contacted USCIS chat. Provide all the details including A#.
4. They confirmed that they received my application and sent receipts on 17th Dec 2020.
5. They gave me the receipt numbers for the above applications.
6. One observation is that the receipt numbers start with MSC. (Missourie Service Center). I have never seen MSC in my 16 years of dealing with USCIS.
7. I tried to check the processing time in USCIS website and could not find MSC/Missourie.

Any body has any inputs on MSC?

Thanks!

Thanks skpanda. My application was posted on the same date but haven't received any receipt notice yet. I don't even know if the checks have been cashed yet as they were completely handled through my company. Would we be able to find out the receipt numbers from USCIS in that case?

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Thanks!

But i could not find National Benefits Center for I485 Processing status. Any idea?
I was able to find it for I765 and I131.

It's listed as Kansas City, MO.

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Thanks skpanda. My application was posted on the same date but haven't received any receipt notice yet. I don't even know if the checks have been cashed yet as they were completely handled through my company. Would we be able to find out the receipt numbers from USCIS in that case?

You can try and chat with Emma and provide your Biographic details, Passport Number, Country of Birth, DOB etc. and they may be able to pull it up in the system. Be advised there are literally thousands of people from India trying the same right now, so you may have to try for an extended period of time before you get to chat with a live agent.

[rabp77]

Thanks skpanda. My application was posted on the same date but haven't received any receipt notice yet. I don't even know if the checks have been cashed yet as they were completely handled through my company. Would we be able to find out the receipt numbers from USCIS in that case?

I don't think this has a big impact. My case was passed to nbc, after being received by tsc. All processing happened nearly at the same time as my friends whose cases were not transfer to a different center.

[skpanda]

That’s reassuring skpanda!
Are your checks cashed?
My application was delivered to USCIS Lewisville TX same day as yours but haven’t seen checks cashed nor received receipt notices

I am not sure about the checks. Lawyer has not informed yet. Since they have generated the receipt notice, I would assume the checks have been cashed.

[skpanda]

Thanks skpanda. My application was posted on the same date but haven't received any receipt notice yet. I don't even know if the checks have been cashed yet as they were completely handled through my company. Would we be able to find out the receipt numbers from USCIS in that case?

Yes. Just use the chat service... keep typing agent... they will connect to live agent. Give your A#. They ask for all other demographic info such as name, address etc. Then they give the receipt numbers.

[3March2010]

Jan VB out:

EB1 01 Sep 2019
EB2 08 Oct 2009
EB3. 22 Mar 2010

[AceMan]

Jan VB out:

EB1 01 Sep 2019
EB2 08 Oct 2009
EB3. 22 Mar 2010


Five month movement for Eb1 and on track to be current within the next few bulletins, a remarkable turn around from January 2020 where it was languishing 5 years behind at 1st January 2015.

Eb2 in the same time did only under 5 months, while Eb3 a little better.

The rapid movement can materialize in the third quarter.

[incredible]

Five month movement for Eb1 and on track to be current within the next few bulletins, a remarkable turn around from January 2020 where it was languishing 5 years behind at 1st January 2015.

Eb2 in the same time did only under 5 months, while Eb3 a little better.

The rapid movement can materialize in the third quarter.

It seems like it. But absolutely defies logic on FAD for EB2. They have exact knowledge of number of 485s and visa numbers to move up. with the time they are taking to issue 485 approvals (for those that became current from October), it may not be enough by moving EB2 only in the last quarter. They may most possibly waste significant amount of Visas. Unless this is caused by a tight leash by the outgoing administration and things become better from Feb or March Visa bulletin.

[srimurthy]

It seems like it. But absolutely defies logic on FAD for EB2. They have exact knowledge of number of 485s and visa numbers to move up. with the time they are taking to issue 485 approvals (for those that became current from October), it may not be enough by moving EB2 only in the last quarter. They may most possibly waste significant amount of Visas. Unless this is caused by a tight leash by the outgoing administration and things become better from Feb or March Visa bulletin.

Also considering that there will be a bunch of applications in EB2 with a PD before Apr'2010 that are filed before 2017 and not requiring interviews, the date moment should have been to Apr'2010 by now.

[mitul75]

It seems like it. But absolutely defies logic on FAD for EB2. They have exact knowledge of number of 485s and visa numbers to move up. with the time they are taking to issue 485 approvals (for those that became current from October), it may not be enough by moving EB2 only in the last quarter. They may most possibly waste significant amount of Visas. Unless this is caused by a tight leash by the outgoing administration and things become better from Feb or March Visa bulletin.

I think this was largely predictable reality, based on how slow the GC approval rates have been in the past few months for EB2/3 categories. If you follow Trakitt, in the EB2 category many with June or July 2009 dates are still waiting to get greened, and hardly anyone beyond August '09 got greened. So either the admin genuinely doesn't have enough resources to process the large volumes of visa, or they are just following orders from above to meter EB2/3 approvals. Remember, this is part of the current admin's policy, as clearly stated in the Presidential Proclamation of June 22: (https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-suspending-entry-aliens-present-risk-u-s-labor-market-following-coronavirus-outbreak/)

Sec. 5(b) The Secretary of Labor shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, as soon as practicable, and consistent with applicable law, consider promulgating regulations or take other appropriate action to ensure that the presence in the United States of aliens who have been admitted or otherwise provided a benefit, or who are seeking admission or a benefit, pursuant to an EB-2 or EB-3 immigrant visa or an H-1B nonimmigrant visa does not disadvantage United States workers in violation of section 212(a)(5)(A) or (n)(1) of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(5)(A) or (n)(1)). The Secretary of Labor shall also undertake, as appropriate, investigations pursuant to section 212(n)(2)(G)(i) of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1182(n)(2)(G)(i)).

[incredible]

I think this was largely predictable reality, based on how slow the GC approval rates have been in the past few months for EB2/3 categories. If you follow Trakitt, in the EB2 category many with June or July 2009 dates are still waiting to get greened, and hardly anyone beyond August '09 got greened. So either the admin genuinely doesn't have enough resources to process the large volumes of visa, or they are just following orders from above to meter EB2/3 approvals. Remember, this is part of the current admin's policy, as clearly stated in the Presidential Proclamation of June 22: (https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-suspending-entry-aliens-present-risk-u-s-labor-market-following-coronavirus-outbreak/)

Sec. 5(b) The Secretary of Labor shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, as soon as practicable, and consistent with applicable law, consider promulgating regulations or take other appropriate action to ensure that the presence in the United States of aliens who have been admitted or otherwise provided a benefit, or who are seeking admission or a benefit, pursuant to an EB-2 or EB-3 immigrant visa or an H-1B nonimmigrant visa does not disadvantage United States workers in violation of section 212(a)(5)(A) or (n)(1) of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(5)(A) or (n)(1)). The Secretary of Labor shall also undertake, as appropriate, investigations pursuant to section 212(n)(2)(G)(i) of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1182(n)(2)(G)(i)).

Thank you. This explains a lot. As much as this is wrong, it is what it is. Hopefully, the new admin will take a look at these types of unnecessary proclamations and hasten issue of GCs.

[longwaitgigu]

Thank you. This explains a lot. As much as this is wrong, it is what it is. Hopefully, the new admin will take a look at these types of unnecessary proclamations and hasten issue of GCs.

Dates of filing stopped fro January bulletin
We r so tensed up
Did not get i485 receipt yet
PD oct 2010 eb3

[skpanda]

Dates of filing stopped fro January bulletin
We r so tensed up
Did not get i485 receipt yet
PD oct 2010 eb3

Did you try USCIS chat service to get your receipt nbrs?

[longwaitgigu]

Yes, no numbers as of yesterday

[BigAnt]

Just for a Datapoint:

1. We (my wife and I), applied for I485, I765 and I131 on 29th Oct 2020.
2. No receipts so far.
3. I contacted USCIS chat. Provide all the details including A#.
4. They confirmed that they received my application and sent receipts on 17th Dec 2020.
5. They gave me the receipt numbers for the above applications.
6. One observation is that the receipt numbers start with MSC. (Missourie Service Center). I have never seen MSC in my 16 years of dealing with USCIS.
7. I tried to check the processing time in USCIS website and could not find MSC/Missourie.

Any body has any inputs on MSC?

Thanks!

Sorry for asking a naïve question, I filed AOS/EAD/AP for the first time in Oct, so where would I get A# you mentioned in your post? Seems like I need this handy before I can contact USCIS chat to get my receipt number. .

[incredible]

Sorry for asking a naïve question, I filed AOS/EAD/AP for the first time in Oct, so where would I get A# you mentioned in your post? Seems like I need this handy before I can contact USCIS chat to get my receipt number. .

It should be on approval document of I140 (797 should have it)