u/Intrinsic137

After a long wait, our EB-2 NIW I-485 cases have been approved and the Green Cards are finally here. These timeline posts helped me a lot while I was waiting, so I'm sharing mine as another data point.

I-140 / NIW Details

• Category: EB-2 NIW
• Priority Date: January 2024
• I-140 Approved: May 2024
• Processing: Regular/Normal Processing

Profile at the time of filing

• Field: PhD Student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Background: Wireless Communications
• Citations: Around 40
• Law firm: Chen - they filed my case within 20-25 days!

I-485 Timeline

• I-485 Filed / Receipt Date: October 2025 (Self-petition - No lawyer)
• EAD Approved: March 2026
• Case originally processed through: NBC
• Transferred to Field Office in June 2026
• Field Office was non-local
• No interview
• No RFE
• I-485 Approved: July 2026
• Green Cards received

The I-485 stage was easily the most stressful part - months would pass with no visible movement, and there's no way to tell whether silence is good or bad. In our case, the transfer out of NBC to a non-local field office turned out to be the last step before approval, and it went through without an interview or an RFE.

Very grateful this chapter is closed. To everyone still in the queue: the quiet stretches are normal, and they do end. Hoping your approvals land soon. 🎉

Hi,

When I go to the persona background check, it is asking me to contact my current employer. I'm not sure why they are asking that, or if they really did.

Has anyone gone with that?

Thanks!

To make sure of the core interview - It Says 3 attempts! So if I reject the 1st time, can I try again in the same position?

Hi everyone,

I’m new to Mercor, and before applying for a job I noticed that some roles require a Core Interview.

Can anyone explain what this interview is like? Is it a live Zoom/video interview with a person, an AI interview, or something else?

I’d really appreciate it if you could share your experience and any tips for preparing.

Thanks in advance!

previously there is an option for submit interest, but dont see anything, now!

can you tell me how can I submit interest?

Hi everyone,

I recently joined Handshake AI, but I need to complete an assessment first. Since I’m new to Handshake AI, could anyone share what to expect and how best to prepare?

Is the assessment difficult? Is the instruction material enough to pass?

Share your thoughts!

I’d really appreciate any advice. Thank you!

My employment-based I-485 was recently approved, and I am currently an F-1 PhD student.

What steps should I take now? Specifically:

1. Which university offices should I notify, such as the international student office, HR, payroll, or my department?
2. Should I notify them immediately based on the I-485 approval notice, or wait until I receive the physical green card?
3. Is there anything else I should update, such as my I-9, Social Security record, driving license, or tax withholding status?

Or, anything important - you can mention. I'll share my timeline in another post soon.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through a similar situation.

My employment-based I-485 was recently approved, and I am currently an F-1 PhD student.

What steps should I take now? Specifically:

1. Which university offices should I notify, such as the international student office, HR, payroll, or my department?
2. Should I notify them immediately based on the I-485 approval notice, or wait until I receive the physical green card?
3. Is there anything else I should update, such as my I-9, Social Security record, driving license, or tax withholding status?

Or, anything important - you can mention. I'll share my timeline in another post soon.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through a similar situation.

Hi everyone,

I recently had my Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16IMH9) repaired by Lenovo. They replaced both the keyboard and the battery, and I have a couple of questions for other owners.

1. Keyboard issue
I barely use the built-in keyboard because I almost always have an external keyboard connected. Despite that, several keys stopped working and Lenovo ended up replacing the entire keyboard.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any idea what could cause it? I take good care of the laptop, so I was surprised this happened.

2. Battery life
Even with the brand-new replacement battery, I'm only getting around 3 to 3.5 hours of battery life with:

• Web browsing
• Wi-Fi on
• Moderate screen brightness
• No gaming or heavy workloads

I've seen people mention 5–6 hours, and Lenovo's estimates are much higher.

How much battery life are you actually getting in your use?

Hi everyone,

I recently had my Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16IMH9) repaired by Lenovo. They replaced both the keyboard and the battery, and I have a couple of questions for other owners.

1. Keyboard issue
I barely use the built-in keyboard because I almost always have an external keyboard connected. Despite that, several keys stopped working and Lenovo ended up replacing the entire keyboard.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any idea what could cause it? I take good care of the laptop, so I was surprised this happened.

2. Battery life
Even with the brand-new replacement battery, I'm only getting around 3 to 3.5 hours of battery life with:

• Web browsing
• Wi-Fi on
• Moderate screen brightness
• No gaming or heavy workloads

I've seen people mention 5–6 hours, and Lenovo's estimates are much higher.

How much battery life are you actually getting in your use?

My I-485 (EB2-NIW) has already blown past the standard 8.5-month processing time. But when I check the case inquiry tool, it says I can't submit a request until next May.

Has anyone submitted an inquiry anyway, ahead of that date? Did it cause any issues, or did USCIS just process it normally?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who's tried this. Thanks!

My I-485 (EB2-NIW) has already blown past the standard 8.5-month processing time. But when I check the case inquiry tool, it says I can't submit a request until next May.

Has anyone submitted an inquiry anyway, ahead of that date? Did it cause any issues, or did USCIS just process it normally?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who's tried this. Thanks!

My I-485 (EB2-NIW) has already blown past the standard 8.5-month processing time. But when I check the case inquiry tool, it says I can't submit a request until next May.

Has anyone submitted an inquiry anyway, ahead of that date? Did it cause any issues, or did USCIS just process it normally?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who's tried this. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I just wanted to check and connect with others whose I-485 cases have been pending for a long time at the St. Paul/Minneapolis Field Office.

How long has your case been there, and have you received any recent updates?

Hi everyone, I just wanted to check and connect with others whose I-485 cases have been pending for a long time at the St. Paul/Minneapolis Field Office.

How long has your case been there, and have you received any recent updates?

Hi everyone,

My RD is October 2025. My case was moved from NBC to the St. Paul Field Office on June 2. Then I had a third FTA0 around June 15, but there has been no update since then.

Does this usually mean the officer is still working on the case, or could it indicate that more background checks are still pending?

I know every case is different, but I wanted to see if anyone had a similar experience after multiple FTAO updates and how long it took to get the next update or decision.

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

My RD is October 2025. My case was moved from NBC to the St. Paul Field Office on June 2. Then I had a third FTA0 around June 15, but there has been no update since then.

Does this usually mean the officer is still working on the case, or could it indicate that more background checks are still pending?

I know every case is different, but I wanted to see if anyone had a similar experience after multiple FTAO updates and how long it took to get the next update or decision.

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

My RD is October 2025. My case was moved from NBC to the St. Paul Field Office on June 2. Then I had a third FTA0 around June 15, but there has been no update since then.

Does this usually mean the officer is still working on the case, or could it indicate that more background checks are still pending?

I know every case is different, but I wanted to see if anyone had a similar experience after multiple FTAO updates and how long it took to get the next update or decision.

Thanks in advance.

Can I Ask Emma about FTA0 Event directly? did they answer usually?

Can I Ask Emma about FTA0 Event directly? did they answer normally!