For people on H-1B who consider themselves highly skilled: have you explored EB-1, particularly the extraordinary-ability route? If you decided against applying, why?

I'm trying to understand what separates being very good at your job from putting together a viable petition. The State Department's overview describes specific eligibility routes and evidence requirements.

For those who've seriously considered it, what was the main obstacle: meeting the criteria, documenting the work, cost, time, or something else?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for advice from anyone who has filed Form I-485 for marriage-based Adjustment of Status online.
My wife is a U.S. citizen, and she submitted Form I-130 on September 26, 2026. I also submitted Form I-130A. My I-130 case status says “Case Was Received and A Receipt Notice Was Sent.”
I’m now trying to file my I-485 online, but USCIS keeps giving me an error saying:
“We were unable to find a Pending or Approved underlying I-130 Petition in our system checks. If you feel this is in error, please follow the paper filing options available.”
I have entered the I-130 receipt number from my USCIS account, but the system still will not accept my I-485.
I also completed my immigration medical examination (Form I-693), and the civil surgeon gave me both a sealed envelope and a scanned copy.
My questions are:
1. Has anyone successfully filed a marriage-based I-485 online after their spouse filed Form I-130?
2. Did you experience this error, and how did you resolve it?
3. Did you have to wait for USCIS to update its system, contact USCIS, or mail the I-485 instead?
4. If you mailed your application, how long did it take to receive your receipt notice?
I’m currently trying to complete the process correctly and would appreciate hearing about anyone’s recent experience.
Thank you!

My spouse and I had a pretty unsettling experience with CBP while returning from an international trip in early 2026, and I’m curious if anyone has experienced something similar.

For context, i’m a US citizen, and my spouse received a conditional marriage-based GC in late 2025. This was our first international trip since the GC was issued.

Originally in 2025, My spouse entered the US on a B2 visa, and we got married and filed for AOS after a genuine change of plans more than 90 days after entry. We’d already been in a long-distance relationship for 3–4 years and had taken numerous trips to visit each other across Europe, Asia, and the US over the course of our relationship. My spouse had also previously visited me in the US and departed as planned. This particular visit was supposed to be no different, and there was no preconceived intent to immigrate and get married. Our field office and location was in the Los Angeles area.

We were completely transparent about our relationship history and circumstances throughout the USCIS process, including during our interview, and our application was ultimately approved.

Anyway, fast forward to our return through a major West Coast international airport. The customs officer asked how my spouse originally entered the US and obtained the GC. We explained the B2 entry and subsequent AOS, and the officer immediately became confrontational, raised their voice, and started accusing us of having done something illegal.

They kept insisting that because we knew each other before entry, we should have gone through consular processing instead and accused us of “cutting the line”. We tried calmly explaining that there was no intent to immigrate at the time of entry, that our plans genuinely changed afterward, and that we’d already disclosed all of this to USCIS. At one point, while I was explaining, they yelled “STOP!” and demanded that I stop arguing with him. We weren’t being aggressive or argumentative, just trying to answer their questions. At that point, we both stood quietly while they continued lecturing us about how what we’d done was supposedly illegal and then just said have a good day and gave us our documents back. We were eventually allowed through without any further issues, but the whole interaction left us pretty shaken.

I completely understand CBP has the authority to ask questions, but being accused of doing something illegal when we’d been transparent throughout the entire USCIS process and had an approved GC was pretty unsettling.

Now we’re very hesitant to travel internationally again and are thinking of not planning any international trips until my spouse naturalizes and gets a US passport.

Has anyone experienced something similar, particularly after adjusting status from B2? Is this kind of questioning common, or did we just encounter an unusually confrontational officer? Can CBP continue challenging the circumstances of an already approved AOS on our future trips?

And most importantly, are we overthinking the risk of future international travel, or is our concern somewhat justified?

Would appreciate any thoughts or similar experiences!

I created ImmSight since I was fed up with the various platforms that charge expensive subscription fees in order to give you analytics about your own immigration cases. I don't believe that people should have to pay such a high premium for clarity at a time when the process is already long and stressful, particularly since you only check that information once or twice a day.

I created ImmSight (https://immsight.us), a free immigration case tracker which includes analytics, email alerts for any change in your case status, and a community in which you can share your timeline and connect with other people going through the same process.

The analytics are supported by the community; the greater the number of people who submit their case data, the more data we will have to analyse and the more valuable our insights can become. Each case that is added helps to create a clearer understanding of processing trends for all.

The receipt number remains private and, if you decide to share your timeline with the community, only your form type, statuses, and dates will be displayed.

To be clear, the public pages include advertisements in order to help pay for the hosting costs, whereas your personal dashboard and case pages are entirely free of advertisements.

ImmSight was launched this week, but it has taken me around a year to reach this point. I'm developing it on my own, and I am aware that there is still a lot that could be improved. I should really appreciate it if you could give me your feedback. Let me know what isn't working, what's missing, or what you would like to see included.

It would be worth it if it helped even a small number of people feel less overwhelmed by the process.

ImmSight has no association with USCIS and does not offer any legal advice.

My husband case was updated today from interview scheduled (July 8th) to today USCIS is processing the case. His case had not been updated since the interview notice was generated. His interview was 8/13. Praying this is a good sign he will get an approval soon.

Hi everyone! My husband’s 2025 income was too low, so we found a joint sponsor for our marriage-based AOS.
Our joint sponsor earned $39,000 in 2025, but the income requirement for a household of 4 is $41,250.
He previously sponsored two people who received green cards. One is his relative, and we know they still have a green card. He can’t reach the second person, and someone told him they might have left the US permanently. We don’t know if that’s true, and neither person has become a US citizen as far as we know.
If we list a household size of 3 instead of 4, could this be found out? What could happen if it were determined the household size was incorrect?
Has anyone experienced something similar? Thanks!

The U.S. State Department is moving forward to comply with the federal court mandate following Wednesday's major legal ruling. [1]

As of right now, the primary update centers on the finalized schedule and operational steps the government is taking to execute the DV-2027 Diversity Visa Program. [1]

🗓️ Firm Registration Dates Set

According to the latest court proceedings and legal trackers following Judge Jinsook Ohta's ruling, the timeline is tightly packed to recover from the administration's year-long delay: [1, 2]

• The Entry Window: The official 30-day online registration window is formally scheduled to open on November 1, 2026 and will run through November 30, 2026. [1, 2]
• Rapid Results Release: Because the cycle was delayed, the selection results will be fast-tracked and made available to check by December 3, 2026. [1]
• Immediate Interview Fast-Track: To ensure selectees don't lose their slots before the strict constitutional expiration of the fiscal year, winner interviews are ordered to begin immediately after results and conclude by September 30, 2027. [1]

The New Approved Timeline

The court approved the joint motion yesterday, cementing the official, revised schedule: [1]

• October 29, 2026: The absolute final deadline for Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the State Department to publish the formal, public parameters and instructions.
• November 1, 2026: The official date the Electronic Diversity Visa Website opens for registration.
• November 30, 2026: The close of the 30-day registration window.
• December 3, 2026: The fast-tracked release date for selection results. [1, 2]

I'm posting anonymously on behalf of my husband, who is a lawful permanent resident (employment-based green card). We're trying to better understand the practical immigration risks of international travel while his current case is pending.

Some background:

My husband has been a lawful permanent resident for several years.

He had a DUI conviction several years ago, before receiving his green card.

He is now facing another DUI charge in New Jersey, along with breath-test refusal and few elated traffic/ municipal charges. These are still charges and court hearing is due

When police encountered him in the recent incident, he was sitting in his parked vehicle in street parking in front of our home, with the engine turned off.

There were no open alcohol containers in the vehicle. Though 2 factory sealed liquor bottles were there

The other pending allegations involve leaving the scene of a property-damage accident, failure to report an accident, reckless/careless driving, and municipal public-urination-related ordinance violation.

There were no reported bodily injuries or drug-related allegations.

All charges from the recent incident remain pending, and he has not been convicted of any of them.

One important distinction we've learned is that ordinary DUI in New Jersey is classified as a serious motor-vehicle violation rather than a criminal offense under state law. It does not result in an ordinary NJ criminal conviction, although it remains on the driving record and can carry substantial penalties. We also understand that federal immigration law applies its own standards.

He already has a criminal defense attorney and is consulting immigration attorneys. We're not seeking to replace professional legal advice, but we would appreciate hearing from people with relevant firsthand experiences.

Our primary concern is international travel over the next couple of months and any long term consequences on naturalization

We've researched how returning lawful permanent residents are generally treated, including secondary inspection and the circumstances in which CBP may consider immigration parole or detention.

We're particularly interested in hearing from any who:

related charges while holding a green card.

1. Experienced CBP secondary inspection and was subsequently admitted.

2. Was placed on immigration parole or faced additional proceedings after returning.

3. Had a similar case resolved and continued international travel afterward.

We're interested in understanding the actual experiences of others, especially recent experiences, rather than assuming every DUl-related situation results in deportation.

We recognize the seriousness of DUl-related allegations, and my husband is regretful and addressing the situation with legal counsel. I'd sincerely appreciate keeping the discussion constructive and focused on immigration and travel experiences rather than personal judgments.

Thank you to anyone willing to share their experience. We understand it's not something to be proud of and the mistake he got in yet appreciate advice.

What’s the next step?

Hi everyone!
I’m currently going through the EB-3 Skilled Worker process. My PERM was approved, and my I-140 has already been filed. My priority date is May 1, 2025.
I already have an immigration lawyer handling my EB-3 case, including my future I-485 application.
I’m married, and my wife is currently on F-1 status. We plan to file our I-485 applications when my priority date becomes current and we’re eligible.
My lawyer quoted an additional $2,000 attorney fee to include my wife as a derivative applicant, excluding USCIS filing fees.
I’m considering preparing and filing my wife’s I-485 myself to save money while my lawyer handles my application.
I have a few questions:
Has anyone self-filed their spouse’s derivative I-485 while using a lawyer for their own employment-based I-485?
Is the derivative I-485 relatively straightforward, or are there common mistakes I should watch out for?
Can we submit both applications together even if my lawyer prepares mine and I prepare hers?
Would you recommend self-filing to save the $2,000, or is hiring a lawyer worth it?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through something similar. Thank you!

Title: Can I self-file my wife’s I-485 as an EB-3 derivative while my lawyer handles mine?
Hi everyone!
I’m currently going through the EB-3 Skilled Worker process. My PERM was approved, and my I-140 has already been filed. My priority date is May 1, 2025.
I already have an immigration lawyer handling my EB-3 case, including my future I-485 application.
I’m married, and my wife is currently on F-1 status. We plan to file our I-485 applications when my priority date becomes current and we’re eligible.
My lawyer quoted an additional $2,000 attorney fee to include my wife as a derivative applicant, excluding USCIS filing fees.
I’m considering preparing and filing my wife’s I-485 myself to save money while my lawyer handles my application.
I have a few questions:
Has anyone self-filed their spouse’s derivative I-485 while using a lawyer for their own employment-based I-485?
Is the derivative I-485 relatively straightforward, or are there common mistakes I should watch out for?
Can we submit both applications together even if my lawyer prepares mine and I prepare hers?
Would you recommend self-filing to save the $2,000, or is hiring a lawyer worth it?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through something similar. Thank you!

I’m a very recent LPR as of last month and I’m looking to apply for global entry as I have a trip to Canada planned in the next month and another international trip planned in the next 3-4 months.
I haven’t traveled internationally since 2024 though.

How is the process ? Any recent experiences ?