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Case Stories
✅ EB-3 ROW Approved After Policy Memo Hold - UK National PD 2023-07
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✅ **Case Status: Approved**
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A British national with an L-1B visa obtained EB-3 ROW green card approval after a lengthy PERM-based process. The I-485 was briefly placed on hold following a USCIS policy memorandum issued the day before the interview, but was ultimately approved within approximately 4 months of filing. The case highlights the complexity of parallel visa strategy and timing pressures for L-1B holders.
An EB-3 ROW case for a British national employed since 2016 resulted in I-485 approval in June 2026. The applicant entered the US in September 2022 on an L-1B visa (which itself faced a 6-month delay due to a 221(g) medical hold at Dublin consulate). PERM recruitment began January 2023, PERM was filed July 2023 and approved September 2024 — a 14-month adjudication. I-140 was filed October 2024 and approved in December 2024 via premium processing upgrade. The priority date became current in February 2026, at which point I-485 was filed. Biometrics were completed in March 2026, and the Sacramento Field Office interview occurred in May 2026 — one day after a USCIS policy memorandum was issued, causing the case to be placed on hold. Despite this complication, both the I-485J and I-485 were approved in late June 2026. As a contingency, the applicant entered the H-1B lottery in March 2026 and was selected. A key factor in the timeline was urgency driven by the L-1B visa clock: the initial 221(g) delay consumed 8 months of authorized stay, compressing the runway for PERM completion before visa expiry. The applicant noted that a 6-month delay in starting PERM would have resulted in L-1B expiration before I-485 approval.
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**[📎 View Original Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/USCIS/comments/1ueo1lw/approved_after_case_put_on_hold_due_to_uscis/)**
*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 two critical patterns for L-1B to EB-3 conversions: (1) PERM adjudication ran 14 months (July 2023 – September 2024), which is consistent with current DOL backlogs — applicants filing PERM today should not expect sub-12-month processing. (2) The I-485 was filed the same month the priority date became current (February 2026) and approved approximately 4 months later, suggesting ROW EB-3 with a current priority date can move relatively quickly once I-485 is filed. (3) The USCIS policy memo hold in May 2026 resolved within roughly 5 weeks, indicating these administrative holds are not necessarily fatal to pending cases. Cases currently on hold due to the same memo may see similar resolution timelines. (4) For L-1B holders pursuing EB-3, monitor your remaining authorized stay carefully — the overlap between PERM processing time (~14 months) and L-1B validity is a hard constraint that requires early action.