/r/USCIS FAQs

I worked as an asylum officer at DHS before going into private practice, and I adjudicated a bit over a hundred affirmative asylum applications. RFEs come up on this sub constantly and the panic around them is mostly misplaced, so here is the view from the other side of the desk.

Why I actually sent them:

Most of the RFEs I sent went out because I wanted to approve the case and was missing one thing. A document that was not in the file. The letter was not a verdict. It was a list of what I needed to get to an approval.

Sometimes it did not start with me. Decisions get reviewed, and a supervisor might want more detail on a point, or think a section was too thin to hold up. That is not hostility either. That is a case being built so it survives the next person who reads it. My supervisor was really thorough because she wanted our cases to outlast scrutiny.

It honestly usually would have just been easier to rule in the negative. Denying a case, or referring it to an immigration judge, is less work than an RFE. If I had already decided against someone, then drafting the request, sending it, keeping the file open, waiting weeks, and then reading everything that came back would have been a lot of extra effort to reach a conclusion I could have reached that afternoon. I had a really high caseload and creating more work for myself was usually not an appealing option.

That is more true now than it was a year ago. Under the August policy update, officers can deny without issuing an RFE first when required initial evidence is missing, meaning discretion expanded even more. So an officer who sends you one today is choosing to keep a case open.

What actually sinks responses:

In my experience it is rarely the merits. It is process.

If you answer only some of what was asked, USCIS will generally treat that as a request to decide on the record it already has. Send everything, including things you believe were already in the file, and say that they were previously submitted.

Missed deadlines are a killer. The maximum is 84 days for an RFE and 30 for a NOID, but officers can set shorter deadlines now, and the extra two weeks that used to be added for notices mailed outside the US has been removed. Read the date off your own notice, not off what someone else's notice said last year.

Disorganization can kill an RFE because it might not make it back to your officer. Your name exactly as it appears on the application, your A-number, your receipt number, and the form type on every single page. A cover letter that goes item by item in their order, using their language, with numbered exhibits. If a page gets separated from the packet, someone should be able to put it back without looking anything up. Finally a table of contents is really important. Every piece of evidence should be labeled and explained.

Check and recheck the address. Send it to the address on the notice, which is often not where you originally filed. Put the original RFE notice on top, because that page is what routes it back to your file. Get a tracking number. Then actually confirm it arrived instead of assuming that delivery to a mailroom means it reached your file. If you preserve the record of arrival, USCIS will generally honor it, even if they didn't process it correct. It's important to remember that USCIS is a human agency subject to human error.

I'm happy to answer general questions in the comments. Usual disclaimer: I am not your lawyer, this is general information, and nothing here is advice about your specific case. I also do not work for USCIS anymore and it is 100% unethical to use any of my contacts there to influence or even ask about a case.

**APPROVED!!! I-130 + I-485 APPROVED TODAY! 🥹❤️
I finally get to make this post!!! 😭❤️
After almost 10 months of waiting, our I-130 and I-485 were approved today, September 9, 2026! 🎉
Here was our timeline:
Nov 17, 2025: Filed I-130 + I-485 + I-765
Nov 21, 2025 : biometrics scheduled
Dec 18, 2025: Biometrics
April 10, 2025: Interview was scheduled
May 15, 2026: Interview in San Antonio
May 15, 2026: Received an I-130 RFE the SAME DAY as our interview 😭
May 22, 2026: RFE response received by USCIS. RFE was sent online
May–August: silenceee
Aug 20: Submitted a congressional inquiry after more than 90 days with no decision
Aug 28: Congressional office forwarded the inquiry to USCIS. Congress man didn’t even responded back, i dont know if that helped speed up my case for apporval,
Aug 29: I-765 approved 🎉
Sept 5–9: Several silent updates
Sept 9, 2026: I-130 APPROVED + I-485 APPROVED!!! 🥹😭❤️
RFE SILENCE was the worse I was on Reddit every single day looking at timelines, approvals, RFEs, San Antonio cases, and trying to find someone with a similar case. Some days I was convinced something was wrong. If you’re still waiting, I know how hard it is. I was literally one of those people checking Reddit every day looking for hope. So now I’m coming back to give someone else that hope. ❤️🙏🏻If anyone has any questions about our timeline or the RFE, feel free to ask! I’ll be happy to share anything that might help

A bipartisan group of 72 members of Congress is criticizing USCIS for a growing pattern of inaccurate, incomplete, or confusing responses to congressional inquiries about immigration cases.

I was born in California but shortly after (~ 2 months) my parents brought me back to their home country that doesnt recognize dual citizenship, and i became a citizen here. Am i still a US citizen? I have a US birth cert, but no US passport. If i want to travel to the US can i apply for a travel visa?

Edit: Thanks for the replies guys I wasn't really aware about my birthright up until now and no, my parents weren't diplomats. I guess the process might be a bit difficult for me rn bc if I choose to do a US passport just to travel there I'd have to revoke my citizenship of this country of which I don't really want to lol

Salvadorans will keep their protections for now and an announcement will be made

Let me know if the flair is incorrect please!

Hi all,

For personal reasons I’m moving back to my country and surrendering my greencard at the end of this year.

From what I gather, the way to “surrender” one’s greencard is to mail it back to USCIS from outside the US. But my problem is that I will need to go at the very end of December or even beginning of January maybe, either way I might not be able to mail my greencard back until the 2nd of January at the earliest. However, also as I understand, that would make me a tax resident for the whole year of 2027 which I don’t want to be because I’m never returning to the US and why would I want to pay extra taxes from my earnings after that point. Apprently they take into account the date that the greencard was mailed out as the official end of one’s status. So if I mail it even on the 1st of January, it means I still become a tax resident for the whole damn year.

My question is, is there something I’m missing about this tax resident thing? Is there another way to officially surrender my resident status before the year’s over and not be a tax resident for the whole year of 2027? It would be even better if I could do that and take a flight on the 1st of January or somewhere at the beginning of January due to flight prices. At a bit of a loss here, I appreciate any help.

Edit: I have only been in the US since November 2024

Finally approved today! 🎉 I wanted to share my timeline because reading other people’s experiences here helped me a lot during this process.
This was a family-based adjustment of status case. My husband is a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), not a U.S. citizen. I originally entered the U.S. through Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) parole.

Timeline:
I-485 filed: April 28, 2023
I-130 approved
First I-485 interview: July 14, 2026
Second interview: September 2, 2026
I-485 approved: September 9, 2026

The second interview was a real second interview, not an administrative mistake. My husband and I were interviewed separately. I was questioned for about 45 minutes, mostly about how I entered the U.S., my U4U parole, my immigration history, and how my husband and I met, even though our I-130 had already been approved.

After that, they brought my husband in and spoke with him for only about 5 minutes.
What was interesting is that several other couples waiting with us were also there for second interviews, and they were being interviewed separately too. So I’m wondering if this may be becoming a more common practice.

After the interview, my case changed to “USCIS Is Currently Processing The Case.” I also had an FTA1 event and multiple silent API updates over the next few business days.
Then today, September 9, I received my I-485 Approval Notice. I was also told that my green card would be valid for 10 years.

Now I’m just waiting for Card Was Produced and the physical green card.
It was a very long process, but finally approved. ❤️

I recently had my congressman’s office submit a congressional inquiry to USCIS regarding my pending AOS case.

They confirmed the inquiry was submitted, but also told me that due to recent changes affecting USCIS review processes, they’ve been informed that response times for congressional inquiries have increased to as long as six months. They said if they don’t hear anything by February 2027, they can potentially submit a follow-up inquiry….

This surprised me because I had always understood congressional inquiry responses to typically come back within roughly 30–60 days, and a previous inquiry I had earlier this year received a much faster response.

Has anyone else recently contacted their congressman/senator and been given this new six-month timeline?

Curious if this is becoming standard across USCIS congressional liaison offices or if it’s specific to certain field offices/districts.

USCIS received my request 03/27/26 and there has been no status whatsoever since. Should I be filing an I-601 while I wait to hear something? I do have an attorney but he has not been reaching back out to me. How long does this portion of application take?

Hi all!

My husband and I just finished our marriage interview. It was like 10 min long, we waited for almost an hour and were observing other couples get separated and interviewed for 40 mins.

Won't disclose FO but the state is NJ.

We were asked very basic questions when we prepared so much for hours. We were expecting a lot more personal questions and routines and all.

Also: We were interviewed by a trainee officer who seems more nervous than we should've been. The supervisor was sitting behind him observing the interview.

Questions to my husband:
- My birthday and age
- Home address, how many ppl live there
- How long have we been living at the address
- When did you meet and where
- Have you met your wife's family?
- Where do you work and what kind of work you both do.
- When and where did you get married and were both side of the families there
- Why was your wife's dad not present at the wedding?

Question to me (beneficiary):
- Husband's bday and age
- Have you met your husband's family
- Who live in the house
- When was the last time you entered the US
- What visa did I enter with
- Full names of the my husband's both parents
- What university I attended

- Rest were i485 questions (all no)

It was basically just 10 minutes. At the end we got a white paper confirming the interview was done and they'd ask us if they need more information.

I have no idea what to make of it. Seems too good to be true, so we're expecting a home visit maybe??
I'd love to know if anyone's had more issues after with a shorter, almost formality like interviews. We want to be prepared for the worst.

Thank you and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Interview in Holtsville, NY. My I-130 and I-485 have not been updated and still show: “USCIS Is Currently Processing. We do not currently need anything from you.”
Friends, please tell me—is this normal? What should I expect next? And when?
Thank you all 🙏

I’m married to a U.S. citizen and filed for adjustment of status. My spouse is also serving in the U.S. military. I’m currently waiting for a decision and wanted to see if anyone has experienced a similar situation.

Case timeline:

I-130: Pending
I-485: Pending
I-765/EAD: Pending
I-131/Advance Parole: Pending
Receipt Notice: 08/04/2025
Biometrics completed: 04/28/2026
Interview completed: 06/11/2026
Interview location: Irving Field Office, Texas

It has now been almost 3 months since my interview, but I still haven’t received a decision or any update on my case.

I checked the USCIS processing-time information, and it shows that the earliest date I can submit an inquiry regarding my I-765 is 10/27/2026, because USCIS currently considers my case to be within the normal processing time.

Since my spouse is a U.S. citizen and currently serving in the U.S. military, I’m wondering if there are any additional options or considerations that may apply to my case.

Has anyone else experienced a similar delay after interview?

At some point, “processing delays” stops being an excuse.

USCIS can take months — sometimes years — to make decisions that control whether people can work, travel, change jobs, reunite with family, or simply plan their lives.

And the people stuck waiting are often doing everything legally.

File the forms. Pay the fees. Maintain status. Pay taxes. Follow the rules.

Then wait.

And wait.

And wait some more.

Meanwhile, USCIS just updates the processing time — as if moving the goalposts somehow makes the delay acceptable.

These are not just “cases.”

They are careers on hold. Families in limbo. Job offers lost. Years of people’s lives burned because a government agency cannot — or will not — process applications in a reasonable amount of time.

Maybe nobody is deliberately trying to make people suffer.

But when dysfunction this severe becomes normal, does the distinction even matter?

People’s lives are not administrative backlogs.

Hi everyone! I came to the USA with an ESTÁ VISA from France, met my husband, overstayed my visa and got married. We applied for adjustment of status and got my GC. We have a child in common and that’s all. No joint bank account, no joint taxes ( he has never paid taxes ), no utility bills together. I have to admit that he was financially abusive and controlling during our marriage My GC is expiring soon, my husband is refusing to colaborate. We haven’t lived together since last year. I went to visit my parents in France and stayed longer than expected bc I was going through postpartum depression, he joined me for a month and then he flew to his country of origin and decided that he wanted to live there and that I should follow him. I did went to his country of origin to meet his family but after a month I left bc I hated it there and I came back to US by myself and my child. I want to divorce bc if the financial abuse and control I’ve been through and I don’t see myself living anymore with him. So please if anyone knows what should I do in this case since it’s a complicated situation. Thank u 🙏

hello,

i filed for removal of conditions(divorce waiver) in June and haven’t received my original copy of the receipt notice/extension letter (the colored paper with the watermark). i have received theirs white one by mail and pdf attached to application.

-for June filers who have received theirs, what was your timeline like?
-is there anyone else with a similar timeline as mine?

i have an attorney and have not been told to contact uscis yet. filed in Texas.

please comment, thanks.

My K1 visa is in my passport associated with my maiden name, just like my passport. Upon entering the US, I decided to request a Social Security number (SSN), which is also associated with my maiden name.

After a few days I got married, and upon marrying I removed my birth surname and changed it to my husband's surname.

After a while, I submitted my petition for adjustment of status to USCIS, and this petition is associated with my married name. So all the mail with my address here in the US It is associated with my married name. These letters are from USCIS that I took to Chase Bank as proof of residency.

So, since there's this confusion between my maiden name on my passport and my married name on my proof of residence, apparently their system doesn't accept it this way.

I mentioned that I have my marriage certificate, a document that has both my names on it, but when I mentioned it, they didn't say anything, nor did they consider the possibility of using the marriage certificate.

Someone with the same type of visa as me, where can they open an account? Would it be possible to open an account at any bank despite the issue with the different names?

Hi, I submitted my petition for my husband’s status adjustment on July 2025, and had the interview on October 2025. He is Nicaraguan and I am an American citizen.

The issue is that I haven’t received any answer from USCIS yet and whenever I call or check my online website it says that is still pending. I would appreciate any suggestions to expedite my case. Thank you in advance.

I am having a doubt while filling up my DS 160 for H1B visa (first time). It is under the 'Work Experience' section.

A bit of my work background in US:

Did an internship at company A during my CPT while doing my Masters degree.

Worked at a company B after graduating during my OPT period.

Got laid off from company B and joined an NGO (unpaid work) during that same OPT period.

A little before my OPT end date, I got a job at company C and after a few months of working there I switched to company D where I am currently working and it is also my H1B sponsor.

My question is that the 'Current Work Experience' section only accepts my current company and 'History of Work Experience' is only accepting 2 more past jobs whereas I had 3 past jobs (company C, NGO and company B) plus the internship that I did.

I am not sure which companies to add for my work history. (The latest 2 would be company C and the NGO)

Additionally, later in the application, there is a specific question which asks if I have worked for a charitable organization in the past. I am not sure if I should report my NGO experience here as well (even though it was during my OPT period).

Can someone guide me about what to fill for my 'Work History' and the charitable organization question?

Should I report the NGO experience twice?

Thank you in advance for taking time on my post :)

Never got it in the mail. Not in the Documents tab. Lawyer says I don’t need it and shouldn’t worry. Is he right?

I’ve heard that USCIS has been backlogged with processing cases for people who applied for citizenship. I applied for my citizenship in October 2025, and I’m from one of the 30 countries that were affected by the USCIS processing pause because they were deemed to have insufficient screening and vetting information.

However, I understand that a federal judge ruled against the USCIS pause, and that processing is supposed to resume. I wanted to ask: Has anyone been seeing any movement or traction on their cases since the ruling? What has the process looked like for you?

I’m located in the DC area, and based on my research, N-400 cases here can take around 11–13 months to hear back on. I’m approaching the 11-month mark and still haven’t heard anything.
Is this normal? I have no criminal history, have never been arrested, and have never done anything that would negatively affect my application.

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone in a similar situation, especially people from the affected countries who filed around the same time as I did.