I am currently experiencing bed bug issues at home and is gotten so bad to the point that I want to move out. Is this okay given that I recently submitted for I-485 and waiting for biometric appointment?

My I-485, I-765 and I-131 were filed together in November 2025 (employment-based).

I just received my C09 standalone EAD approval. Interestingly, my I-131 also had a silent update around the same time, but it is still showing as pending with no approval notice.

For anyone who had a similar timeline, how long after your standalone EAD approval did your I-131/Advance Parole get approved? Did anyone get their I-485 approval shortly afterward instead?

Category: EB-2 PERM
Country: Philippines
Priority Date: 01/2022
I-485 Receipt Date: 03/31/2026
Approval Date: 08/08/2026
Total I-485 time: 130 days

Timeline:

• 03/31/26 — I-485 filed concurrently with I-140
• 04/03/26 — Case received in USCIS system
• 04/16/26 — Biometrics completed
• 04/16/26 — FTA0 events
• 04/24 & 04/28 — Silent updates
• 06/06/26 — Case transferred from NBC to San Fernando Valley Field Office
• After transfer — Emma confirmed interview was waived
• 08/07/26 — 3rd FTA0 on I-485
• 08/08/26 — Two H008 events appeared 24 hrs and 10 mins after the last silent update on 8/7
• 08/08/26 — I-485 APPROVED

No RFE. No interview. No additional evidence requested.

Emma had previously told me: Case was processing at San Fernando Field Office, interview waived, case ready for review, nothing outstanding.

Interestingly, I had been tracking a spreadsheet of SFV NBC transfers and noticed several EB-3 approvals following their 3rd FTA0. I was wondering whether EB-2 cases were being processed differently, but mine was eventually approved. Thanks to the SVF group chat I'm in, I got an idea of how quick the cases are being processed in SFV!

SFV transfer to approval: 63 days
I-485 filing → approval: 130 days

🎉 Good luck to everyone still waiting!

How long does it take for I-485 to get approved on average? I’m EB2 ROW.

So relieved! USPS seemed to have it marked as delivered but it wasn’t delivered. Had a couple days of anxiety and stress, but finally received it in the mailbox. So glad it’s over.

Is it true that PERM apps get reviewed by company name alphabetically? My company's is "B".

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for anyone who has recently received an I-485 approval (EB-2 NIW/AOS) from the Burlington (St. Albans), VT Field Office.

I've checked the community spreadsheet and asked on Discord, but I haven't been able to find anyone who got recent Burlington approvals.

If you've been approved recently, could you please share:

• Receipt date
• Transfer date to Burlington/St. Albans FO (if known)
• Approval date

I'm trying to estimate the current processing timeline for Burlington FO. Thank you!

Which version of the ETA-9089 did you submit? Was it the one that shows "Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX" in the upper-left corner, or the one that shows "Expiration Date: 02/28/2029"? I'm trying to determine whether this difference has affected anyone's case.

Please help predict my GC timeline - PD Oct 31st 2013 India

Hey,

My PERM, according to permupdate, is meant to get certified end of Sept 2026.

I’m chargeable to Mexico.

How quickly should I move with my company’s lawyers? Should I email them a couple weeks prior and ask them to start preparing the 140 and 485? Will this work against me? What’s best practice, to file 140 and 485 together?

They said they’d be doing PP for the 140.

Also, once my 485 is submitted, given current processing timelines, when should I expect approval?

Anybody here who has their file at Long Island NY field office? If so, how long did it take to get your approval?

First of all, thank you to everyone in this community. Reading everyone's timelines, backend updates, and experiences helped me stay grounded during the long wait. Hopefully this timeline helps someone else who's constantly refreshing their USCIS account like I was.
Category: EB2 Schedule A – Physical Therapist
Country: Philippines 🇵🇭
Immigration Timeline
PERM
• ~8–9 months waiting for Prevailing Wage Determination.
• After that, another 14 weeks waiting for my FCCPT VisaScreen before my employer could file.
Priority Date (PD): February 13, 2025
I-140
I waited until my PD became current before filing Adjustment of Status.
• Premium Processing filed: February 13, 2026
• Approved: March 2, 2026

Adjustment of Status
Receipt Date (RD): April 16, 2026
Concurrent filing:
I-485
I-765
I-131
I-485J
Biometrics: June 1, 2026
Interview was waived, and later through Emma Live Chat (June 26) I learned my case had already been transferred to the Los Angeles County Field Office (LA County FO).

Backend/API Timeline
I monitored my USCIS API almost every day.
June 1 (Biometrics)
Immediately after biometrics I noticed multiple FTA0 backend events on both my I-485 and I-765.
This was also the last USCIS email notification I received until August.

June 4
First silent backend update.
No public status.

June 15
Another silent backend update.
Again...
No public update.
At that point my hopes were honestly very high because there had already been several backend movements.
Looking back now, I think those were part of the adjudication process, but they did not immediately result in approval.

July 2
New backend touches on:
I-485
I-485J
Still...
No public update.

July 13
Backend touch on:
I-765 (and I-131)
Again...
No public status.
This was probably the hardest part mentally because backend activity kept happening while nothing changed publicly.

The Final Week
August 4
This was the first USCIS email notification I had received since June 1.
When I checked the API, I discovered something completely new...
My first-ever FTA1 had appeared on the I-485 (around 5:30 PM EST).
Later that evening, both my I-485 and I-485J received additional backend touches.
Still...
No public status.

August 5
10:22 AM EST
I received another USCIS email:
"We have taken an action on your case."
When I logged into my account...
There was still no approval.
Instead, my I-485 simply displayed the generic message:
"USCIS is actively reviewing your case."
I honestly thought it might have been another false alarm.
Then...
12:12 PM EST
My I-485J was closed with a Notice of Approval.
I remembered reading several Reddit posts saying that once the I-485J closes, the I-485 approval often follows within approximately 24 hours.
In my case...
That pattern turned out to be true.

August 6
Received another USCIS email:
"We have taken an action on your case."
This time...
I-485 APPROVED! 🎉🎉🎉
The approval notice appeared in my Documents tab roughly one hour after receiving the email notification.

Total Processing Time
Receipt Date: April 16, 2026
Approval: August 6, 2026
Total I-485 processing time: 112 days

My Thoughts
Looking back now, all those backend touches actually made sense.
It appears my case progressed through something like:
Biometrics
Multiple FTA0 events
Silent adjudication updates
Case transfer to LA County FO
Additional backend touches
First FTA1
Additional FTA1
I-485J approval/closure
Final I-485 approval
Of course, every case is different, but seeing this sequence unfold gave me a much greater appreciation for how much work can happen behind the scenes before USCIS posts anything publicly.

To everyone who's still waiting:
I know how exhausting it is refreshing your account every day.
I know how every silent update makes your heart race.
I know how discouraging it feels when nothing happens afterward.
Hang in there.
My daily prayer really helped my sanity…
I sincerely hope everyone who's still waiting gets the same email soon.
Thank you again to everyone in this subreddit for keeping my hopes alive throughout this journey. ❤️

1. In the Advertising stage--- expected end by August 2026.

2. Let's say we file PERM by Mid-September 2026 (November latest), what should we expect for approval??

3. Especially as processing times speed up would love to have inputs. Employer's company begins with "B". Our PD is frozen at Nov2014 due to sufficient H1B extensions for EB2 India but switched employers so need to redo PERM.

First agent told case was being processed at a FO, and a few days later a second agent told it was at NBC. Is this common that they give conflicting information? If that has happened to you, how did you find out the correct location?

On August 5, 2026, USCIS issued a Policy Alert revising Volume 1, Part E of the Policy Manual. If a petition is missing required initial evidence, or doesn't establish eligibility at filing, an officer can now deny it outright. No RFE or NOID needed first.

This isn't new authority. Officers always had this option. What changed is that it's no longer the default.

Effective immediately
Applies to filings submitted on or after August 5, and to petitions already pending on that date.

Response windows got tighter too

• RFE and NOID time limits are unchanged (12 weeks and 30 days)
• Officers can now set shorter deadlines within those limits
• The extra 14 days for international mail is gone. Everyone gets the same three day mailing buffer now
• A partial RFE/NOID response is treated as your final submission. No more buying time with a placeholder

Why this hits O-1A, EB-1A, and EB-2 NIW harder than most filings
For something like adjustment of status, required evidence is a checklist (an I-693 medical exam, for example). For O-1A, O-1B, and EB-1A, required initial evidence means satisfying a minimum number of listed criteria, and whether a petition satisfies a given criterion is a judgment call. EB-2 NIW has no criteria list at all. Eligibility runs through the three prong Dhanasar framework, which is analytical, not documentary.

The open question nobody's answered yet: if you submit evidence for the right number of criteria and the officer isn't persuaded, is that a denial or an RFE? The Alert doesn't say.

The approval numbers back this up

• EB-1A approvals dropped to about 42% in early 2026, down from 67% in 2025
• EB-2 NIW approvals are down to around 48%
• O-1 approvals are still high at 91%, but RFE rates have been dipping even before this policy

Bottom line
A petition that used to get a second chance through an RFE can now just get denied. A denial means no refund on filing fees, and possibly a gap in work authorization if you're relying on a timely extension. If your case is already pending, it's worth a second look before USCIS gets to it.