One of the 39 banned countries.
Type: STEM-OPT extension
Premium Processing: NO
Date Applied: 12/18/2025
Date Approved: 07/04/2026
To everyone still waiting, your approval is coming soon.
Best of luck!
Finally posting my timeline as promised. One of the 39 banned countries. Here we go:
Type: Initial Post-Completion OPT
Premium Processing: YES
Date Applied: 04/03/2026
PP Added: 05/20/2026
Biometrics Requested: YES | 04/10/2026
Biometrics Completed: 04/30/2026
RFIE: NO
NOID: NO
Date Approved: 07/02/2026 (Business Day 29)
Card Produced: TBD
Card Received: TBD
Country: Nigeria
Service Center: Potomac Service Center
I believe that the case was frozen under PM-602-0194 (39-country hold) from May until June 12, when USCIS confirmed compliance with the Dorcas vacatur. My backend API showed a silent touch on June 13 (hold removal) and again on July 2 at 11:12 AM; the approval email arrived at 12:22 PM the same day.
For those still waiting from banned countries, cases are moving post-Dorcas. Watch your API, monitor the July 8 stay hearing on CourtListener (Case No. 1:26-cv-00132), and push hard before any stay lands.
It is well. 🙏
I’m beginning to get worried about my concurrent filings.
Case submitted: I-130, I-131, I-765 and I-485
Receipt date: Jan 26, 2026
Biometric capturing date: Feb 19, 2026.
Since then, it’s been radio silence except for a May 18 email about an action being taken on the case without any real change on the case status. Should it ideally take this long to even be scheduled for an interview?
I’m beginning to get really worried.
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share that my sibling who has been on H1B and filed for renewal May 2025 finally got his approval today. From one of the 39 countries who got partially banned back in January (prefer not to specify which but it was not one of the original 19).
His company filed for renewal May 2025 although his visa didn’t expire until October 2025. Around March they switched it to premium processing since his grace period was ending in May 2026 but as we know, the pause wouldn’t allow anything at all to be approved. He stopped working at the end of May with uncertainty if his job would even allow him to stay on administrative leave for over 30 days. Thankfully, this morning the company lawyers sent him the approval from USCIS that he’d been approved! Praying that so many others receive this good news soon as well.
It’s been almost a month since a Federal Judge vacated the hold policies placed on work permits etc for those from 39 countries. Has anyone had their OPTs approved since then? If yes. Did you have to reach out to USCIS to move your case up for review or did yours just get approved without doing anything?
I got approved today.
Born in a banned country, but citizen of a non-banned country. Came to the US as a citizen of the non-banned country in 2022 as an F1.
Applied Feb 26, 2026
Upgraded to PP in early April (after biometrics in March). NIE for physicians may 22, and then congressional inquiry on June 23, 2026.
I'm a neurotic person, so I'm going to include as many details as possible about receiving the notice:
- email received at 11:25 am EST. No change in status online or on the API in the morning; I checked again this evening and saw an updated date and time that aligns to 11:24 am EST and a new JSON code. I coincidentally happened to speak to an agent about 30 minutes before the email, who told me that there had been no update since my case was moved to a Tier II agent 3 weeks ago.
- field office: Potomac
Thank you to reddit for all the advice, encouragement, and for letting me know that I'm not alone in this. I'm praying everyone here gets the answer they've been waiting for soon.
I-485 and I-140 filed concurrently on 5/26
I-140 updated to case being processed on 6/14
Biometrics appointment scheduled on 6/19
However, no updates on the USCIS website till today. Appointment notification came through my lawyers. Anyone else experienced this with the case tracker on USCIS website?
I’m married to a U.S. permanent resident (green card holder), and my I-130 has already been approved. I was recently scheduled for my I-485 adjustment of status interview.
My concern is that I currently don’t have lawful status. I entered the U.S. through the border and was granted 212(d)(5) parole, but that has already expired.
I’m really nervous about attending the interview because I know that, when adjusting through a permanent resident spouse, maintaining lawful status is often an issue. I’m afraid my I-485 could be denied or that attending the interview could put me at risk.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? If so, what happened in your case?
I got my Initial OPT approved today with no Premium Processing! I applied mid march and took a little over a 100 days.
I almost lost hope but here we are! Stay strong !!
Nigerian here. I have an H-1B I-129 in premium processing that received an additional RFE related to two dismissed arrests (no convictions). USCIS received my RFE response on May 29, reset the premium processing clock, then issued the “premium processing clock stopped and notice mailed” update. My case has remained “Case Is Still Being Processed” since June 11. I’m also currently in my 60-day F-1 grace period and trying to determine my backup options if the case continues to be delayed. In your experience, how common is this timeline for criminal-history RFEs? Does a longer post-RFE review usually indicate additional background/security review, or is it simply normal adjudication? Have you seen similar cases ultimately approved?
I have only seen one I-140 approval. Are there people with I-140 approval, im so confused, i see opt, I-485, H1B alot but dont really see I-140. Sigh 😞
I applied for premium processing since October 2025. Responded to RFE January 23rd
This thread is especially for people who have not had their interview yet and were affected by the hold related to the 39 countries.
Please reply to this post even if you do not have any updates, so we can all stay in one place, keep track of any changes, and know how to reach out to each other if someone hears something.
Is there anyone that submitted initial post completion OPT on February 10th (receipt date)? Have you received any approval without PP. I have seen a lot of March, April, and May but I haven't seen anyone around my timeline with approval. From one of the 39 partial ban country
Receipt date : February 10th, 2026
Biometrics : March 4th, 2026
Still waiting on approval
I want to follow up on Venezuelans cases with current AOS. This is my story:
I married my USC husband last year, then submitted everything to USCIS in July (2025). They reused my biometrics so I only went to my AOS interview in November of last year (2025). I’ve been waiting for 7 months and feeling so frustrated. I lost my job because my EAD expired and I thought I was gonna get the one with the I-485, but the EAD didn’t process.
When I went to my interview in November, the immigration officer was nice and told me that unfortunately she couldn’t approve my application the same day because I was Venezuelan and they had to do multiple security checks on their system.
Please be nice and respectful, don’t make false statements. If you’re not from Venezuela but still hold a nationality from a banned country, you’re welcome to share your experience as well.
Has anybody gotten approved or recently had their interviews in south Florida recently after the ban was lifted? More importantly Oakland park field office i have not seen anybody get approved from there.
My OPT was pending since mid of December and I got the approval today.
In the email it is stated that
Starting validity 6-23-2026
Ending validity 2-28-2027
Does anyone have this experience? If so, should I do anything? Could this be fixed?
Thanks
There is hope people.
I applied around early March with premium processing, did biometrics early April. My start date is in 2 weeks, and I almost requested an extension, but I finally got approved today. Was a bit worried cause people said it might take a while despite the pause being lifted, but that's gone. Can finally plan what's next.
Hope this will give hope to some of you all!
Hi guys! I'm an immigration journalist and I'm looking for people in the U.S. from the 39 banned countries who have been affected by the benefits hold that was (supposedly) lifted by Dorcas. We're a Christian magazine so specifically looking for people willing to share how their faith has been affected as well. If this applies to you or anyone you know please message me! I believe the more we can share personal stories of people affected, the more pressure we put on the government to respect the courts and law. Thank you in advance!
Anybody got approve from Minnesota after banned got lifted ?