My wife's EB-2 NIW got approved but now we're stuck - and our attorney's advice confuses us
Hey everyone, I'm kind of freaking out here so I'm hoping someone can help us figure this out.
So my wife's EB-2 NIW I-140 just got approved in March 2026 (her PD was August 2025). That's great and all, but honestly things are pretty complicated right now and we're not sure what to do next.
we just recently submit our i-485 application !
She's on her initial OPT right now but it expires in like mid-July. She doesn't have a job lined up unfortunately - she's been doing some unpaid volunteer/intern work at a company that's not even E-Verify certified, just trying to get something on her resume. The real problem is that her field basically requires a green card to get hired anywhere. We've looked at OPT extensions but that's pretty much impossible for her situation.
Here's where I'm confused though. We talked to our attorney (Ellis Porter) and they're telling us NOT to do a PhD or even a second Master's degree. They're saying it'll complicate the case. But like... her I-140 is already approved? Why would going back to school mess things up at this point? She's willing to do it if it helps, but our attorney seems pretty against it and I don't really understand why.
Does anyone know why that would be a problem? Or what we should actually be doing right now? Should she just focus on finding a job? Are there other options we're missing? I feel like we're running out of time before her OPT expires.
Any advice or even just someone who's been through this would help so much. Thanks guys.