Celebrations & Thanks

[gc_2021]

gc_2021 - Congratulation! great to see approval from 2011 PD. Enjoy the freedom and share your experience after green card received.

Thank you Andhraguy, Was very excited when I saw the status changed to New Card Being Produced. Was jumping in happiness and refreshed the status like 5 to 10 times to make sure. Shared the news with family back in India and couple of close friends. When I received the card - I was monitoring USPS status and when the truck came over I ran to the mail box before mail woman put the mail in the box. I saw she taking/putting a bright red/white envelop and had a big smile on face as soon as I saw it. Opened the envelop and I held the card like 5 min and was going through so many thoughts/memories and emotions! By evening was sharing with everybody and was a long evening/night talking to lot of friends and all!

[qesehmk]

It?s finally my turn. Got our GCs card yesterday. After many twist and turn, finally light at the end of tunnel. I had received an RFIE even after submitting all docs and being DQ?ed. Talking to L2 agent did not resolve as he could not see the content of RFIE. Waited for 15 days to open an SR for RFIE not received. The very next day the status changed to card being produced. After three day it changed to case approved.

Thanks to Q, spec, Kanmani, idliman, turbulent dragonfly and various others who have kept this online community going.

For folks who are still waiting, please hang in there. Your tun will come. Please feel free to ask any question . Happy to assist.

Many congratulations MeraNumber. Sorry for the delayed response. I am sure you had a great weekend!

[gc_2021]

How beautiful it is that you and others register just to share the news and say thanks! I already knew that hundreds of thousands of unique visitors visit us every month. But I will be honest with you - I DID NOT IMAGINE - that there are people visiting forum for nine years straight and never registered.

I am very happy for you and will be happy for anybody else. It is about damn time this misery ends for so many of you. I hope this newfound freedom opens up new horizons. My heartfelt wishes to you and your family.

Thank you Q,

Guess the reason not registering sooner is may be I did not have anything important to share or contribute. In 2012, my employer convinced me (not intentional) that my PD 2011 would be current any time soon. As I saw dates are moved to around mid 2010 I believed him & stayed with them in the hope of getting GC soon. Almost 1 to 1 and half year passed just in waiting. Was still under impression it could be next bulletin or next quarter etc., There was a fulltime opportunity at that time that I declined for the same reason (how naive was I). When I was explaining to a friend why I didnot take that fulltime opportunity, he told me dates going be retrogressed for a while and explained country caps/backlogs and all, that was the first time I ever heard of those things. Thats when he told me to follow this blog and explained me this forum discusses USCIS/DOS available data and do some kind of valid number crunching etc., I started following the forum and was at least getting some realistic guestimates about dates movement. Fortunately same full time opportunity came in 2017 and I took the opportunity without any doubt/hesitation. Not sure now but if I had not seen/followed discussions here I might have declined it second time too

I chose the time to post my first post when I got the GC. However, the intention is to thank you and others for you valuable contribution of the forum. Especially from last year around this time, this forum has been great help to follow how things are going with USCIS and how things work with them.

Once again, thank you for taking time to keep this forum moving.

[qesehmk]

Thank you Q,

Guess the reason not registering sooner is may be I did not have anything important to share or contribute. In 2012, my employer convinced me (not intentional) that my PD 2011 would be current any time soon. As I saw dates are moved to around mid 2010 I believed him & stayed with them in the hope of getting GC soon. Almost 1 to 1 and half year passed just in waiting. Was still under impression it could be next bulletin or next quarter etc., There was a fulltime opportunity at that time that I declined for the same reason (how naive was I). When I was explaining to a friend why I didnot take that fulltime opportunity, he told me dates going be retrogressed for a while and explained country caps/backlogs and all, that was the first time I ever heard of those things. Thats when he told me to follow this blog and explained me this forum discusses USCIS/DOS available data and do some kind of valid number crunching etc., I started following the forum and was at least getting some realistic guestimates about dates movement. Fortunately same full time opportunity came in 2017 and I took the opportunity without any doubt/hesitation. Not sure now but if I had not seen/followed discussions here I might have declined it second time too

I chose the time to post my first post when I got the GC. However, the intention is to thank you and others for you valuable contribution of the forum. Especially from last year around this time, this forum has been great help to follow how things are going with USCIS and how things work with them.

Once again, thank you for taking time to keep this forum moving.

Again - happy for you my friend. I do it at least partly because I can't stand injustice. I am sure there are many people here like me who contribute because they too can't stand injustice. Besides if we share what we know and it helps somebody it is a joyful thing to do. So thanks for sharing your news and GC experience is greatly appreciated!

[andhraguy]

It?s finally my turn. Got our GCs card yesterday. After many twist and turn, finally light at the end of tunnel. I had received an RFIE even after submitting all docs and being DQ?ed. Talking to L2 agent did not resolve as he could not see the content of RFIE. Waited for 15 days to open an SR for RFIE not received. The very next day the status changed to card being produced. After three day it changed to case approved.

Thanks to Q, spec, Kanmani, idliman, turbulent dragonfly and various others who have kept this online community going.

For folks who are still waiting, please hang in there. Your tun will come. Please feel free to ask any question . Happy to assist.

Many Congratulations.!

[Noesis]

It?s finally my turn. Got our GCs card yesterday. After many twist and turn, finally light at the end of tunnel. I had received an RFIE even after submitting all docs and being DQ?ed. Talking to L2 agent did not resolve as he could not see the content of RFIE. Waited for 15 days to open an SR for RFIE not received. The very next day the status changed to card being produced. After three day it changed to case approved.

Thanks to Q, spec, Kanmani, idliman, turbulent dragonfly and various others who have kept this online community going.

For folks who are still waiting, please hang in there. Your tun will come. Please feel free to ask any question . Happy to assist.

Many Congratulations.!

[skpanda]

My status got updated to 'New Card Is Being Produced'. Its been a long long wait. Last few months were very trying and I was loosing patience. And now, I don't feel any sense of excitement or relief yet. I want to feel excited, but I guess I am jaded.

Congratulations! I had the same... no excitement or joy!

But it is sinking in now and i feel normal about living in USA not have to worry about the H1B/EAD/GreenCard.

[skpanda]

Hello All,

A very silent reader of the forum from long time. I heard about this forum back in 2012 from a friend and since then there was hardly a week without me opening this website. Want to thank you Q for maintaining this forum and others for your valuable information/discussions. Shared this forum with lot of friends and some are anxiously waiting to write similar first time messages (Hopefully Soon ).

Idliman - Shared your Green Card/USPS story with few friends and one of my friend response was thats his Thriller movie for that weekend . We are so glad that everything at the end worked out well for you, especially after waiting for years it must have been so much to go through at the end! Hope you dont mind taking your name and sharing your story.

Here is my timeline

PD - 05/02/2011
RD - 10/30/2020
ND - 01/24/2021
BM - 04/14/2021
485J - 07/08/2021
EAD - 08/10/2021
RFE Issued (FO - Kansas City) - 08/23/2021 No status update (Same day I got my medicals from Hospital, I was preparing to interfile)
Sent Medicals to Attorney - 08/24/2021 (still preparing to interfile as there was no online update)
Medical reached Attorney - 08/25/2021
RFE received - 08/27/2021 (luckily Attorney didnt ship-out medicals for interfile). I called them immediately after seeing RFE in mail so they didn't interfile and just responded to RFE
RFER - 08/31/2021
New Card Being Produced - 09/10/2021 (Primary)
Card Received - 09/16/2021
New Card Being Produced - 09/15/2021 (Derivative)
Card Received - 09/23/2021

Hope to see many more Celebration messages!

Once again thank you Q and others!

Congratulations! Njoy being greened!

[skpanda]

It?s finally my turn. Got our GCs card yesterday. After many twist and turn, finally light at the end of tunnel. I had received an RFIE even after submitting all docs and being DQ?ed. Talking to L2 agent did not resolve as he could not see the content of RFIE. Waited for 15 days to open an SR for RFIE not received. The very next day the status changed to card being produced. After three day it changed to case approved.

Thanks to Q, spec, Kanmani, idliman, turbulent dragonfly and various others who have kept this online community going.

For folks who are still waiting, please hang in there. Your tun will come. Please feel free to ask any question . Happy to assist.

Congratulations! Its your number!! Njoy!

[aGCHopefull]

It?s finally my turn. Got our GCs card yesterday. After many twist and turn, finally light at the end of tunnel. I had received an RFIE even after submitting all docs and being DQ?ed. Talking to L2 agent did not resolve as he could not see the content of RFIE. Waited for 15 days to open an SR for RFIE not received. The very next day the status changed to card being produced. After three day it changed to case approved.

Thanks to Q, spec, Kanmani, idliman, turbulent dragonfly and various others who have kept this online community going.

For folks who are still waiting, please hang in there. Your tun will come. Please feel free to ask any question . Happy to assist.

Congratulations!!

[bangaloreboy]

Hello All,
We finally received our green cards!
It truly feels like a weight has been lifted.
The day my status got updated, it took me by surprise, which is strange since I had been waiting 11 years for it! Possibly because we didn't receive RFEs nor interviews. My wife's GC got approved before she could get her EAD.

I had landed in the US as a student in Jan 2003, without making proper accommodation or pickup arrangements. That was quite stupid, a sentiment that I attribute to my GC journey too.
At the airport was Mark, an American who had been helping pickup students out of sheer kindness.
He had invited me for dinner and had introduced me to other American families, who had welcomed me into their homes with open hands.
I have also been subjected to racism, when an American said 'why don't YOU guys go back to where you came from?' at a gas station. And some stares at Walmart could only be called racist.
I have lived on both sides of the coast and places in between. In general, this country has been very kind to me, and the people kinder.

As I mentioned earlier, my GC journey could have been a smarter one.
It was ignorance that prevented me from initiating labor certification when my employer was eager to do it. That was 2008. This is a familiar story like many of us on the forum; those colleagues who went ahead in 2008 got their GCs by or before 2013, while some of us who applied in 2010 and later are still waiting or finally getting approved.
H1 renewal period is when nervousness and anxiety automatically set in. There was a particular period when we had planned to pack up too, if things went south.
Even a dull megabus ride near Rochester NY was interjected by ICE looking for H1 documentation. Luckily I was able to convince them by showing a scanned copy of H1 approval notice.
The wait got so frustrating that my wife, who is a research scientist with a masters degree, decided to pursue EB1 qualification on her own. She had several papers with 1st and last authorship already, and had racked up 100+ citations. Now she had to build her case further. Life had gotten very exasperating. That's when it got worse. My wife who had complained ear and balance problems, decided to change her ENT specialist. He didn't prescribe steroid injections like the previous one but suggested she get an MRI. That day my wife drove to the MRI center while I fed our 6 month old. A call came that I would need to pick up my wife because she wouldn't be allowed to drive. It was brain tumor and really big one pressing the stem. We were shaken to the core wondering what had hit us. My wife went through hell, and the situation was made worse by covid. Though her 14 hr surgery was successful, she still has tinnitus, neck and head aches almost everyday.
To add to all the madness was yet another H1 renewal. 3 of the 6 colleagues who had applied with me had gotten rejections. The adjudicator must have somehow had an inkling about our personal life plight and renewal came through. And when we finally got a chance to file 485 last year, my wife's file was rejected for a trivial checkbox issue that the new administration thankfully fixed. I had tried to shield her from her application upheaval but when she looked up the status herself, it stressed her out like never before.
So when we finally saw GCs in our hand, it was true relief and exaltation.
I also went back to my 15+ year checklist in gmail and was very pleased to finally mark GC as done.
My biggest regret out of this is that I could have sponsored my parents by now if I had acted sooner.

Q blog is a portal I visit just as frequently as news/sports/stocks portals. Its right up there in my favorites.
For me, this forum is a place where I found meaningful information and a sense of commonality. When a lot of my colleagues got irrationally exuberant in the past, I would be more circumspect; spec's somber analysis always sounded right.
A lot of the members here can put some immigration attorneys in the shade. And that's without a law background.
Hats off to you Q for starting this forum which I am not sure you expected it to turn into this.
Thanks to all the topnotch contributors like Spec, Kanmani, Idli, Ace, YT and others I missed who have been the pillars of this forum.
Wish everyone who is waiting a speedy approval.
Now its time to take our 2 year old to the beach and celebrate before it starts getting colder!

[qesehmk]

Hello All,
We finally received our green cards!
It truly feels like a weight has been lifted.
The day my status got updated, it took me by surprise, which is strange since I had been waiting 11 years for it! Possibly because we didn't receive RFEs nor interviews. My wife's GC got approved before she could get her EAD.

I had landed in the US as a student in Jan 2003, without making proper accommodation or pickup arrangements. That was quite stupid, a sentiment that I attribute to my GC journey too.
At the airport was Mark, an American who had been helping pickup students out of sheer kindness.
He had invited me for dinner and had introduced me to other American families, who had welcomed me into their homes with open hands.
I have also been subjected to racism, when an American said 'why don't YOU guys go back to where you came from?' at a gas station. And some stares at Walmart could only be called racist.
I have lived on both sides of the coast and places in between. In general, this country has been very kind to me, and the people kinder.

As I mentioned earlier, my GC journey could have been a smarter one.
It was ignorance that prevented me from initiating labor certification when my employer was eager to do it. That was 2008. This is a familiar story like many of us on the forum; those colleagues who went ahead in 2008 got their GCs by or before 2013, while some of us who applied in 2010 and later are still waiting or finally getting approved.
H1 renewal period is when nervousness and anxiety automatically set in. There was a particular period when we had planned to pack up too, if things went south.
Even a dull megabus ride near Rochester NY was interjected by ICE looking for H1 documentation. Luckily I was able to convince them by showing a scanned copy of H1 approval notice.
The wait got so frustrating that my wife, who is a research scientist with a masters degree, decided to pursue EB1 qualification on her own. She had several papers with 1st and last authorship already, and had racked up 100+ citations. Now she had to build her case further. Life had gotten very exasperating. That's when it got worse. My wife who had complained ear and balance problems, decided to change her ENT specialist. He didn't prescribe steroid injections like the previous one but suggested she get an MRI. That day my wife drove to the MRI center while I fed our 6 month old. A call came that I would need to pick up my wife because she wouldn't be allowed to drive. It was brain tumor and really big one pressing the stem. We were shaken to the core wondering what had hit us. My wife went through hell, and the situation was made worse by covid. Though her 14 hr surgery was successful, she still has tinnitus, neck and head aches almost everyday.
To add to all the madness was yet another H1 renewal. 3 of the 6 colleagues who had applied with me had gotten rejections. The adjudicator must have somehow had an inkling about our personal life plight and renewal came through. And when we finally got a chance to file 485 last year, my wife's file was rejected for a trivial checkbox issue that the new administration thankfully fixed. I had tried to shield her from her application upheaval but when she looked up the status herself, it stressed her out like never before.
So when we finally saw GCs in our hand, it was true relief and exaltation.
I also went back to my 15+ year checklist in gmail and was very pleased to finally mark GC as done.
My biggest regret out of this is that I could have sponsored my parents by now if I had acted sooner.

Q blog is a portal I visit just as frequently as news/sports/stocks portals. Its right up there in my favorites.
For me, this forum is a place where I found meaningful information and a sense of commonality. When a lot of my colleagues got irrationally exuberant in the past, I would be more circumspect; spec's somber analysis always sounded right.
A lot of the members here can put some immigration attorneys in the shade. And that's without a law background.
Hats off to you Q for starting this forum which I am not sure you expected it to turn into this.
Thanks to all the topnotch contributors like Spec, Kanmani, Idli, Ace, YT and others I missed who have been the pillars of this forum.
Wish everyone who is waiting a speedy approval.
Now its time to take our 2 year old to the beach and celebrate before it starts getting colder!

What a story. So many of us can identify with it. When I arrived in 2000, I had no clue who would pick me up or where I would stay or anything really! I stayed at a kind soul's place for a few days and then crashed at one of my batchmate's place until I was able to secure an apartment myself. Delays in GC filing. Kindness of Americans ... a bit of racism. Wife's health. Kids growing up. Fellow H1Bs and all the trips we made. H1 / EAD struggles. USCIS checking our status along border. Driver's license struggles ...

Can go on an on. Thank you for writing an interesting tale. Very happy for you again. I hope your wife becomes 100% fit. Health is more precious than anything else. I wish you great life and career.

[Noesis]

Hello All,
We finally received our green cards!
It truly feels like a weight has been lifted.
The day my status got updated, it took me by surprise, which is strange since I had been waiting 11 years for it! Possibly because we didn't receive RFEs nor interviews. My wife's GC got approved before she could get her EAD.

I had landed in the US as a student in Jan 2003, without making proper accommodation or pickup arrangements. That was quite stupid, a sentiment that I attribute to my GC journey too.
At the airport was Mark, an American who had been helping pickup students out of sheer kindness.
He had invited me for dinner and had introduced me to other American families, who had welcomed me into their homes with open hands.
I have also been subjected to racism, when an American said 'why don't YOU guys go back to where you came from?' at a gas station. And some stares at Walmart could only be called racist.
I have lived on both sides of the coast and places in between. In general, this country has been very kind to me, and the people kinder.

As I mentioned earlier, my GC journey could have been a smarter one.
It was ignorance that prevented me from initiating labor certification when my employer was eager to do it. That was 2008. This is a familiar story like many of us on the forum; those colleagues who went ahead in 2008 got their GCs by or before 2013, while some of us who applied in 2010 and later are still waiting or finally getting approved.
H1 renewal period is when nervousness and anxiety automatically set in. There was a particular period when we had planned to pack up too, if things went south.
Even a dull megabus ride near Rochester NY was interjected by ICE looking for H1 documentation. Luckily I was able to convince them by showing a scanned copy of H1 approval notice.
The wait got so frustrating that my wife, who is a research scientist with a masters degree, decided to pursue EB1 qualification on her own. She had several papers with 1st and last authorship already, and had racked up 100+ citations. Now she had to build her case further. Life had gotten very exasperating. That's when it got worse. My wife who had complained ear and balance problems, decided to change her ENT specialist. He didn't prescribe steroid injections like the previous one but suggested she get an MRI. That day my wife drove to the MRI center while I fed our 6 month old. A call came that I would need to pick up my wife because she wouldn't be allowed to drive. It was brain tumor and really big one pressing the stem. We were shaken to the core wondering what had hit us. My wife went through hell, and the situation was made worse by covid. Though her 14 hr surgery was successful, she still has tinnitus, neck and head aches almost everyday.
To add to all the madness was yet another H1 renewal. 3 of the 6 colleagues who had applied with me had gotten rejections. The adjudicator must have somehow had an inkling about our personal life plight and renewal came through. And when we finally got a chance to file 485 last year, my wife's file was rejected for a trivial checkbox issue that the new administration thankfully fixed. I had tried to shield her from her application upheaval but when she looked up the status herself, it stressed her out like never before.
So when we finally saw GCs in our hand, it was true relief and exaltation.
I also went back to my 15+ year checklist in gmail and was very pleased to finally mark GC as done.
My biggest regret out of this is that I could have sponsored my parents by now if I had acted sooner.

Q blog is a portal I visit just as frequently as news/sports/stocks portals. Its right up there in my favorites.
For me, this forum is a place where I found meaningful information and a sense of commonality. When a lot of my colleagues got irrationally exuberant in the past, I would be more circumspect; spec's somber analysis always sounded right.
A lot of the members here can put some immigration attorneys in the shade. And that's without a law background.
Hats off to you Q for starting this forum which I am not sure you expected it to turn into this.
Thanks to all the topnotch contributors like Spec, Kanmani, Idli, Ace, YT and others I missed who have been the pillars of this forum.
Wish everyone who is waiting a speedy approval.
Now its time to take our 2 year old to the beach and celebrate before it starts getting colder!

What a Journey.! Many Congratulations on finally getting over the finished line. Best wishes to your wife on getting back to 100% fit.

[AceMan]

Hello All,
We finally received our green cards!
It truly feels like a weight has been lifted.
The day my status got updated, it took me by surprise, which is strange since I had been waiting 11 years for it! Possibly because we didn't receive RFEs nor interviews. My wife's GC got approved before she could get her EAD.

I had landed in the US as a student in Jan 2003, without making proper accommodation or pickup arrangements. That was quite stupid, a sentiment that I attribute to my GC journey too.
At the airport was Mark, an American who had been helping pickup students out of sheer kindness.
He had invited me for dinner and had introduced me to other American families, who had welcomed me into their homes with open hands.
I have also been subjected to racism, when an American said 'why don't YOU guys go back to where you came from?' at a gas station. And some stares at Walmart could only be called racist.
I have lived on both sides of the coast and places in between. In general, this country has been very kind to me, and the people kinder.

As I mentioned earlier, my GC journey could have been a smarter one.
It was ignorance that prevented me from initiating labor certification when my employer was eager to do it. That was 2008. This is a familiar story like many of us on the forum; those colleagues who went ahead in 2008 got their GCs by or before 2013, while some of us who applied in 2010 and later are still waiting or finally getting approved.
H1 renewal period is when nervousness and anxiety automatically set in. There was a particular period when we had planned to pack up too, if things went south.
Even a dull megabus ride near Rochester NY was interjected by ICE looking for H1 documentation. Luckily I was able to convince them by showing a scanned copy of H1 approval notice.
The wait got so frustrating that my wife, who is a research scientist with a masters degree, decided to pursue EB1 qualification on her own. She had several papers with 1st and last authorship already, and had racked up 100+ citations. Now she had to build her case further. Life had gotten very exasperating. That's when it got worse. My wife who had complained ear and balance problems, decided to change her ENT specialist. He didn't prescribe steroid injections like the previous one but suggested she get an MRI. That day my wife drove to the MRI center while I fed our 6 month old. A call came that I would need to pick up my wife because she wouldn't be allowed to drive. It was brain tumor and really big one pressing the stem. We were shaken to the core wondering what had hit us. My wife went through hell, and the situation was made worse by covid. Though her 14 hr surgery was successful, she still has tinnitus, neck and head aches almost everyday.
To add to all the madness was yet another H1 renewal. 3 of the 6 colleagues who had applied with me had gotten rejections. The adjudicator must have somehow had an inkling about our personal life plight and renewal came through. And when we finally got a chance to file 485 last year, my wife's file was rejected for a trivial checkbox issue that the new administration thankfully fixed. I had tried to shield her from her application upheaval but when she looked up the status herself, it stressed her out like never before.
So when we finally saw GCs in our hand, it was true relief and exaltation.
I also went back to my 15+ year checklist in gmail and was very pleased to finally mark GC as done.
My biggest regret out of this is that I could have sponsored my parents by now if I had acted sooner.

Q blog is a portal I visit just as frequently as news/sports/stocks portals. Its right up there in my favorites.
For me, this forum is a place where I found meaningful information and a sense of commonality. When a lot of my colleagues got irrationally exuberant in the past, I would be more circumspect; spec's somber analysis always sounded right.
A lot of the members here can put some immigration attorneys in the shade. And that's without a law background.
Hats off to you Q for starting this forum which I am not sure you expected it to turn into this.
Thanks to all the topnotch contributors like Spec, Kanmani, Idli, Ace, YT and others I missed who have been the pillars of this forum.
Wish everyone who is waiting a speedy approval.
Now its time to take our 2 year old to the beach and celebrate before it starts getting colder!

Congrats and best wishes once again buddy.

[bangaloreboy]

What a story. So many of us can identify with it. When I arrived in 2000, I had no clue who would pick me up or where I would stay or anything really! I stayed at a kind soul's place for a few days and then crashed at one of my batchmate's place until I was able to secure an apartment myself. Delays in GC filing. Kindness of Americans ... a bit of racism. Wife's health. Kids growing up. Fellow H1Bs and all the trips we made. H1 / EAD struggles. USCIS checking our status along border. Driver's license struggles ...

Can go on an on. Thank you for writing an interesting tale. Very happy for you again. I hope your wife becomes 100% fit. Health is more precious than anything else. I wish you great life and career.

Thanks Q, Noesis, Ace!

[srimurthy]

Finally had the interview yesterday first thing in the morning, and late in the evening the status changed tp "Case Approved, New Card is Being Produced"

The interview was good and I will capture the questions and details in the appropriate thread. It is a relief for sure than anything changed in the excitement or way of life atleast at this point.
I need to thank Q for starting this forum, and others being part of the valuable experts and contributors acting as the energy to keep this forum going on and relevant.
I am sure this forum would not have been what it is today without contributions from Spec, Q, Kanmani, Teddy, Suninphx, Soggadu, idliman, Turbulent, Aceman and many more.
The knowledge and expertise surely bowled me over, while the humor from time to time eased things and the stories of people have given me strength showing there are far more tough conditions people are facing than me.

Priority Date---------: 10/30/2010 EB2 India - National Benefits Center (MSC21903*****)
Receipt & Notice Date-: 10/21/2020 & 11/20/2020
Biometrics Date-------: 03/25/2021
SR raised for EAD - 07/02/2021
EAD/AP Approval I797--: 07/06/2021
EAD/AP Card in hand---: 07/16/2021
Interview Confirmation - 08/09/2021
Interview Date and Interview - 9/30/2021
I485 Approval---------: 9/30/2021 (Case Approved and Ordered New Card)
GC in hand------------:

The PD and the approval dates are same 11 years apart and after a near 14 years stay in US.
Did three job changes and the second company went through 3 mergers and multiple delays in filing Labor during the initial years. Also wife started working on H4 EAD from 2016 after giving up on her Dental Career with more than 8 years experience and after that being house wife for 8 years it was difficult to get back into the Job Market, putting a denting in her confidence. Had companies taking advantage when we tried for her H1 between 2010 and 2012, and lost some full time opportunities in the last three years and one as recently as 2 months back as at the final confirmation they declined as there was no GC in hand even though she had H4 EAD and EAD based on AOS.

My elder daughter lost a couple of chances with no GC earlier, but I am glad we got it right on time as she is a Sophomore in Highschool and getting ready for applying to colleges.

[andhraguy]

Finally had the interview yesterday first thing in the morning, and late in the evening the status changed tp "Case Approved, New Card is Being Produced"

The interview was good and I will capture the questions and details in the appropriate thread. It is a relief for sure than anything changed in the excitement or way of life atleast at this point.
I need to thank Q for starting this forum, and others being part of the valuable experts and contributors acting as the energy to keep this forum going on and relevant.
I am sure this forum would not have been what it is today without contributions from Spec, Q, Kanmani, Teddy, Suninphx, Soggadu, idliman, Turbulent, Aceman and many more.
The knowledge and expertise surely bowled me over, while the humor from time to time eased things and the stories of people have given me strength showing there are far more tough conditions people are facing than me.

Priority Date---------: 10/30/2010 EB2 India - National Benefits Center (MSC21903*****)
Receipt & Notice Date-: 10/21/2020 & 11/20/2020
Biometrics Date-------: 03/25/2021
SR raised for EAD - 07/02/2021
EAD/AP Approval I797--: 07/06/2021
EAD/AP Card in hand---: 07/16/2021
Interview Confirmation - 08/09/2021
Interview Date and Interview - 9/30/2021
I485 Approval---------: 9/30/2021 (Case Approved and Ordered New Card)
GC in hand------------:

The PD and the approval dates are same 11 years apart and after a near 14 years stay in US.
Did three job changes and the second company went through 3 mergers and multiple delays in filing Labor during the initial years. Also wife started working on H4 EAD from 2016 after giving up on her Dental Career with more than 8 years experience and after that being house wife for 8 years it was difficult to get back into the Job Market, putting a denting in her confidence. Had companies taking advantage when we tried for her H1 between 2010 and 2012, and lost some full time opportunities in the last three years and one as recently as 2 months back as at the final confirmation they declined as there was no GC in hand even though she had H4 EAD and EAD based on AOS.

My elder daughter lost a couple of chances with no GC earlier, but I am glad we got it right on time as she is a Sophomore in Highschool and getting ready for applying to colleges.

@srimurthy - congratulation. All the best for your freedom!

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Thank you Q,

Guess the reason not registering sooner is may be I did not have anything important to share or contribute. In 2012, my employer convinced me (not intentional) that my PD 2011 would be current any time soon. As I saw dates are moved to around mid 2010 I believed him & stayed with them in the hope of getting GC soon. Almost 1 to 1 and half year passed just in waiting. Was still under impression it could be next bulletin or next quarter etc., There was a fulltime opportunity at that time that I declined for the same reason (how naive was I). When I was explaining to a friend why I didnot take that fulltime opportunity, he told me dates going be retrogressed for a while and explained country caps/backlogs and all, that was the first time I ever heard of those things. Thats when he told me to follow this blog and explained me this forum discusses USCIS/DOS available data and do some kind of valid number crunching etc., I started following the forum and was at least getting some realistic guestimates about dates movement. Fortunately same full time opportunity came in 2017 and I took the opportunity without any doubt/hesitation. Not sure now but if I had not seen/followed discussions here I might have declined it second time too

I chose the time to post my first post when I got the GC. However, the intention is to thank you and others for you valuable contribution of the forum. Especially from last year around this time, this forum has been great help to follow how things are going with USCIS and how things work with them.

Once again, thank you for taking time to keep this forum moving.

Congrats gc_2021!

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Finally had the interview yesterday first thing in the morning, and late in the evening the status changed tp "Case Approved, New Card is Being Produced"

The interview was good and I will capture the questions and details in the appropriate thread. It is a relief for sure than anything changed in the excitement or way of life atleast at this point.
I need to thank Q for starting this forum, and others being part of the valuable experts and contributors acting as the energy to keep this forum going on and relevant.
I am sure this forum would not have been what it is today without contributions from Spec, Q, Kanmani, Teddy, Suninphx, Soggadu, idliman, Turbulent, Aceman and many more.
The knowledge and expertise surely bowled me over, while the humor from time to time eased things and the stories of people have given me strength showing there are far more tough conditions people are facing than me.

Priority Date---------: 10/30/2010 EB2 India - National Benefits Center (MSC21903*****)
Receipt & Notice Date-: 10/21/2020 & 11/20/2020
Biometrics Date-------: 03/25/2021
SR raised for EAD - 07/02/2021
EAD/AP Approval I797--: 07/06/2021
EAD/AP Card in hand---: 07/16/2021
Interview Confirmation - 08/09/2021
Interview Date and Interview - 9/30/2021
I485 Approval---------: 9/30/2021 (Case Approved and Ordered New Card)
GC in hand------------:

The PD and the approval dates are same 11 years apart and after a near 14 years stay in US.
Did three job changes and the second company went through 3 mergers and multiple delays in filing Labor during the initial years. Also wife started working on H4 EAD from 2016 after giving up on her Dental Career with more than 8 years experience and after that being house wife for 8 years it was difficult to get back into the Job Market, putting a denting in her confidence. Had companies taking advantage when we tried for her H1 between 2010 and 2012, and lost some full time opportunities in the last three years and one as recently as 2 months back as at the final confirmation they declined as there was no GC in hand even though she had H4 EAD and EAD based on AOS.

My elder daughter lost a couple of chances with no GC earlier, but I am glad we got it right on time as she is a Sophomore in Highschool and getting ready for applying to colleges.

Congrats, srimurthy! So happy to see you greened! You have contributed a lot to this forum and you got a case approval on the last day of the FY2021!

Anecdote on my side is very similar to yours. I received my GC in hand exactly 20 years not only to the day, but to the exact hour when I first left India (received 4 PM here, and had a 2:30 AM flight in India that morning 20 yrs back!).

[Turbulent_Dragonfly]

Hello All,
We finally received our green cards!
It truly feels like a weight has been lifted.
The day my status got updated, it took me by surprise, which is strange since I had been waiting 11 years for it! Possibly because we didn't receive RFEs nor interviews. My wife's GC got approved before she could get her EAD.

I had landed in the US as a student in Jan 2003, without making proper accommodation or pickup arrangements. That was quite stupid, a sentiment that I attribute to my GC journey too.
At the airport was Mark, an American who had been helping pickup students out of sheer kindness.
He had invited me for dinner and had introduced me to other American families, who had welcomed me into their homes with open hands.
I have also been subjected to racism, when an American said 'why don't YOU guys go back to where you came from?' at a gas station. And some stares at Walmart could only be called racist.
I have lived on both sides of the coast and places in between. In general, this country has been very kind to me, and the people kinder.

As I mentioned earlier, my GC journey could have been a smarter one.
It was ignorance that prevented me from initiating labor certification when my employer was eager to do it. That was 2008. This is a familiar story like many of us on the forum; those colleagues who went ahead in 2008 got their GCs by or before 2013, while some of us who applied in 2010 and later are still waiting or finally getting approved.
H1 renewal period is when nervousness and anxiety automatically set in. There was a particular period when we had planned to pack up too, if things went south.
Even a dull megabus ride near Rochester NY was interjected by ICE looking for H1 documentation. Luckily I was able to convince them by showing a scanned copy of H1 approval notice.
The wait got so frustrating that my wife, who is a research scientist with a masters degree, decided to pursue EB1 qualification on her own. She had several papers with 1st and last authorship already, and had racked up 100+ citations. Now she had to build her case further. Life had gotten very exasperating. That's when it got worse. My wife who had complained ear and balance problems, decided to change her ENT specialist. He didn't prescribe steroid injections like the previous one but suggested she get an MRI. That day my wife drove to the MRI center while I fed our 6 month old. A call came that I would need to pick up my wife because she wouldn't be allowed to drive. It was brain tumor and really big one pressing the stem. We were shaken to the core wondering what had hit us. My wife went through hell, and the situation was made worse by covid. Though her 14 hr surgery was successful, she still has tinnitus, neck and head aches almost everyday.
To add to all the madness was yet another H1 renewal. 3 of the 6 colleagues who had applied with me had gotten rejections. The adjudicator must have somehow had an inkling about our personal life plight and renewal came through. And when we finally got a chance to file 485 last year, my wife's file was rejected for a trivial checkbox issue that the new administration thankfully fixed. I had tried to shield her from her application upheaval but when she looked up the status herself, it stressed her out like never before.
So when we finally saw GCs in our hand, it was true relief and exaltation.
I also went back to my 15+ year checklist in gmail and was very pleased to finally mark GC as done.
My biggest regret out of this is that I could have sponsored my parents by now if I had acted sooner.

Q blog is a portal I visit just as frequently as news/sports/stocks portals. Its right up there in my favorites.
For me, this forum is a place where I found meaningful information and a sense of commonality. When a lot of my colleagues got irrationally exuberant in the past, I would be more circumspect; spec's somber analysis always sounded right.
A lot of the members here can put some immigration attorneys in the shade. And that's without a law background.
Hats off to you Q for starting this forum which I am not sure you expected it to turn into this.
Thanks to all the topnotch contributors like Spec, Kanmani, Idli, Ace, YT and others I missed who have been the pillars of this forum.
Wish everyone who is waiting a speedy approval.
Now its time to take our 2 year old to the beach and celebrate before it starts getting colder!

Hey bangaloreboy, congratulations on getting approved! So sorry to hear about the health issues your wife is facing. I know everyone here keeps piling on the healthcare system over and over, but we do have some of the best doctors and facilities in the world. I hope you all enjoy life here on moving forward and stay happy and healthy.

[qesehmk]

Finally had the interview yesterday first thing in the morning, and late in the evening the status changed tp "Case Approved, New Card is Being Produced"

The interview was good and I will capture the questions and details in the appropriate thread. It is a relief for sure than anything changed in the excitement or way of life atleast at this point.
I need to thank Q for starting this forum, and others being part of the valuable experts and contributors acting as the energy to keep this forum going on and relevant.
I am sure this forum would not have been what it is today without contributions from Spec, Q, Kanmani, Teddy, Suninphx, Soggadu, idliman, Turbulent, Aceman and many more.
The knowledge and expertise surely bowled me over, while the humor from time to time eased things and the stories of people have given me strength showing there are far more tough conditions people are facing than me.

Priority Date---------: 10/30/2010 EB2 India - National Benefits Center (MSC21903*****)
Receipt & Notice Date-: 10/21/2020 & 11/20/2020
Biometrics Date-------: 03/25/2021
SR raised for EAD - 07/02/2021
EAD/AP Approval I797--: 07/06/2021
EAD/AP Card in hand---: 07/16/2021
Interview Confirmation - 08/09/2021
Interview Date and Interview - 9/30/2021
I485 Approval---------: 9/30/2021 (Case Approved and Ordered New Card)
GC in hand------------:

The PD and the approval dates are same 11 years apart and after a near 14 years stay in US.
Did three job changes and the second company went through 3 mergers and multiple delays in filing Labor during the initial years. Also wife started working on H4 EAD from 2016 after giving up on her Dental Career with more than 8 years experience and after that being house wife for 8 years it was difficult to get back into the Job Market, putting a denting in her confidence. Had companies taking advantage when we tried for her H1 between 2010 and 2012, and lost some full time opportunities in the last three years and one as recently as 2 months back as at the final confirmation they declined as there was no GC in hand even though she had H4 EAD and EAD based on AOS.

My elder daughter lost a couple of chances with no GC earlier, but I am glad we got it right on time as she is a Sophomore in Highschool and getting ready for applying to colleges.

Many congratulations Sri. That's a long wait. Sorry to hear about your wife's career. I think you need to help her believe in herself and sit down think next steps and choices carefully and freely. The companies are now more open to give women a second chance after kids are grown up and with right upskilling she can find something without perceived loss in career path. From your side simple actions (more than just words) can help. Just as an example one can take the responsibility for cleaning the kitchen after dinner. I have to admit I realized I should do this at home after 20 years of marriage. And now I am doing it. With age women are physically hurt so much and I regret not doing this sooner.

Regarding your daughter yes I can understand how she must have lost some opportunities. Luckily she is so young and will achieve her potential now on. To your daughter and anybody else's children the right time to think about college is in high school. The child must check multiple boxes. Don't rely only on SAT or ACT. My son is very sharp but is not necessarily a super duper genius. He worked hard and smart and checked multiple boxes like sports, debate teams, social services, many many many AP classes (all 4.0) and i can't even remember so many things. He ignored my advice to pay attention to SAT score and scored mediocre. And yet he got into #3-5 (depending on who is scoring) school in his discipline. So SAT is not everything, there are many boxes that need to be checked to get into top schools. All the best sri once again! Have a terrific day ahead!

[AceMan]

Finally had the interview yesterday first thing in the morning, and late in the evening the status changed tp "Case Approved, New Card is Being Produced"

The interview was good and I will capture the questions and details in the appropriate thread. It is a relief for sure than anything changed in the excitement or way of life atleast at this point.
I need to thank Q for starting this forum, and others being part of the valuable experts and contributors acting as the energy to keep this forum going on and relevant.
I am sure this forum would not have been what it is today without contributions from Spec, Q, Kanmani, Teddy, Suninphx, Soggadu, idliman, Turbulent, Aceman and many more.
The knowledge and expertise surely bowled me over, while the humor from time to time eased things and the stories of people have given me strength showing there are far more tough conditions people are facing than me.

Priority Date---------: 10/30/2010 EB2 India - National Benefits Center (MSC21903*****)
Receipt & Notice Date-: 10/21/2020 & 11/20/2020
Biometrics Date-------: 03/25/2021
SR raised for EAD - 07/02/2021
EAD/AP Approval I797--: 07/06/2021
EAD/AP Card in hand---: 07/16/2021
Interview Confirmation - 08/09/2021
Interview Date and Interview - 9/30/2021
I485 Approval---------: 9/30/2021 (Case Approved and Ordered New Card)
GC in hand------------:

The PD and the approval dates are same 11 years apart and after a near 14 years stay in US.
Did three job changes and the second company went through 3 mergers and multiple delays in filing Labor during the initial years. Also wife started working on H4 EAD from 2016 after giving up on her Dental Career with more than 8 years experience and after that being house wife for 8 years it was difficult to get back into the Job Market, putting a denting in her confidence. Had companies taking advantage when we tried for her H1 between 2010 and 2012, and lost some full time opportunities in the last three years and one as recently as 2 months back as at the final confirmation they declined as there was no GC in hand even though she had H4 EAD and EAD based on AOS.

My elder daughter lost a couple of chances with no GC earlier, but I am glad we got it right on time as she is a Sophomore in Highschool and getting ready for applying to colleges.

Congratulations Sri, really happy for you and your family.

[Noesis]

Finally had the interview yesterday first thing in the morning, and late in the evening the status changed tp "Case Approved, New Card is Being Produced"

The interview was good and I will capture the questions and details in the appropriate thread. It is a relief for sure than anything changed in the excitement or way of life atleast at this point.
I need to thank Q for starting this forum, and others being part of the valuable experts and contributors acting as the energy to keep this forum going on and relevant.
I am sure this forum would not have been what it is today without contributions from Spec, Q, Kanmani, Teddy, Suninphx, Soggadu, idliman, Turbulent, Aceman and many more.
The knowledge and expertise surely bowled me over, while the humor from time to time eased things and the stories of people have given me strength showing there are far more tough conditions people are facing than me.

Priority Date---------: 10/30/2010 EB2 India - National Benefits Center (MSC21903*****)
Receipt & Notice Date-: 10/21/2020 & 11/20/2020
Biometrics Date-------: 03/25/2021
SR raised for EAD - 07/02/2021
EAD/AP Approval I797--: 07/06/2021
EAD/AP Card in hand---: 07/16/2021
Interview Confirmation - 08/09/2021
Interview Date and Interview - 9/30/2021
I485 Approval---------: 9/30/2021 (Case Approved and Ordered New Card)
GC in hand------------:

The PD and the approval dates are same 11 years apart and after a near 14 years stay in US.
Did three job changes and the second company went through 3 mergers and multiple delays in filing Labor during the initial years. Also wife started working on H4 EAD from 2016 after giving up on her Dental Career with more than 8 years experience and after that being house wife for 8 years it was difficult to get back into the Job Market, putting a denting in her confidence. Had companies taking advantage when we tried for her H1 between 2010 and 2012, and lost some full time opportunities in the last three years and one as recently as 2 months back as at the final confirmation they declined as there was no GC in hand even though she had H4 EAD and EAD based on AOS.

My elder daughter lost a couple of chances with no GC earlier, but I am glad we got it right on time as she is a Sophomore in Highschool and getting ready for applying to colleges.

Many Congratulations.!

[suninphx]

Sri,

Many Congratulations! Take it easy for few days now. Brighter days ahead...

[suninphx]

bangaloreboy - congrats mate! All the best for future endeavors!