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Case Stories
⏳ EB-3 Professional ROW Pending - PD May 2023, FTA1 Stage
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⏳ **Case Status: Pending**
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A Rest of World (ROW) EB-3 Professional applicant with a May 2023 priority date filed I-485 in October 2025 and is currently in the FTA1 stage as of January 2026. The case has progressed through multiple silent updates and biometrics, and is now at the National Benefits Center (NBC) after initial Field Office routing confusion. EAD remains pending.
An EB-3 Professional ROW applicant with PD 05/2023 (current since February 2026) filed I-485, I-485J, and I-765 concurrently in October 2025. Biometrics were completed in November 2025. The case experienced multiple silent UpdateAt events under both I-485 and I-485J between December 2025 and January 2026. On 01/23/2026, the I-485J was approved and the I-485 received its first FTA1 event code. A second FTA1 event was recorded on 02/17/2026, referencing the original 01/23/2026 FTA1 creation date. There was conflicting information from USCIS agents regarding Field Office assignment — initially indicated as Santa Ana FO, but later confirmed by multiple agents as forwarded to NBC on 01/23/2026, suggesting the earlier silent updates (12/04 or 12/23) may have been the actual FO transfer. EAD has not yet been updated.
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**[📎 View Original Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/USCIS/comments/1rk4qup/eb3_pro_row_14_days_after_fta1/)**
*Source: Reddit EB-3 search*
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*This post was automatically curated from online sources to share real case experiences with the community.*
This case illustrates a key pattern in ROW EB-3 adjudication: the FTA1 (Final Action 1) event code marks the formal initiation of the final adjudication phase, not approval. The gap between FTA1 and a decision can vary from days to several months. The discrepancy in Field Office vs NBC routing is a common source of confusion — USCIS systems can show outdated or conflicting location data across different agent terminals. Cases at NBC after FTA1 typically proceed to a final interview waiver or Field Office interview determination. The silent UpdateAt events without event codes often reflect backend processing steps not visible through standard USCIS case status checks. Applicants at a similar FTA1 stage with ROW PDs in the 2023 range should expect NBC review before any further FO action.